The 2024 college football season will see its end on Jan. 20, as the Ohio State Buckeyes face the Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in the National Championship Game.
Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman is a stone’s throw from getting his team its first national championship in 36 years and is single-mindedly focused on winning against the Buckeyes, which were once his alma mater. However, a slight crack in Freeman’s hard resolve could be seen when he was asked about his close friendship with former teammate and Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis.
Ohio State’s James Laurinaitis and Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman’s Friendship
Freeman and Laurinaitis were both linebackers at Ohio State from 2005 to 2008. When he was asked about the latter at a press conference ahead of the game, Freeman said:
“It won’t be something you think about once the game starts. But then again, you talk about a guy that you care about more than the game of football, and we have a personal relationship. Our wives know each other really well. Our kids know each other really well.
“He’s a friend, and at the end of the day, you care about friends. But when the game starts, it is going to be about winning and look forward to the opportunity.”
Freeman shared how their bond grew through a shared love of wrestling. Laurinaitis is the son of “Road Warrior Animal,” a professional wrestler whose real name was Joe and who was also a Hall of Fame inductee.
“I grew up a wrestling fan, and he came in the year after I got to Ohio State, and when I found out the son of Animal was coming in, I was a fan. … Then we did go to a lot of WrestleManias together.”
Laurinaitis, a three-time All-American at OSU, also credits his wrestling connection for their friendship, saying with a laugh, “I think that was the only reason he befriended me at first was because of my dad.”
Their friendship grew over time. In 2020, when Laurinaitis’ father passed away, Freeman supported him by calling every day for two weeks.
“That’s a true friend right there,” Laurinaitis said. “I’ll never forget that.”
Freeman also helped Laurinaitis start his coaching career after his eight-year NFL tenure ended, as the former offered him a role as a graduate assistant at Notre Dame in 2022. The following season, he took on the same position at Ohio State and was named the Buckeyes’ LBs coach last offseason.
Though they are immensely close, the national championship is all they’re currently focused on.
MORE: Ohio State vs. Notre Dame Prediction
“We talked earlier in the week. It’s a cool experience when you get to go against your friend and do all that. But ultimately at the end of the day, this is about Ohio State and Notre Dame, it’s certainly not about us. From the human side of it, I’m proud of him and everything he’s done to lead that program,” Laurinaitis said.
Notre Dame has not won a game against the Buckeyes in nearly nine decades. Maybe the ninth meeting between the teams will see one underdog friend triumph over the other.
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