Scarlet Sunrise: Sonny Styles turning heads early in Buckeyes training camp

Good morning, Ohio State fans, and welcome to the Scarlet Sunrise. Football will always be our focus, but every day we’ll cover news, notes and analysis from across Buckeyes sports. Join us each morning to get caught up on everything you missed in the world of Ohio State football, recruiting, basketball and more in Scarlet Sunrise.

Sonny Styles turning heads early in Buckeyes training camp

Sonny Styles isn’t even supposed to be at Ohio State until January. But after reclassifying from the Buckeyes class of 2023 and entering college a year earlier than expected, the former five-star recruit Styles is in training camp for the first time this month.

And he has been impressive during his first few practice sessions, even catching the attention of head coach Ryan Day.

“For somebody who was supposed to be in high school right now, he’s doing darn good,” Day said of Styles. “And it’s hard when you come in in the summer and you’re supposed to be in high school and working with your high school teammates, and he’s in there at Ohio State battling at practice. But in the opportunities he’s had to compete, he’s shown that he’s got toughness, and his ability to get coached, he’s getting coached pretty hard. He takes it and he works to get better. He’s got a great look in his eye. And he’s off to a wonderful start.”

Styles will have a hard time finding a role on the Buckeyes defense this fall. But don’t be surprised to see him make plays at some point soon. He is already working toward that in his first few practice sessions at Ohio State.

Buckeyes make cut for pair of five-star defensive linemen

Ohio State is one step closer to adding more members to its 2023 class.

Five-star EDGE Qua Russaw and five-star defensive lineman James Smith released their top six Friday and the Buckeyes made the cut for both prospects. Alabama, Alabama State, Auburn, Florida and Georgia rounded out the list for the Carver High (Montgomery, Alabama) products.

Russaw and Smith are the No. 2 and No. 1 rated players in Alabama, respectively, according to the On3 Consensus Rankings. The pair are also top 20 prospects according to the On3 Consensus Rankings and On3. Despite the Buckeyes making the cut, Russaw and Smith haven’t visited Columbus yet, but the potential for a visit in the fall is strong.

Lettermen Row broke down each prospect, highlights their strengths as prospects and what they would bring to Ohio State.

READ: Ohio State makes trimmed list for pair of five-star prospects

ICYMI: Tim May Podcast

After an offseason full of using his podcast to revisit with former players, break down and analyze Buckeyes history and talk about Name, Image and Likeness, the long-time Ohio State beat writer is back to focusing on another massive topic: Buckeye Nation and Buckeyes fans — the largest fanbase in the country.

Tim welcomes Samford professor Darin White, the Executive Director for the Center for Sports Analytics. He recently did a study to show just how big fanbases are across college football, and he found that no fanbase tops the Buckeyes, especially in the Big Ten. The reach of the Ohio State fanbase is much greater than any other fan base in the league, and the study just confirmed that.

If that wasn’t enough for the episode, Tim also welcomes Ed Terwilliger, the Ohio State Director of High School Relations. Terwilliger joined the Buckeyes program in 2015 and has been a huge help on the trail for Urban Meyer and Ryan Day during his career. Before his time at Ohio State, Terwilliger was the head coach at Olentangy for 24 years, winning 138 games.

Counting down

Buckeyes season opener vs. Notre Dame: 21 days away

Ohio State vs. Michigan: 105 days away

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