Ohio State Buckeyes Defender Has Big Position Change

With so many vital Ohio State Buckeyes defensive players departing for the NFL Draft this year, a bunch of members of the roster will be getting new opportunities next season.

One of those players is linebacker C.J. Hicks, who has been largely buried on the depth chart ever since arriving at Columbus in 2022.

This past year, Hicks logged 22 tackles and a couple of sacks in a very limited role, but his playing time is about to increase in 2025. And with it, his position will change, as well.

Hicks is moving from linebacker to edge rusher, and defensive line coach Larry Johnson is already liking what he is seeing from the 21-year-old.

“C.J.'s with me right now trying to learn how to play the position, and I want him to learn how to play the position as a defensive end standup and not as a linebacker,” Johnson said, via Eleven Warriors. “I think that's the transition he's mentally got to go through. He's done an outstanding job thus far. He's bought into what we're doing, and I think that's the key when a guy buys in is like, ‘This is what I want to do.’"

Ohio State is losing a couple of terrific edge rushers in Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau this offseason, so Hicks will have some pretty big shoes to fill in the trenches.

But Johnson seems to feel that Hicks will be able to make the transition.

"So my job is to get him ready to play the run from on the line of scrimmage as opposed to being in space," Johnson added. "That's different, and once we accomplish that as we go, then I think he'll have a chance to give us some great depth and really do some good things for us. I'm excited about him, because he's really excited about the position change.”

The Buckeyes boasted one of the fiercest pass rushes in the country this past season, ranking second with 53 sacks on the year.

We'll see if Hicks can help Ohio State continue its excellence in that capacity in 2025.

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