Perry Eliano expects Sonny Styles to play a “streamlined” role in 2023 that allows him “to be great at specific things instead of okay at a lot of things.”
Ohio State expects Sonny Styles to make an impact on its defense this year. Midway through spring practices, however, Styles appears more likely to play a situational role than as a starter.
“Yeah, I think when you look at the potential best 11 players for the 2023 defense, he's a guy that our staff is gonna point at and say, ‘We need to find a way to get him in there,’” Knowles said after Ohio State’s first practice of the spring. “He held his own in the , and I think he's just got all kinds of skills. So yeah, we gotta experiment with him in different places. See what's best for Sonny and our defense.
For now, Styles is taking most of his reps with the second-team defense at strong safety. Knowles’ challenge to Styles and other young players currently in backup roles is to “dominate with the twos,” which will force him to give them more first-team reps and find roles for them within the defense.
“We've streamlined it for Sonny. So you'll see Sonny more in a streamlined position to where he can excel and utilize his God-given ability,” Eliano said. “Really and truthfully, we want him to be great at specific things instead of okay at a lot of things. So that's the conversation, what I mean by streamlining. So you won't see him in a lot of places. You'll see him pretty stationary in one to two spots.
At 6-foot-4 and 222 pounds, Styles offers a unique combination of size, athleticism and coverage ability that could give the Buckeyes flexibility in multiple ways. When matching up with multi-tight end formations, Styles allows the Buckeyes to put another bigger body on the field while still playing with three safeties. Theoretically, subbing in Styles at one of the two main linebacker spots could also be a dime-package option for the Buckeyes in passing situations.
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