5 defensive players to watch in Ohio State football spring game

Ohio State returned most of the personnel from a defense that ranked among the best in the Football Bowl Subdivision last fall.

But the spring game on Saturday provides a chance to take a deeper look at the roster beyond the familiar faces from that side of the ball. Here are five Buckeyes to watch on defense:

S Caleb Downs

An All-American as a freshman at Alabama last fall, Downs is poised to be as impactful as anyone who transferred to Ohio State this offseason.

Look for Downs to ultimately replace Josh Proctor as the Buckeyes’ starting free safety this year, but he is also versatile enough to move around in the secondary and has taken reps at multiple positions in spring practice.

“We have different personnel packages where we can move him around and do different things with him,” safeties coach Matt Guerrieri said. “He’s got a wide variety of skills.”

The staff might not show all of those looks this weekend. Schemes are kept a little vanilla in spring games.

But the mere presence of Downs gives the Buckeyes’ fanbase their first peek at a ball-hawking safety who was one of the Southeastern Conference’s top tacklers a year ago and should soon emerge as a major playmaker for Ohio State.

LB Sonny Styles

A position change for Styles, a move much discussed in the leadup to spring practice, has since become a permanent one.

After two seasons as a safety, he has switched to linebacker, following in the footsteps of his father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., who lined up there for the Buckeyes in the 1990s.

His size prompted the switch. The 6-foot-4 Styles has filled out since he graduated a year early from Pickerington Central to enroll at Ohio State, adding 15 pounds to increase his weight to 235 pounds.

James Laurinaitis, the Buckeyes’ newly promoted linebackers coach, remarked last week that Styles, who started at both the nickel and strong safety spots as a sophomore last season, has had “a really smooth transition.”

“He’s made great progress,” Laurinaitis said, “and I’m really happy with how Sonny is doing.”

That track can continue on a bigger stage in the Buckeyes’ last scrimmage of the spring.

More: Why Ohio State football is switching Sonny Styles from safety to linebacker

LB C.J. Hicks

It was not long ago that Hicks was the highest-ranked recruit in his class to sign with Ohio State, a five-star prospect from Dayton known for a multi-faceted skill set.

But Steele Chambers kept Hicks from seizing a larger role at weakside linebacker over the last two seasons.

The departure of Chambers, who did not use his extra COVID-19 year of eligibility, has since opened that top spot on the depth chart with Hicks now battling Styles.

“I think C.J. sees the opportunity,” Laurinaitis said. “He’s certainly making a case to get on the field this fall.”

Hicks flashed his potential when the Buckeyes held a scrimmage for students at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center two weeks ago and has another opportunity to stand out.

More: Join the Ohio State Sports Insider text group with Bill Rabinowitz, Joey Kaufman Adam Jardy

DT Jason Moore

Moore saw only seven snaps in two games as a freshman last season, buried in the rotation of interior defensive linemen.

But that might change in his second year with the Buckeyes.

Defensive line coach Larry Johnson identified Moore as one of the breakout linemen in spring practice.

He referred to Moore as “the guy that’s making the jump” and described him as an “ideal” three-technique defensive tackle.

The Buckeyes have a need at that spot with Mike Hall Jr., a three-technique, forgoing his remaining eligibility to enter the NFL draft.

Moore, who was one of the highest-ranked prospects in the Buckeyes' 2023 recruiting class, is an alum of DeMatha Catholic, the high school in suburban Washington D.C. that also sent Chase Young to Ohio State.

DE Mitchell Melton

After torn anterior cruciate ligaments sidelined Melton in 2021 and 2022, he returned last season.

It did not lead to him playing a major role for the Buckeyes, logging only 63 snaps in 10 games, but he could push to be a bigger part of the rotation this year.

In the last open scrimmage, Melton caught the attention of coach Ryan Day for bringing pressure off the edge of the line of scrimmage.

Caden Curry and Kenyatta Jackson return as the most experienced backups behind starting defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau, but Melton could continue to make a strong impression.

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch and can be reached at jkaufman@dispatch.com.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football 2024 spring game: 5 defensive players to watch