Ohio State OLB (4) - C.J. Hicks (****)

Rivals.com
24/7Sports

Safety
6'4''|205 lbs
CLASS OF 2022

C.J. Hicks is a 6-4, 190-pound Athlete from Dayton, OH.

 

Hicks looking forward to recruitment
I traveled over to Kettering on Tuesday to talk with Archbishop Alter star defensive back/linebacker C.J. Hicks, a five-star sophomore ranked as Ohio’s No. 1 prospect in the 2022 class.

During the practice, a pair of Hicks’ younger teammates were talking on the sidelines.

One asked, “Is he a real five-star?”

“Yeah, he is.”

“How do you know?”

“I just know.”

When told of their interaction, Hicks just flashed a quick grin and chuckled. At just 15 years old, Hicks is still in the beginning stages of his recruitment, so it doesn’t bother him that people may question his rating.

That’s what comes with the territory of carrying such a high rating before playing a down as a high school sophomore.

“That was my freshman year, and they were going based off how I did in camps and stuff that summer, so I still have three more years to prove I really am a five-star,” Hicks told Eleven Warriors.

Hicks’ recruitment hit a turning point during that camp he references, the Mercer Elite Camp, this June down in Macon, Georgia.

Going into the camp holding just one offer from Cincinnati, Hicks blew up that week, picking up six offers there and kickstarting his transformation into a national recruit. With that week’s eye-popping performance came the five-star billing that helped turn the 6-foot-4, 210-pounder into the country’s No. 3-ranked athlete and No. 24-ranked overall sophomore, per 247Sports.

Fast forward to Oct. 2, and Hicks now holds 15 offers, highlighted by Miami, Iowa, Georgia Tech, N.C. State, Purdue and West Virginia.

Missing from that list is coveted Ohio State, a program that has been recruiting Hicks since the tail end of his freshman year at Alter, when Ryan Day, Kevin Wilson and Tony Alford each showed up at the school for a visit.

Day told Hicks he wanted to see how he performed during his sophomore season before an offer came. So Hicks knows he’s going to have to work to earn the offer, but if and when the offer does come, he still doesn’t want to rush anything.

“Yeah, I want the offer,” Hicks said. “But it’s not gonna change my recruiting or whatever. I’m still gonna wait until the end of my junior year to commit then. It’s not, as soon as I get an offer that I’m gonna commit then. I’m still gonna wait and see.

“I just wanna keep all my doors open because I wanna wait until the end of my junior year. I can’t go on any officials until my junior year, so I’m just gonna wait. Once I get all my officials done with, I’m gonna talk to my mom and see which one fits me best.”

Hicks turns 16 in December, so he still has plenty of time to grow and improve on the field. During that time, perhaps a position will truly solidify itself, as he plays both defensive back and outside linebacker at Alter.

“I’ve just gotta continue to prove myself because the teams I play against, they always put me on their best player,” Hicks said. “I’ve just gotta continue to improve myself. That’s really all it is. Since I blew up over the summer, everybody wants to see what I can do.

“I like it though. There’s pressure, and pressure makes diamonds.”

 

Hicks’ position?
After posting yesterday’s Hurry Up that was centered around 2022’s No. 1-ranked athlete C.J. Hicks, I checked out some of the comments, and a great question was posed by OSUlewis:

What position do you project Hicks to play?

Basically, I’m just going to regurgitate what I wrote in response here:

At 6-foot-4, 210 pounds, he would be the second-biggest DB on the roster if he stepped onto campus right now (next to Brendon White, who now plays bullet). He’s only 15, but he still looks like a DB, and I get the strong sense that’s where he would be most comfortable.

Hicks did say, though, that Al Washington mentioned Ohio State wanting him to play LB. So if he tacks on the weight over the next two seasons, there’s potential there.

So let’s see how OSU develops and uses that bullet position. That could have Hicks’ name written all over it, though right now, I still lean safety.

Brutus360 followed up with a question of his own:

Linebacker seems natural if not DE by the time he could arrive. Hell, we are recruiting 5’10” linebackers. So, how does that change our bullet commits coming in if we are abandoning that already?

My response:

He won't be a DE. He won't quite get there, but I could see LB/bullet. And I don't think they're abandoning the bullet yet. Colin just wrote a piece about Pete Werner's emergence minimizing the need for the bullet. But since it's such a new position that Ohio State's coaches even seem to be trying to work out themselves, it might take a little while for them to find the right type of guy they want to fill that role.

I’d like to turn answering questions in the comments section into perhaps a weekly Hurry Up thing, even if it’s answering just one or two per week, so you might see more of that in the future.

 

Week 4: Archbishop Alter at St. Francis De Sales
Player: CJ Hicks

Position: Athlete

Recruitment: 15 Offers including Cincinnati, Purdue, and Miami (FL)

Stat Line: None Reported.

CJ Hicks is the top sophomore in the state of Ohio and the first uncommitted prospect we saw this season.

Needless to say, he did not disappoint. Hicks is a lockdown cornerback and very talented return man for his high school team. However, he projects best as a strong safety or even outside linebacker at the college level.

As only a sophomore, there is still plenty of time for Hicks to continue developing. He has a great frame at 6-foot-4 and 200 pounds to go along with very good speed. Hicks' upside is sky high and after watching last Friday it was clear why Hicks is one of the best sophomores in the country.

As for his recruitment, it is still very much in its infancy. He holds 15 offers from schools all across the country and is hearing from many other schools. He went to several camps this summer along with a few game visits this fall.

In the end, Ohio State is the offer he wants and it is coming eventually it's just a matter of time.

 

C.J. Hicks visits Ohio State again
The top-ranked sophomore prospect in Ohio was once again back in Columbus last weekend.

Dayton’s C.J. Hicks, a standout linebacker/defensive back prospect from Archbishop Alter High School, made the short drive to campus to continue growing his relationship with Ohio State defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley and the rest of the coaching staff.

“I loved it,” the 6-foot-4, 210-pound Hicks told Lettermen Row. “The weather ruined it a little bit for my mom, but I was fine.”

Hicks is usually understated, so his response shouldn’t confuse readers about the excitement he feels when evaluating his positioning with Ohio State. Things are advancing as well as possible for a player who is still very early in his recruiting process.

“I spent a lot of time with the coaches on Saturday,” Hicks said. “Coach Hafley and I haven’t really talked since the summer, so we did some catching up. And [Ohio State tight ends coach] Kevin Wilson and I just talked about how I’ve played and how my season is going.”

Wilson recruits the Dayton area for the Buckeyes and has been the driving force in communicating with the Alter coaches about Hicks. The young linebacker prospect has been told his name is often on the lips of Ohio State assistants in recruiting meetings.

“They really haven’t talked to me about anything about what’s next or an offer,” Hicks said. “The coaches tell me my name is in the meeting room a lot, though. I might come back up [for the Maryland game] for another unofficial visit.”

 

In-state 5-star sophomore C.J. Hicks patiently waiting on #OhioState (VIP via @BillBankGreene)https://t.co/30txWX3DmA pic.twitter.com/9A6n0YuXBG

— Bucknuts (@Bucknuts247) November 7, 2019

 

CJ HICKS, 6-FOOT-4, 190 POUNDS, ATHLETE
The fact that Hicks has not been offered is one of the biggest surprises so far when it comes to the 2022 class. When 247Sports released its initial rankings for the 2022 class, Hicks was the only ranked Ohioian in the top 100. While he is listed as an athlete, he plays all over the defense for Archbishop Alter High School. Through two high school seasons, Hicks has played cornerback, safety, and outside linebacker.

Hicks has very good coverage skills and is a willing tackler with elite size and speed. He needs more experience playing in the box and playing the run, but that will come. Hicks looks like the perfect player for the bullet position in Ohio State's defense, and a player that Ohio State should offer any day now.

Hicks has been to Columbus three times this fall and camped with the Buckeyes in June. Even though he doesn't yet have an offer, Ohio State remains in a very good spot with Ohio's top-rated sophomore.

 

C.J. Hicks on Ohio State offer, recruiting expectations, plans for extended process https://t.co/8qTte3bh9l

— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) April 13, 2020

 

Truly blessed to say I have received an offer from Florida State University 🍢#OneTribe #LLL pic.twitter.com/k8eX49pPy3

— CJ Hicks (@imcjhicks) April 20, 2020

 

100% Committed to @OhioStateFB #BIA #GoBucks #H2 #LLL❤️⭕️🌰 pic.twitter.com/hot7XnQQY1

— CJ Hicks (@imcjhicks) May 1, 2020

 

One thing Ryan Day and his staff have done extremely well is making sure that early offered in-state players aren’t taken for granted on the recruiting trail. https://t.co/mkmjlKuDMI

— Jeremy Birmingham (@Birm) May 1, 2020

 

#Buckeyes land 2022 commitment No. 3 as top Ohio athlete @iiamcjhicks announces commitment to #OhioState. https://t.co/5VQSDyRgJi

— Bill Kurelic (@Bill_Kurelic) May 1, 2020

Another BOOM for the #Buckeyes as 2022 #Rivals100 S/ATH CJ Hicks @iiamcjhicks commits to Ohio State. Hicks discusses his decision to move up his timeline and commit here: https://t.co/CzCbsKMFx5 pic.twitter.com/H6Y94jf3A7

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) May 1, 2020

The Hicks Impact: New #Buckeyes pledge C.J. Hicks is one of the nation's most versatile prospects and reminds me a bit of my guy @DLeeMG8 coming out of high school: https://t.co/oq0tioQOUx

— Marc Givler (@MarcGivler) May 1, 2020

Our @Bill_Kurelic looks at The Impact of LB C.J. Hicks' verbal for Ohio State's 2022 class https://t.co/A3O0r5Qv4K pic.twitter.com/I3u3xODEIV

— Steve Helwagen (@SteveHelwagen) May 1, 2020

C.J. Hicks’ main recruiter throughout the last 10-12 months has been Al Washington, who has compared Hicks to Malik Harrison and Pete Werner.

More on what Hicks, an outside linebacker and potential OLB/safety hybrid, brings to Ohio State:https://t.co/fB4HLh4hIM

— Zack Carpenter (@Zack_Carp) May 1, 2020

 

Ohio State's latest pledge, sophomore C.J. Hicks, details why he chose to commit, why his mother is backing up the decision and how he plans to help as a recruiter. https://t.co/6vnAaCmBZ9

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 1, 2020

 

Analyzing impact as C.J. Hicks commits to Ohio State https://t.co/zUUvTYLAyy

— Lettermen Row (@LettermenRow) May 2, 2020

 

Scouting Report: C.J. Hicks looks to be a perfect fit for Greg Mattison's bullet position https://t.co/gdWiGoTpHl

— Buckeye Sports Bulletin (@Buckeye_Sports) May 2, 2020

 

Truly blessed to say I have received an offer from the University of Oregon #ScoDucks 🦆 pic.twitter.com/X1g3yPkjGL

— CJ Hicks (@imcjhicks) May 14, 2020

 

Commitment Film Breakdown: C.J. Hicks is everything coaches look for in a modern linebacker with his sideline-to-sideline speed, impressive coverage skills and big-hitting nature. https://t.co/32yezdq2jt

— Eleven Warriors (@11W) May 21, 2020

 

Truly blessed to say that I have received an offer from Clemson University 🧡💜 pic.twitter.com/qy9aUhS4P3

— CJ Hicks (@imcjhicks) June 2, 2020

 

sophomore @iiamcjhicks DB Row 105lbs @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/Ygjx9bRz0V

— EnhanceU Performance (@EnhanceuP) June 5, 2020

 

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