James Laurinaitis credits GameDay Grass with improving 40-yard dash time

He may be an All-American with a mantle full of awards earned during his four years at Ohio State, but linebacker James Laurinaitis still felt the need to impress scouts at Ohio State’s annual pro day on March 13.

Recent mock drafts have had the former Buckeye standout sliding to a late first round - if not second round - selection. While scouts and analysts will continue to debate Laurinaitis’ future until NFL draft in April, the 2007 Butkus Award is satisfied in knowing he did all he could to impress.

"It's been a long process, and I'm glad to be done," Laurinaitis said.

Laurinaitis’ stock dropped because of underwhelming numbers at the NFL combine in February. He ran a 4.82 40-yard dash, the three-cone drill in 6.93 seconds and the 20-yard shuttle in 4.24 seconds. He has slipped in several mock drafts since then. Scout.com recently ranked Laurinaitis the No. 17 overall prospect and No. 2 insider linebacker. Scout draft analyst Chris Steuber had the Minnesota native going to the New York Giants with the 29th overall pick.

A pair of NFL.com analysts have differing opinions of where Laurinaitis will be selected. Charles Davis has San Diego taking Laurinaitis with the 16th pick, while colleague Pat Kirwan has the 2006 Nagurski winner slipping all the way to the No. 27 pick and the Indianapolis Colts. Another analyst, Pete Prisco of CBSSports.com, has Laurinaitis falling to the Tennessee Titans with the 30th pick. Rob Rang and Chad Reuter of NFLdraftscout.com have Laurinaitis falling out of the first round entirely.

Laurinaitis did what he could to improve his stock by posting faster times on pro day. His 40-yard dash time was reportedly between 4.72 and 4.78 seconds, an measurable improvement from his combine speed. He credited a faster surface at the Woody Hayes Center as one reason for his improvement.

"The combine had a soft, slow surface," Laurinaitis said of the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium. "The goal was to make all the times faster today. That was accomplished. I was happy with that."

The Buckeyes practice on a full-size infilled turf system from AstroTurf in the Woody Hayes Center. This years NFL combine was held at Lucas Oil Stadium on FieldTurf.

Lawrence Unified School District installing eight AstroTurf fields

Lawrence Unified School District (USD) selected GameDay Grass 3D by AstroTurf for eight district athletic fields. Installation of the new synthetic turf football, soccer, baseball and softball fields at Lawrence High School and Free State High School, is underway by GeneralSports Venue (GSV), the exclusive U.S. licensee of AstroTurf. In addition to the renovation of the athletic fields, GSV will install its XPLODE polyurethane competition track system and new tennis courts at Lawrence High School this summer.

Installation of turf for the football fields is completed, and work on the baseball fields is underway.

“There were a number of factors that proved GameDay Grass 3D was the best product for Lawrence USD,” said Tom Bracciano, division director of operations and facility planning. “The proprietary Root Zone aiding with traction, Sustain all rubber infill eliminating sand that hardens over time and scientific data on player performance and safety made it clear GameDay Grass 3D from AstroTurf was the best choice for our high schools and community.”

“We take great pride in having the opportunity to work with Lawrence Public Schools to provide innovative, durable and safe playing surfaces for the athletes and community groups to use,” said Mark West, GSV Director of Sales – Central Region. “Lawrence made it clear they wanted nothing but the best for all the new sports venues and we are proud they selected the GameDay Grass 3D system by AstroTurf.”

GSV is the approved synthetic turf and athletic supplier of the U.S. Communities Government Purchasing Alliance, a nonprofit organization that helps government agencies, school districts (K-12), higher education, and other nonprofits reduce the cost of purchased goods by pooling the purchasing power of public agencies nationwide. As a registered participant of U.S. Communities, Lawrence USD benefited from the variety and quality of products and services offered by GSV.

Work on the new football fields at each high school has wrapped up and installation of the turf for the baseball fields is in progress. All remaining elements of the project including the construction and installation of the track system and tennis courts will be completed this summer.