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A year ago, Sonny Styles was the newcomer in Ohio State’s front six on defense.
Now he’s the only returning starter.
Styles could have followed the entire defensive line and linebacker Cody Simon to the NFL. But like those players did in 2024, Styles chose to return for his senior year.
“I just didn’t feel like I was ready to go yet,” he said Thursday after Ohio State’s sixth spring practice. “I feel like I didn’t reach my ceiling to where I wanted to be in terms of college. Obviously, when you leave here, you want to keep getting better, but I feel like I had more to do here.”
Styles will be a senior, but he’s still only 20 years old. He was supposed to be in OSU’s 2023 recruiting class until he decided to reclassify to the ’22 class. Because of his physical and mental maturity, it proved to be the right move.
Styles started at safety as a sophomore before moving to linebacker last year. He was instrumental in OSU’s run to the national championship. Styles was second on the team behind Cody Simon with 100 tackles, including 10 ½ for losses and six sacks, in OSU’s two-linebacker scheme.
With only safety Caleb Downs and cornerback Davison Igbinosun returning as starters, Styles is ready to lead.
“I think he’s the leader of the entire team,” linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said. “He handled himself really well through the entire winter workout period and all that.”
Told of Laurinaitis’ comment, Styles said, “I appreciate him saying that. I think we’ve got a lot of leaders on this team. I just try to carry myself the right way (by) the way I was raised and I’m just trying to instill some of those values in…
Source link : https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/college/football/2025/03/28/ohio-state-football-sonny-styles-team-captain-linebacker/82691016007/
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Publish date : 2025-03-28 10:02:00
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