The Ohio State football program is getting ready for its 2025 season. They will be defending a national championship but will have to do so by replacing a lot of starters. The Buckeyes are doing the best that they can to fill those holes with good starters.
Friday was the first time that the coaches were able to talk to the media since winning the national title. There are a lot of changes that the Buckeyes will be going through this year. They will have two new coordinators, a new offensive line coach, and a lot of new players.
One of the players returning from last year is C.J. Hicks. Hicks is a former five-star linebacker recruit who hasn't been able to excel at that spot. In fact, he has looked slow in space. That's part of the reason why the Buckeyes have decided to move him to a new position for this year.
The Ohio State football program has moved C.J. Hicks to defensive end
When asked about Hicks specifically, Larry Johnson mentioned that the Buckeyes have officially moved him to defensive end. Hicks has wanted to play on the edge for a while. He believes that's where he is most effective, and mentioned as much last year.
Johnson mentioned that he wants Hacks to be more than just a pass rusher. He wants him to be a three-down player. That means he is going to have to learn how to stop the run from the defensive line position as well. That might take a little bit of time.
This is the right move for Hicks to be as effective of a player as he can be. The Buckeyes have some other really good linebackers who will be able to do just fine. Hicks has shown the ability to rush the passer when he's lined up as a blitzer, so they will just allow him to do that full-time.
Hicks needs to have a good year if he wants to be a high draft pick. This is the last chance he has to do that.