Latest college football news throws cold water on Browns

One potential hire for the Cleveland Browns has went to the wayside.

The Browns won’t be going down to Columbus and taking a coach from Ohio State, as the Buckeyes latest move all but puts a fork in that.

James Laurinaitis has been promoted to Linebackers coach for the Buckeyes, which will solidify his spot with Ohio State.

Earlier in the week, rumors swirled and it was even reported that the Browns were interviewing Laurinaitis for a coaching position on the staff. A to Z Sports can confirm that the Browns did indeed have interest in the former NFL player before Ohio State made their latest move. Last year, Laurinaitis was a graduate assistant but will now be a full-time staffer. Prior to joining Ohio State, he spent a season as a graduate assistant with Notre Dame in 2022. 

The Browns already have Jason Tarver coaching linebackers, so it is not clear what Laurinaitis’ role would have been with the team.

Cleveland had the best defense they’ve been able to field in a very long time during the 2023 season. Now, it looks like they were trying to make an upgrade to the coaching staff on that side of the ball. Perhaps they believe that Laurinaitis was the perfect fit, or they could still be on the lookout to make an add.