He was the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year as a senior and snagged an interception in the Buckeyes’ upset of Miami (Fla.) in the Fiesta Bowl to claim their first national title in more than 30 years.
(The man he intercepted, Hurricanes quarterback Ken Dorsey, is also on the ballot.)
Laurinaitis was also a three-time All-American for the Buckeyes. He played linebacker and was named Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons. The Buckeyes won the Big Ten in all four of his seasons and played in two national championship games.
Former Bengals Garrison Hearst, Ashley Ambrose and Peter Warrick are also on the ballot.
Ambrose was an All-American defensive back at Mississippi Valley State, where he was named the SWAC Defensive Back and Return Specialist of the Year in 1991.
Hearst won the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s top running back as a senior at Georgia in 1992.
Warrick was a two-time All-American receiver at Florida State in the late ’90s and was one of the standout players for the 1999 national champions.
Bill Ramseyer, who coached at Wilmington College from 1972-90, is also on the ballot.
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