Ohio State football: Sonny Styles’ move to LB now permanent

The Ohio State football program has a loaded defense. They have plenty of great players who decided to come back on that side of the ball. There’s a good chance that they could be the best defense in the country in 2024. The addition of Caleb Downs at safety just adds to the elite level of this secondary.

With Downs’ arrival in Columbus, there will be some lineup shuffling. There has been speculation about Sonny Styles switching positions from safety to linebacker. That seemed to be confirmed after the first day of Spring practice on Thursday, although Ryan Day was a little vague when asked if the move was permanent.

Sonny Styles will now play linebacker for the Ohio State football team

On Thursday, Jim Knowles confirmed that Styles’ move to linebacker will be permanent. He will be fighting with C.J. Hicks and Cody Simon for reps at that position. Styles may not end up being a starter, but he’s going to play a ton of snaps. I could see him taking snaps from Hicks early in the year and eventually usurping him as a starter.

This move makes all the sense in the world. He has a body more like a linebacker and loves hitting players coming downhill. That’s exactly what’s going to be asked to do this season. He can certainly drop back into coverage and his body is big enough to be able to deal with tight ends. That’s something that has eluded the linebackers in the last few years.

The defense could lead the way for this team as they did in 2023. It was an elite defense that was supported by an above-average offense. With Will Howard at quarterback and Chip Kelly calling the plays now, the offense should be much better this season. I’m not sure they’ll be quite as strong as they were in 2022, but they might be close.

Styles is a star. I can’t wait to see him in his new role.