The Ohio State football team has seen quite a few players enter the Transfer Portal. They have had around 15 players head into the portal. Despite the number of players who have decided to leave the Buckeyes, they have only been able to land two players so far.
One of the players that the Ohio State Buckeyes lost was C.J. Hicks. Hicks came in as a five-star linebacker, but was a disappointment. Heading into this season, he switched spots to defensive end. That didn't work out, and he ended up redshirting to keep a year of eligibility.
Now, Hicks has decided where he will be playing his final season of college football. In somewhat of a surprising move, Hicks will be following Brian Hartline to USF. Hicks was never truly coached by Hartline, but now he will get to be next season.
Former Ohio State football player C.J. Hicks follows Brian Hartline to USF
At USF, Hicks will get a chance to be involved in more snaps. That doesn't mean that he is going to win a starting spot, but he will certainly have a shot at it. Hartline bringing a familiar face with him is a bit surprising since Hicks is on the defensive side of the ball.
From an Ohio State standpoint, they won't miss Hicks one bit. He only played in the first four games of the season, anyway. Even with some reduced depth at defensive line next season, Hicks wasn't going to fit the mold of what Matt Patricia likes to do on defense.
Perhaps this will finally be the right spot for Hicks. He has been looking for the right spot on the field in order to be an impact player. Despite the lack of production on the field, Hicks still has an immense amount of talent. Ohio State thought that their coaches could get that out of him, but that didn't happen.