Five stars. That's the label CJ Hicks carried into Columbus back in 2022. He wasn't just another recruit; he was "The Captain." A homegrown kid from Dayton's Archbishop Alter who looked like the next great linebacker in a lineage that includes names like Spielman, Hawk, and Laurinaitis. People expected him to be a day-one wrecking ball.
It didn't happen.
Instead of a meteoric rise, we watched a slow-burn narrative that eventually led to a 2025 redshirt and, finally, a transfer to South Florida in early 2026. If you're looking for a simple story of a "bust," you’re looking at the wrong guy. The CJ Hicks Ohio State saga is way more nuanced than that. It’s a case study in fit, defensive scheme changes, and the brutal reality of a "win-now" depth chart.
The Expectations vs. The Reality of Jim Knowles' System
When CJ Hicks committed, Ohio State's defense was in a bit of an identity crisis. Then Jim Knowles arrived from Oklahoma State with his "Safety Driven Defense."
Knowles likes his linebackers to be processors. They need to see the play develop, fill the gap, and tackle with clinical precision. Hicks, on the other hand, was an elite athlete—a "freak" who could run an 11.76 100-meter dash at 215 pounds. In high school, he played safety, running back, and returner. He was a playmaker, not necessarily a traditional "plug-the-hole" linebacker.
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Honestly, the transition was rocky. You saw it in 2023 when he played only 71 snaps. While fans were screaming for him to get on the field, the coaching staff was clearly looking for more consistency in his reads. You can have all the speed in the world, but if you’re a step late in the Big Ten, you’re out of the play.
The Defensive End Experiment of 2025
By the spring of 2025, it was clear that the linebacker experiment wasn't yielding the "superstar" results everyone wanted. So, they moved him. CJ Hicks Ohio State linebacker became CJ Hicks Ohio State defensive end.
The logic made sense. He was up to 243 pounds. He had natural pass-rushing twitch. Why not just let him hunt quarterbacks?
It started with a bang. He earned his first career start at Will linebacker against Akron in 2024 (before the full-time DE move) and flashed that speed with a sack. But as the 2025 season rolled around, the depth at the "Jack" and Edge positions was just too deep. With guys like Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and a loaded rotation, Hicks found himself in no-man's land again.
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He played in four games in 2025, recorded six tackles, and then made a business decision: he shut it down. He redshirted to save his final year of eligibility.
What Really Happened with the Transfer?
On January 1, 2026, the news broke. Hicks was hitting the portal. A few days later, he was headed to South Florida (USF) to reunite with Brian Hartline, who took the head coaching job there in late 2025.
It makes sense. Sometimes a change of scenery isn't about failing; it’s about finding a room where you can actually breathe. At Ohio State, Hicks was a victim of the "blue-chip logjam." When you’re at a school that recruits four and five-star players every single year, "waiting your turn" can sometimes mean waiting until your eligibility is almost gone.
Hicks finished his Buckeye career with:
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- 44 games played (mostly special teams early on).
- 42 total tackles.
- 2 sacks.
- 1 National Championship ring (2024).
- A degree in Human Development and Family Services.
He wasn't a "failure." He was a contributor on a national title team who just never became the individual star the recruiting rankings promised.
Why USF is the Perfect Landing Spot
South Florida is basically "Ohio State South" now with Hartline at the helm. Hicks is going to a system where he can be the guy.
In the American Athletic Conference, his athleticism won't just be "good"—it will be overwhelming. Expect him to play a hybrid role where he can blitz off the edge and use that sideline-to-sideline speed that made him a five-star prospect in the first place.
Actionable Insights for Fans and Scouts
If you’re still tracking Hicks' journey into the 2026 season and the subsequent NFL Draft cycles, keep these points in mind:
- Watch the sack numbers: If USF uses him as a pure edge rusher, he could easily put up double-digit sacks in that conference.
- Evaluate the "Twitch": Scouts will want to see if he’s still explosive after putting on 30+ pounds since high school.
- Scheme Fit: Hicks is a 3-4 outside linebacker at the next level. Teams that try to make him a traditional "Mike" (middle) linebacker will likely run into the same issues Ohio State did.
The CJ Hicks Ohio State story might be over, but his career definitely isn't. He left Columbus with his degree and his head held high. Sometimes the best way to move forward is to find a path that actually fits your stride.