Ohio State Football: Putting together the all-time Jim Tressel team

Ohio State Football All-Time Jim Tressel team, Linebackers

Linebackers were a staple of great play under Tressel. He produced some of the best linebackers in Ohio State football history, including one of my favorite Buckeyes of all time. This was one of the few times I didn’t struggle with a position group. Here’s the list:

OLB: A.J. Hawk

MLB: James Laurinaitis

OLB: Bobby Carpenter

Hawk is one of my favorite Buckeyes of all time. He was just a nasty hitter and made plays all over the field. He was a two-time First-Team All-American in 2004 and 2005. Hawk was actually the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Yeary in 2005 and also won the Jack Lambert and the Lombardi awards.

Laurinaitis is one of the most decorated Buckeyes in history. He is up for induction into the College Football Hall of Fame because he was so good. He’s a three-time All-American, a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year winner, a two-time winner of the Jack Lambert Trophy, and won the Lott Trophy, Butkus Award, and Bronko Nagurski Trophy.

Carpenter played with both of these guys as well. He flanked Hawk on the other side of the line for most of his career. He was a two-time Second-Team All-Big Ten selection in 2004 and 2005 and would go on to be a first-round pick in the 2006 NFL Draft.

The linebackers were an easy choice. The secondary was much harder to pick.