Reclassifying Sonny Styles in 2022 rankings

Ohio State commit Sonny Styles made news this week. Multiple reports indicate the On3 Consensus five-star prospect from Pickerington (Ohio) Central is set to reclassify from the 2023 to 2022 class and sign with the Buckeyes on Wednesday.

As a result, Styles must be moved into the 2022 rankings – both the On300 and and the industry-generated On3 Consensus. Styles now slots in at No. 9 overall and as the No. 2 athlete prospect in the 2022 On300. He also checks in at No. 11 in the 2022 On3 Consensus.

Additionally, the move is a significant one for Ohio State’s team recruiting rankings.

Styles should become the Buckeyes’ first or second-highest rated signee in the 2022 cycle, joining fellow Ohio product C.J. Hicks as the second On3 Consensus five-star in the class. Moving Styles to Ohio State’s class keeps the Buckeyes from No. 4 in the 2022 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Rankings.

Styles has a unique skill set

Sonny Styles is one of the more unique prospects we’ve seen in recent cycles. Back in August, I wrote about how Styles has the potential to become a defensive unicorn prospect. He has true positional ambiguity with the movement skills and athleticism of a top defensive back along with the size of a edge rusher.

Styles checked in at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds with an 80-inch wingspan prior to this season. His stature is apparent as he towers over college coaches. Styles also has rare athleticism for the size. His testing numbers in the combine setting were as good as you’ll see for a rising 11th grader at his size. Styles is the epitome of a jumbo athlete.

The considerable physical traits transfer over to the field. Styles is capable of high level, “wow” plays in coverage, as a striker and on special teams. Working as a safety at Pickerington Central he shows smooth movement skills in coverage along with the range to cover from the hash to boundary. Styles is also highly coordinated with ball skills, which is no surprise given he doubles as an above-the-rim basketball player with mid-major offers on the hardwood.

Styles shows the ability to close quickly. He delivers some crushing hits in playing the run and working as a cover-down defender. We also saw him block several kicks as a junior. Aside from the considerable striking power, he can stand to improve his tackling technique. Further improvement in that regard will be more crucial as he grows into a box defender.

Moving Forward

There will invariably be more movement in the 2022 rankings. We will see the majority of the top prospects in the 2022 cycle in either the Under Armour All-America Game. It also remains to be seen if Styles will play in either game.

Slotting football prospects in new cycles is quite difficult and requires significant projection. The sport is highly developmental, both from a physical and skill perspective. While we’ve seen less of Styles as a high school prospect than his new 2022 peers, we have to consider his unique physical gifts and upside for continued development, given his age. The next month should provide continued clarity in advance of On3’s final rankings in January. For now, Styles ranks as a top ten overall prospect in the 2022 cycle according to On3.