When the Ohio State football team brought in C.J. Hicks as a five-star linebacker recruit out of high school, they had high hopes for him. He had to sit and wait his turn for a couple of years, but they thought he had a chance to jump the depth chart some and steal some early playing time.
While Hicks has gotten some playing time, it hasn't been great all of the time. Hicks hasn't put it together like the Buckeyes were hoping he was going to. He hasn't been very good in open space, which is kind of a big part of being a linebacker in today's college football.
Now, the Ohio State Buckeyes have made the decision to move him to the edge. He has moved into Larry Johnson's defensive line unit and will start training as a defensive end. How well will that transition work out for him? Is it the right move for him and the Buckeyes to make?
How will C.J. Hicks make the transition to the edge for the Ohio State football team?
Hicks has been begging to move to the edge for a while. He thinks he's better used on the edge so he can use his skills to rush the passer. When you play for Johnson, though, you aren't just going to be rushing the passer. He has to develop skills to plug up holes in the run game, too.
This offseason has been about bulking him up so that he can withstand the beating at the defensive end position. Johnson mentioned to the media that he wanted Hicks to be able to play all three downs at defensive end, so he needs to get some coaching.
Ultimately, this should be a good move for him and the Buckeyes. He. needs to be more effective if he wants to get playing time, period. His ranking out of high school no longer matters at this point. Johnson is confident he can turn him into a good defensive end.