James Laurinaitis is leaving Notre Dame to take a role as a graduate assistant at his alma mater, Ohio State.

The Buckeyes’ legend officially joined Ohio State’s program on Friday afternoon. He spent the 2022 season as a GA with the Fighting Irish and assisted with coaching Notre Dame’s linebackers.

“I am thrilled for our program and especially for our current and future Buckeyes who will benefit so much from having James on staff,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said in a release. “James is a terrific young man with wisdom as a Buckeye and experience as an eight-year NFL veteran. He is going to be a very important part of our program going forward.”

Laurinaitis is former college teammates with Notre Dame head coach Marcus Freeman. He was a legendary linebacker for the Buckeyes, becoming a 3-time consensus All-American from 2006-08.

Notre Dame’s linebackers were a strength of the defense in 2022 with Laurinaitis on staff. He helped coach and develop players like JD Bertrand, Jack Kiser, Bo Bauer and Jaylen Sneed, to name a few.

Notre Dame will host Ohio State in 2023.