Ohio State '22 OH SAF (JR) - Alex "Sonny" Styles

Some pregame reading for you. Here's my profile of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles. He played two snaps last year against Michigan as a freshman. Now he's blossomed into a star and an impressive young man. He turns 19 today. https://t.co/e0UwVaOFo0

— Bill Rabinowitz 🗞 (@brdispatch) November 24, 2023

 

• Styles said he came to the facility the day after the Michigan game to watch it. He said it “hurts” to see plays he wishes he could have back.
• Styles said the team has to move on from the Michigan loss and focus on Missouri, who has “some really good players” on offense, including Luther Burden and Brady Cook.
• On Missouri playing 10 and 11 personnel: “There’s a lot of receivers on the field, a chance for explosive plays and receivers out of the backfield, stuff like that. You just have to keep studying them.”
• On how Devin Brown has reacted to Kyle McCord leaving: “The way it is at Ohio State, the next guy is going to step up. He’s shown leadership and is here for a reason. He’s capable.”
• On what he learned from the Michigan game: “I think that game just comes down to a few plays that kind of change the game. If you take a different angle or have your eyes here, so all those little things matter.”

 

𝘽𝙪𝙘𝙠𝙚𝙮𝙚 𝘿𝙐𝘿𝙀𝙎 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙒𝙚𝙚𝙠 ⛓️🌰
@sonnystyles_ x @gurd45 pic.twitter.com/Xvdxrp9z7N

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) February 5, 2024

 

• Ohio State is still evaluating the best position for Sonny Styles moving forward. "He has the flexibility to do a lot of different things and that's great. ... He's really willing to embrace some of those roles."

 

Pleased to announce @sonnystyles_ as a student athlete partner of THE Foundation and locked in! He is going to be able to help in multiple positions this year with the Silver Bullets and do great things in the community! https://t.co/g5I95s8YLU pic.twitter.com/jzKxx2kCyZ

— THE Foundation (@TheFoundation1_) February 16, 2024

 

• On Sonny Styles, his potential to play linebacker: “That’s a question above me. But I think Sonny has such a rare skillset in the sense that he can look like a safety, an outside linebacker, an old-school Sam, to use those terms. He’s so versatile. There are a lot of different roles that we can put Sonny in to bring out the best in him. With his body size and his age, when you try to project him forward, he’s in that Isaiah Simmons mix where you’re like, ‘What really is he?’ He’s just a weapon.”

 

• On whether he is lobbying for Styles to become a linebacker: “I think every coach on our defensive staff would lobby for Sonny to come to their room. He has that versatility and that skill set. … I think it’s a combination of Coach Knowles and Coach Day talking about what’s best for our defense and what’s best for our future. … When you look at his body size, I think that he would excel as a linebacker. I also think that he has a unique skill set where he can play out in space like he did last year.”

 

Ohio State's coaches are still working to find the best fit for Sonny Styles, who James Laurinaitis likens to former Clemson linebacker/safety hybrid Isaiah Simmons. https://t.co/h0a45I7tOF

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) February 21, 2024

 

What is Ohio State's plan for Sonny Styles this year? In today's Buckeye Weekly Podcast, @TomOrr4 and I discuss the decision-making process for Styles and also preview the secondary as the Buckeyes are less than two weeks out from spring ball. https://t.co/akcudCqzOQ

— Tony Gerdeman (@TonyGerdeman) February 23, 2024

 

Ryan Day said Sonny Styles — who lined up at LB this morning — will move around a lot this spring. “You will see him at linebacker. You will see him do some other things as time goes on,” Day said. “We will watch the film and continue to build his package.”

 

• Day is really excited about what Sonny Styles can bring at linebacker. "You will see him at linebacker. He'll also do some other things as time goes on."

 

• Sonny Styles has taken reps at Sam linebacker against 12 personnel packages, Day said.

 

• On Styles Jr.: “He’s very conscientious, he’s smart, he can run, he’s tough. He’s made the adjustment (to playing defense) because he has a year now under his belt. So now you can see he’s not making a lot of mistakes, he competes.”

 

• Styles said there were conversations between he and the coaching staff about getting reps at linebacker before the 2023 season started, so he had already started to learn the position at the end of the year.
• Upon Caleb Downs’ arrival, Styles said it made the most sense for him to play linebacker to put the team in the best position for 2024. “I want to do whatever I can wherever the defense needs me.”
• Styles said he played the season at 235 pounds last year and is still around that number right now but envisions he may put on more weight since he’s lifting heavier weights and training to be a linebacker.
• Styles said he loves competing with the linebackers because with the defensive backs he was “expected to win” when they lifted weights. Now he’s competing against players that are in a similar weight class.
• Styles says he has a “great understanding” of the defense because safeties already knew what the linebackers were doing. He added the main thing he’s learning is what the defensive line is doing ahead of him now.
• Styles said he and his father, former OSU linebacker Lorenzo Styles Sr., watch film together and the elder Styles offers constructive criticism of his play. “He was a high-level linebacker and I’m just getting started. He gets a little upset with the footwork and stuff like that but it’s good.”
• On his relationship with his brother on the team: “You’ve got someone who’s more than a teammate. You know we call each other brothers, but the blood’s a little thicker.”