Buckeyes freshman linebacker C.J. Hicks sheds black stripe
COLUMBUS — Ohio State linebacker C.J. Hicks appears to be making his move into the conversation for reps.
The biggest step yet in that climb came Saturday, when the former five-star Hicks shed his black stripe, signifying that he is officially a member of the Buckeyes roster.
Hicks became the second Buckeyes freshman this week to lose his black stripe, joining cornerback Jyaire Brown. Transfer linebacker Chip Trayanum also shed his black stripe earlier this week.
Hicks has been turning heads through the first nine days of training camp. The Ohio State coaching staff likes what he can bring to the equation defensively.
“His upside is fantastic,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said about Hicks. “You know, he’s he really has a great quickness and athleticism that you don’t see out of many linebackers at that size. So it’s just a matter of how quickly can he learn, get himself up to speed so that he can use those tools? Sometimes when you’re thinking too much, you can’t use your tools, right? So we just keep working with C.J. so that he gets it down so he can really cut it loose, but I think his upside is going to be amazing.”
Hicks is pushing to be a part of the Buckeyes linebacker rotation. With his elite size and speed, he can make it happen. The opportunities will be there against some nonconference opponents to help him prove he belongs on the field this fall.
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The first step in proving that is now out of the way. C.J. Hicks is on the rise, and with a black stripe no longer on his helmet, he is getting where he wants to go quickly.
Buckeyes freshman cornerback Jyaire Brown sheds black stripe
Ohio State freshman cornerback Jyaire Brown is in the early days of his first training camp with the Buckeyes.
But it is clear that he is already making a push for a role. Brown became the first freshman to lose his black stripe during the month of training camp, shedding the stripe that signifies an official place with the Buckeyes, on Tuesday. Brown is just the third member of the freshman class to lose his black stripe overall, joining Kye Stokes and Caden Curry, who both lost theirs in the spring.
As one of just two cornerbacks from the 2022 class on the Buckeyes roster, Brown is part of a defensive backfield that has just six cornerbacks on scholarship. He is joined by fellow freshman Ryan Turner, second-year cornerbacks Jordan Hancock and Jakailin Johnson and presumed starters Cameron Brown and Denzel Burke.
