As a five-star recruit in the class of 2022, C.J. Hicks seemed to have a bright career ahead of him with the Buckeyes, but he has had trouble finding a consistent role at linebacker, being stuck behind the likes of Tommy Eichenberg, Steele Chambers, Cody Simon, Sonny Styles and more.
There were calls for Hicks to move to defensive end, and while that didn’t happen the past few years, defensive line coach Larry Johnson confirmed on Friday that he has been working with Hicks in the spring.
“He’s with me (the defensive line group) right now,” Johnson said. “He’s with me right now and trying to learn how to play the position. … He’s done an outstanding job (making that transition) thus far. He’s bought into what we’re doing.”
Johnson is excited to have Hicks working with him, and with both JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer headed to the NFL, there will be reps available.
Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and Caden Curry seem to be the likely starters on the edge at this point, but Hicks could work his way into some playing time with a good spring and fall camp.
Johnson is hoping Hicks could be a three-down edge rusher.
“We don’t just want to use him on third down,” Johnson said. “We want to use him on first and second down. So, my job is to get him ready to play, to run from the line of scrimmage as opposed to being in space. I think he’ll give us a chance to give us some great depth and really do some good things for us. I’m excited about him because he’s really excited about the position change.”
