Ohio State Buckeyes’ X-factor who changed positions makes honest admission on why he couldn’t transfer away

Ohio State lost a lot from last year’s team, and their starting lineup will look much different when they hit the practice field soon. After having 14 players drafted into the NFL, the Buckeyes are going to need some new faces to step up.

However, not everyone stepping up will be a new face. One player heading into his senior season has undergone a bit of a position shift.

C.J. Hicks will be rushing the passer more in 2025 with Larry Johnson’s group — a change for the former five-star linebacker recruit. Hicks easily could have entered the transfer portal and secured a guaranteed starting spot elsewhere. Instead, he stayed.

“It’s a group of guys in that locker room that I feel you don’t find everywhere else,” Hicks said recently on The Bobby Carpenter Show. “On top of that, the coaches that we have on the staff — there’s not a lot of coaches like that across the country. They care, but at the same time, they want you to be the best that you can be. They want you to grow one percent better each day instead of just letting you slide by because of who you are or what your name is.”