By: Doug Lesmerises (Cleveland.com) —
Columbus — Scouting report on James Laurinaitis: Takes proper angle to the ball carrier, plays the pass well, looks good in a tuxedo.

Through his four-year career at Ohio State, the Buckeyes middle line backer has worn a black tie nearly as much as he’s worn a scarlet jersey. Need a guy with a winning smile and a thick neck to pose for a picture? Call on No. 33.

Laurinaitis has been up for a stunning 11 major individual awards in his career, winning the Nagurski Trophy as a sophomore and the Butkus Award as a junior, with three more possibilities still on the table for him this season. Laurinaitis flew to Houston on Tuesday (Lombardi Award), will fly to Orlando, Fla., on Thursday morning (Bednarik Award), then back to Columbus on Friday to squeeze in a Saturday morning practice before heading to California on Saturday night (Lott Trophy). That award travel drove OSU linebacker A.J. Hawk nuts his senior year, but Laurinaitis knows it’s part of his schedule.
“I wish I was with my team. I wish I didn’t miss any practice,” Laurinaitis said. “But it’s fun to see what the other guys around the country are doing. It’s cool to be in the presence of guys who are making plays every weekend.”

Laurinaitis has been around most of the best. From two awards as a sophomore to five as a junior to four this year, he has been a finalist up against 19 different players (excluding the oversized 12-man Butkus field this season).

So far, Laurinaitis is 2-for-8, finding out Tuesday that he would not repeat his Butkus honor from his junior year. The award process was revamped this season as linebacker legend Dick Butkus took control of his own trophy, so while the banquet isn’t until January, Wake Forest’s Aaron Curry was handed the award in person by Butkus on Tuesday, with USC’s Rey Maualuga finishing second in the 51-person voting and Laurinaitis third.

After spending his 21st birthday in Charlotte, N.C., during awards week last season, at least he’ll have company this year. Laurinaitis will be joined in Orlando on Thursday by teammate Malcolm Jenkins for the Home Depot College Football Awards, with the show to be broadcast on ESPN at 7:30 p.m. That’s where Laurinaitis will find out if he’s the Bednarik winner, while Jenkins is up for the Thorpe Award as best defensive back against Eric Berry of Tennessee and Taylor Mays of USC. There is a public voting component to all those awards on espn.com, and Jenkins admitted to casting a vote for himself.

“Once,” Jenkins said. “I just tell everybody else to vote.”

Jenkins isn’t as seasoned as Laurinaitis on the circuit, but even he’s not relishing the trip.

“I’m ready to get it over with. Whatever the verdicts are on the awards, it’ll be Texas from then on,” Jenkins said. “I’m excited because I feel like being a finalist is an accomplishment in itself. If I win, that’d be great. If not, at least I was considered.”

Then it’s handshake, smile, look at the camera. Laurinaitis can show him what to do.

Other awards:

OSU Athletic Director Gene Smith was in New York on Tuesday night to accept the John L. Toner Award, given to one college athletic director each year. . . . OSU coach Jim Tressel was named one of the 10 finalists for the Liberty Mutual Coach of the Year, with the winner to be announced Dec. 31.