Ohio State is leaning hard into relationships and chemistry this season. LBs coach James Laurinaitis is part of that push, and the former Buckeye knows the standard in Columbus. That is why he has set a strict rule for players who do not show basic respect to teammates.

At Ohio State, respect for teammates and the program comes first, as per Laurinaitis’ rule. If his linebackers fail, they are subject to strict punishment. Ohio State LB Payton Pierce shed light on this when talking about the Buckeyes’ 2026 preparation on The Bobby Carpenter Show with Anthony Schlegel.

“[He’d] give us the fight song, Carmen Ohio, all that stuff, and we have to memorize it. Then he’ll give us a pop quiz within the next week, and if you don’t get it right, then that’s a gasser,” said Pierce on a July 20 appearance. “So this spring, he had us, you know, do exactly what you just said, and he wrote out all of our players like where we’re from and stuff. We had to know where every single linebacker is from and what high school they went to, and we had to run gassers if we didn’t. He would randomly pop quiz someone. I think we had to end up running. We only ran two gassers.”

“It’s so fun. Like it just makes everything real fun during the day,” added Pierce. For a roster built on depth and competition, those little habits can decide how fast a unit trusts each other on Saturdays.

Ryan Day’s OSU prioritizes chemistry through discipline, which is a philosophy Laurinaitis enforces daily. That’s understandable, given OSU’s 2026 goal: a national title run. James Laurinaitis, who helped the Buckeyes as LB coach in their national title victory in the 2024 season, knows what it takes to be a champion. To put it simply, showing disrespect to a teammate is an on-field mistake in Columbus. That perfectly fits with OSU’s tough-love culture, as Ryan Day once mentioned.

“You have to be tough to play the game of football. Period. But we motivate through love,” said the Ohio State head coach in October 2025. “There’s nothing more powerful or sustainable than love, and if you love your teammates and love your coaches like you love your family, then we have a chance to really do something special.”

It’s not only Ohio State that has strict team rules

Showing respect to school is also mandatory for the Buffs. That’s why Colorado head coach Deion Sanders has banned old-school gear for portal players.

“Don’t wear your old team’s gear in this facility,” said Coach Prime to his team this offseason, as reported by USA Today. “That’s disrespectful. That would be like your lady that you have currently wearing her ex’s stuff. How do you feel about that? That’s how I feel about that when I see you coming to the cafeteria. You eat our food with your last teams on it? Obviously, if you wanted to stay there, you should have stayed.”

In other words, if you want to be a Buff, you have to understand its culture. In fact, the Colorado head coach introduced a fine system for his players for breaking rules or not attending practices. That’s not all, as the Buffs have to show respect to women, greeting them with “Miss” instead of their first name. Then, the classroom has witnessed a different era in 2026 with strict rules.

That simply reflects programs like Ohio State and Colorado taking discipline seriously. They know this is the key to unlocking success.