IRVING, Texas (Sept. 22, 2026) – The Ohio State University and The National Football Foundation (NFF) & College Hall of Fame announced today that they will jointly honor 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame electee James Laurinaitis with an NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute, presented by Fidelity Investments. The Salute will take place on Sept. 26, during the Buckeyes' home football game against Illinois, which will kick off at Noon ET on FOX.
"James Laurinaitis was the heart of some tremendous Ohio State defenses," said NFF President & CEO Steve Hatchell. "He was a great leader who played every snap with tremendous intensity, and when you look at everything he accomplished, few linebackers in college football history can match his résumé. We are thrilled to bring him back to Ohio Stadium and give Buckeye fans the opportunity to celebrate him as a member of the NFF College Football Hall of Fame."
The NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salute program, which began with the inaugural NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class in 1951, has become a hallowed tradition, and to this day, the singular events remain the first of numerous activities in the NFF Hall of Fame experience.
During the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes, each electee returns to his respective school to accept an NFF Hall of Fame plaque that will stay on permanent display at the institution. The events take place on the field during a home game, and many NFF Hall of Famers cite the experience as the ultimate capstone to their careers, providing them with one more chance to take the field and be recognized in front of their home crowd.
A three-time First Team All-American, Laurinaitis earned consensus honors in 2006 and 2008 and unanimous recognition in 2007, when he captured the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker. He also claimed the 2006 Nagurski Trophy as the nation's most outstanding defensive player. A two-year captain and the 2007 Team MVP, Laurinaitis finished his career with 375 tackles, 24.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks and nine interceptions, leading the Buckeyes in tackles in three consecutive seasons and becoming the most decorated linebacker in school history. Click here for his full NFF Hall of Fame bio.
The Wayzata, Minnesota, native now becomes the 29th Buckeye player inducted into the Hall, joining Chic Harley (1916-17; 19), Gaylord Stinchcomb (1917; 19-20), Wes Fesler (1928-30), Gomer Jones (1933-35), Gust Zarnas (1935-37), Jim Daniell (1939-41), Les Horvath (1940-42; 44), Bill Willis (1942-44), Warren Amling (1944-46), Vic Janowicz (1949-51), Hopalong Cassady (1952-55), Jim Parker (1954-56), Aurealius Thomas (1955-57), Jim Houston (1957-59), Bob Ferguson (1959-61), Rex Kern (1968-70), Jim Stillwagon (1968-70), Jack Tatum (1968-70), John Hicks (1970; 72-73), Randy Gradishar (1971-73), Archie Griffin (1972-75), Chris Ward (1974-77), Tom Cousineau (1975-78), Keith Byars (1982-85), Chris Spielman (1984-87), Eddie George (1992-95), Orlando Pace (1994-96), and Mike Doss (1999-2002).
Hall of Fame coaches who headed the Ohio State University program include Earle Bruce, John Cooper, Woody Hayes, Howard Jones, Urban Meyer, Francis Schmidt, Jim Tressel, and John Wilce.
Members of the 2026 class include Jerry Azumah (New Hampshire), Ki-Jana Carter (Penn State), Bruce Collie (Texas at Arlington), George Cumby (Oklahoma), Aaron Donald (Pittsburgh), Marvin Harrison (Syracuse), Garrison Hearst (Georgia), Chris Hudson (Colorado), Mark Ingram (Alabama), Olin Kreutz (Washington), James Laurinaitis (Ohio State), Jordan Lynch (Northern Illinois), Herman Moore (Virginia), Terence Newman (Kansas State), Bob Novogratz (Army West Point), Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska), Peter Warrick (Florida State), Eric Weddle (Utah), and coaches Jim Margraff (Johns Hopkins [MD]), Gary Patterson (Texas Christian University), Chris Petersen (Boise State, Washington), and Ken Sparks (Carson-Newman [TN]).
The 2026 NFF College Football Hall of Fame Class will officially be inducted during the 68th NFF Annual Awards Dinner Presented by Las Vegas on Dec. 8, 2026, at the Bellagio Resort & Casino in Las Vegas. Please click here to purchase tickets.
Including the 2026 NFF Hall of Fame Class, only 1,129 players have been inducted into the NFF College Football Hall of Fame from the nearly 5.7 million who have played the game during the past 158 years. From the coaching ranks, 241 individuals have achieved NFF Hall of Fame distinction. In other words, less than two one-hundredths of a percent (0.02%) of the individuals who have played or coached the game have earned this distinction.
Fidelity Investments has served as the national presenting sponsor of the NFF Hall of Fame On-Campus Salutes since 2010. The salutes are one component of a multi-year initiative between the two organizations to celebrate the scholar-athlete ideal and their joint commitment to higher education. Fidelity is also the presenting sponsor of the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards, and it helped launch the NFF Faculty Salutes in 2011, which recognize the contributions of the faculty athletics representatives around the country.
ABOUT FIDELITY INVESTMENTS
Fidelity's goal is to strengthen the financial well-being of our customers and deliver better outcomes for the clients and businesses we serve. Fidelity's strength comes from the scale of our diversified, market-leading financial services businesses that serve individuals, families, employers, wealth management firms, and institutions. With assets under administration of $19.9 trillion, including managed assets of $7.8 trillion as of June 30, 2026, we focus on meeting the unique needs of a broad and growing customer base. Privately held for 80 years, Fidelity employs more than 80,000 associates across North America, Europe, and Asia-Pacific. For more information about Fidelity Investments, visit https://www.fidelity.com/about-fidelity/our-company.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE HALL OF FAME
Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik, and journalist Grantland Rice, the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame (NFF) is a nonprofit organization that leverages the power of amateur football to build leaders. With 120 chapters in 47 states, the NFF oversees initiatives such as the NFF College Football Hall of Fame, the William V. Campbell Trophy®, the NFF National Scholar-Athlete Awards Presented by Fidelity Investments, Future For Football, and I Played. Learn more at footballfoundation.org and follow @NFFNetwork on X, Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube.
