When C.J. Hicks committed to the Ohio State football program, he had high expectations. He was expected to be one of the next great linebackers for the Buckeyes. I thought he was going to be superb, and I even thought he was going to be a starter in his second season.
Boy, was I wrong. Hicks, a former five-star recruit, didn't do much during his tenure in Columbus. He played four seasons with the Buckeyes and recorded only two sacks. He redshirted midway through last season so he could transfer. Now, he has found a new lease on life at South Florida under Brian Hartline.
Former Ohio State LB C.J. Hicks earns captaincy for Brian Hartline and USF
Hicks decided to transfer to USF and follow Brian Hartline. Hartline rewarded him by naming him one of the captains for the Bulls heading into 2026.
The phone call home for C.J.! pic.twitter.com/iWnY3xwNDc
— South Florida Football (@USFFootball) August 30, 2026
For whatever reason, Hicks was never able to fit in properly in Columbus. He thought it was because they didn't play him on the edge, which is where he thinks he belongs. They tried that last year early on before they decided he was better off not playing for the team at all.
However, Hicks has a lot of talent. Perhaps he just needs a change of scenery to fully realize his potential. In four years with the Ohio State Buckeyes, Hicks recorded 42 tackles. Playing at a program with less pressure surrounding the football program might be a good thing for him.
Hicks has clearly made an impression in the short amount of time he has been in Tampa. Hartline knows how hard Hicks has worked, so this is a nice honor for him. This is Hicks' last chance to make an impact, so it would be nice to see him be able to do so.
Ohio State is going to have depth on the defensive line without Hicks
Having Hicks leave won't hurt Ohio State's depth. They added three guys from the Transfer Portal who should really help the depth on the defensive line. John Walker, James Smith, and Qua Russaw should all be able to be a big part of the rotation all year long.
Matt Patricia is working on putting all of those guys into the best possible situation to succeed. That will start against Ball State on Saturday, which should be a blowout victory. In fact, the Buckeyes should have a lot of backups playing in the second half of this game.
Hicks might be one of the few Ohio State transfers to be in a position to succeed this year. Quincy Porter is already ruled out for Week 1 against Notre Dame. Air Noland lost out in his battle for the starting QB job. So far, only Jelani Thurman has shown any sort of promise.
Ohio State is going to be one of the best teams in the country, but that doesn't mean we can't still root for former Buckeyes. It would be cool to see both Hicks and Hartline find success at South Florida.
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