Thinking out loud about Ohio State recruiting

Thinking out loud about Ohio State recruiting.

Plenty continues to happen in regards to Ohio State recruiting. This past week has been a very busy time for the Buckeyes and that will continue into this weekend which will include more big visits, especially on Saturday when the Buckeyes hold their Student Appreciation Day scrimmage.

With all that in mind, I have a few thoughts to share as I “think out loud.”

Comfort is building for Sonny Styles in his move to linebacker

The former safety already feels at home in his new, more natural, position.

If you didn’t see it coming, you should have. Sonny Styles’ move to linebacker was one of the more predictable offseason changes for Ohio State.

When he reclassified to the 2022 class, giving up his senior year at Pickerington Central High School to arrive as a Buckeye early, Styles was already a 6-foot-4, 215-pound safety. He remained at the position in the first two years of his Scarlet and Gray career but knew there would come a day when he would line up closer to the line of scrimmage because it is a more natural fit.

“I mean, there was already a little talk about playing some linebacker before the season even ended,” Styles said last week. “I was already kind of like — I wasn’t really learning it. No one was teaching me, but I was getting to know linebacker a little bit just because I knew that I would probably play linebacker at some point.”

While there were discussions before, the move was cemented when the Scarlet and Gray landed transfer safety Caleb Downs. The top tackler for Alabama as a freshman last year, Downs will fill the void left by Josh Proctor at Ohio State’s adjuster safety spot in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense. Both Lathan Ransom (bandit safety) and Jordan Hancock (nickel) decided to return in 2024, crowding the safety room.

Conversely, the Buckeyes lost both starting linebackers after last season, leaving a void in the middle of the defense. While Cody Simon expects to replace Tommy Eichenberg at middle linebacker, the weakside spot is up for grabs. Third-year C.J. Hicks is competing for that role, but Styles will look to get on the field as well.

Potentially, all three could play at the same time.

“Part of the time, they are (competing),” Knowles said of Styles and Hicks earlier this month. “Part of the time, we’ll have all three of them on the field with Cody. So, there’s balance there in that they’re competing, and they also can be in the same package.”

However, this only happens if Styles is one of the best 11 players on defense and deserves to be on the field. Styles split time at nickel with Hancock for much of last season, depending on the matchup. When Ransom got hurt against Wisconsin in late October, Styles moved to the bandit but wasn’t completely ready for the change.

This offseason will provide more time for Styles to adjust to a new role.

Already, Styles is feeling at home. At safety, Styles had to work to keep his weight down and fit into a defensive back’s body. This offseason, Styles isn’t worried about putting on weight.

“I love competing with the linebackers,” he said. “I think with the DBs, sometimes, especially in the weight room, I was expected to win. So like, when I won, it was like, ‘Oh, Sonny won. Oh well.’ When I was with the linebackers, now it’s more of a competition, you know what I’m saying? Not any hits to the DBs. I’m 230 going against someone who’s 205 or something, you know what I’m saying? So I’m expected to win. So I love the competition aspect of it.”

Being the right size to play linebacker is half the battle. The other half is learning the position. If Hicks is any indicator, just moving a talented player to a position doesn’t mean it fits right away.

“It’s a change for Sonny because he’s playing in the box from a low position instead of dropping in,” Knowles said. “So things happen a lot faster.”

Fortunately, Styles understands the game. His father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., played linebacker for the Buckeyes from 1992-94. He spent time this offseason watching film with his father, as well as Knowles and linebackers coach James Laurinaitis, giving him a good group to learn from.

Styles also isn’t starting from square one. The nickel position required him to play close to the line of scrimmage at times, often lining up almost like a strongside linebacker. That experience makes for an easier transition than if he had played a more traditional safety role last season, but he still has more to learn about the position.

“I think it helped a little bit in terms of physicality, like being in the box now, down on the line,” Styles said. “But I do think the run fit as a Will and Sam (linebacker) can be a little different in terms of being an interior fitter. Like, you’re a 30-backer. You go on A, you get pulls. Now gotta go spill it. So things like that. But I think I’m adjusting well.”

In Knowles’ mind, this was a natural transition for Styles. While he didn’t have the same physical traits as Styles, Knowles had a similar situation with Malcolm Rodriguez at Oklahoma State, a player who started at safety and moved to linebacker. He became a first-team All-Big 12 performer as a senior and quickly was a starter for the Detroit Lions as a rookie.

“I really wanted to see him at safety first,” Knowles said of Styles. “That’s what he wanted to do. That’s what I wanted to see. I felt long term, in my vision for him, that playing safety early in his career was going to give him a better perspective of the defense. I had Malcolm Rodriguez, who is with the Lions, at Oklahoma State. Now, he’s about half of Sonny’s size, but he started at safety and when he became a linebacker, he understood things a lot better. So my vision for Sonny was to start him out at safety and then eventually move him down.”

Styles believes this approach has worked. He already understands the defense’s back end well and what is required of Ohio State’s linebackers. In addition to continuing his education at linebacker, Styles is also learning more about the defensive line in order to have a complete comprehension of the defense.

There are also the physical components. While he has the tools to make hits and chase down offensive players, Styles continues to work on his technique at the new position.

“It’s less time and space. So less wasted movement,” Style said of the differences between safety and linebacker. “When you’re playing a safety, you can kind of (have) a little more ways to move with your feet, you can take longer strides. Linebackers, everything’s short, choppy, stay in power, keep your base. So I mean, that’s just something that every linebacker has to work on, honestly. But yeah, that’s kind of been a big thing. But there’s a lot of things we’re working on, obviously.”

Given that this is real life and players don’t adapt to a new position immediately like they might in a video game, Styles’ transition to linebacker was always going to take time. He will have to learn and put in the work to be one of the best 11 players next fall consistently.

Working in Styles’ favor are his gifts and understanding of the game. Those characteristics made this a natural transition for him and much easier to make the move.

“I feel super comfortable with it,” he said. “I think it just gonna be an adjustment. Obviously it’s different playing from a five than it was playing from 10 last year. So I think it’s an adjustment but I’m super comfortable with it.”