C.J. Hicks looking to finally put his stamp on Ohio State's defense

There are a ton of expectations for Ohio State linebacker C.J. Hicks heading into 2024. Most of those high expectations are coming from himself, though.

A former five-star recruit ranked as the No. 2 overall linebacker in the 2022 class, Hicks has yet to make much of an impact at Ohio State. Despite his high recruiting ranking, he didn't play a single defensive snap in 2022 and in his sophomore season, he played only 75 snaps on defense.

That's low usage for a player who was thought to have a ton of potential, but that hasn't stopped Hicks from being confident heading into 2024. In fact, he told On3 that he wants to lead the Buckeyes in sacks this season.

“I feel like when you need a play, when it’s 3rd-and-long and you need somebody to get to the quarterback, I’m that guy, no matter who the D-ends are,” Hicks said, per On3 . “I love our D-linemen, but I feel like I’m the best when it gets to [rushing the] quarterback.”

That's a big goal and to put it in perspective, the last Ohio State linebacker to lead the team in sacks was A.J. Hawk in 2005, when he and defensive lineman Mike Kudla both notched 9.5 sacks.

It's not like Hicks can't do it, though. In fact, his position coach, first-year assistant coach James Laurinaitis — a Buckeye great — believes Hicks is his unit's best pass-rusher.

“I think he’s probably the best blitzer in our room,” Laurinaitis said. “C.J. just makes stuff happen when you send him.”

As it stands, Hicks is competing with converted safety Sonny Styles — also a third-year player in Columbus — for the starting WILL linebacker spot.

I’ve just got a knack for getting to the quarterback,” Hicks explained. “You put anybody in front of me, I’m going to do my best to get to the quarterback, and nobody’s going to stop me.”