Linebacker C.J. Hicks aiming to lead Buckeyes in sacks

C.J. Hicks didn’t play a defensive snap as a true freshman at Ohio State. Hicks played only 75 of them last year as a sophomore.

And, yet, the former five-star linebacker and top-15 overall prospect is set on leading the Buckeyes in sacks this season.

Why?

Because he has his confidence back.

“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. “I love our D-Linemen, but I feel like I’m the best when it gets to [rushing the] quarterback.”

“I don’t stop,” he later added.

The last Ohio State linebacker to finish a season atop the team’s sack leaderboard was A.J. Hawk in 2005 when he tied defensive lineman Mike Kudla for that honor.

While Hicks hasn’t recorded a single sack in a promising Buckeyes career that’s been slow to get off the ground, he’s had a breakthrough offseason, particularly as a pass rusher.

That’s not all talk, either. It was especially evident in the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Student Appreciation Day back in the spring. The late March practice — which was open to students, players’ families and the media — saw Hicks wreak havoc in the backfield.

And that wasn’t a one-off performance from the Dayton, Ohio, native, who piled up 18 tackles for loss in his senior year at Archbishop Alter.

“I think he’s probably the best blitzer in our room,” first-year Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said Wednesday. “C.J. just makes stuff happen when you send him.”

Laurinaitis noted how Hicks has a natural ability to “reduce the surface” when he blitzes.

Hicks is competing for the starting WILL linebacker spot with fellow third-year defender — but first-year linebacker — Sonny Styles, who moved down to the second level from the safety spot this offseason.

Styles played 12 snaps in the Peach Bowl College Football Playoff semifinal against Georgia two seasons ago and started several games, both at “nickel” and at strong safety last season. He has the experience advantage over Hicks and has taken the majority of first-team reps in the training camp practices open to the media.

But the Buckeyes aren’t crowning a starter right now, and it doesn’t seem to really matter because they want both Styles and Hicks to play.

They each have unique traits, Laurinaitis said. Where Hicks shines the most is as a pass rusher, a disruptor.

“I’ve just got a knack for getting to the quarterback,” Hicks said. “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.”

So, when asked if he’s throwing himself in the ring to lead the Buckeyes in sacks this season, Hicks smiled.

“For sure,” he said. “That’s my thing.”