Ohio State Football: Three recruits who could see immediate playing time

C.J. Hicks is the highest-rated recruit the Buckeyes are bringing into this class. He is a five-star prospect that is rated as the best player in the state of Ohio and the second-best linebacker overall in the country. He’s a really good player with a bright future.

Hicks brings some talent to a room that struggled last season. In the Rose Bowl, they had to use two players that started out their Ohio State careers at different positions to play linebacker. In fact, Cade Stover had been a tight end all year before that game.

That shows the lack of development the rest of the linebackers on the roster have. The Buckeyes lost two linebackers to the transfer portal as well. They will bring in three linebackers in this 2022 class, with one being from the transfer portal too. None of them are as talented as Hicks.

Hicks is so good that he could step on the field right away and be a starter. I think that highly of him. He has a great combination of size and speed that make him a menace rushing the passer. He also has really good ball skills and can drop into coverage and be an asset.

A lot will depend on how new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles wants to run his defense. If he runs it as he did at Oklahoma State, most of the time there will only be two linebackers on the field standing up. Hicks is good enough that he could line up on the line sometimes though.

All I know is that Hicks could lift this unit up to be a much better unit if he is allowed significant snaps. The next person on this list could do the same thing to his unit.