Five-Star Defensive End David “DJ” Hicks, Four-Star Linebacker Troy Bowles Earn Offers at Ohio State's Fourth Recruiting Camp of June

By Dan Hope on June 15, 2021 at 8:22 pm
David “DJ” Hicks and Troy Bowles
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Ohio State’s fourth high school football camp of June was headlined by a pair of top defensive prospects in the recruiting class of 2023 who earned offers after working out for the Buckeyes’ coaches on Tuesday.

The first offer of the day went to David “DJ” Hicks Jr., a defensive end from Allen, Texas, who was the lone five-star recruit on the field at Tuesday’s camp. Ranked as the No. 22 overall prospect in the 2023 class, Hicks – who weighed in at 6-foot-3 and 264 pounds – put his athleticism on display as he went through a full workout with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson and the rest of the defensive linemen at the big man portion of the camp on Tuesday morning.

Following his workout, Hicks told reporters how much an Ohio State offer would mean to him, saying “I would be so excited, I might just cry.”

“It’s just different,” Hicks said when asked about his first impressions of Ohio State. “The coaches, Larry Johnson, one of the best in the game. Joey Bosa, Nick Bosa, you can look it up, he has the best.”

Just a few hours later, Hicks announced on Twitter that he had received his offer from Johnson and the Buckeyes.

The second offer of the day went to four-star Florida linebacker Troy Bowles, who was the standout of the linebacker group during the afternoon session of Tuesday’s camp. At 6-foot-1 and 206 pounds, Bowles was fluid through a variety of drills and excelled in pass coverage during one-on-ones – including a deep-ball interception – to conclude the camp, after which he also spent some extra time getting instruction from Ohio State linebackers coach Al Washington.

Bowles, whose father is Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive coordinator Todd Bowles, said he has “a lot” of interest in Ohio State, who views him as an inside linebacker prospect though he believes he could play any linebacker spot.

“I grew up watching them,” Bowles said of Ohio State. “It’s a big school, it’s a lot of people’s dream school.”

Bowles, who is ranked as the No. 9 linebacker and No. 109 overall prospect in the junior class, officially received his offer less than an hour after the camp wrapped up.

Though they haven’t received offers yet, two other four-star defenders in the 2023 class also worked out at Tuesday’s camp: New Jersey nose tackle Sydir Mitchell Jr., who is ranked as the No. 135 overall prospect in the class, and Georgia linebacker Dee Crayton, who is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 247 overall prospect in the class.

Mitchell, who weighed in at 6-foot-6 and 340 pounds and described himself as a “big dancing bear,” was forced to end his workout early due to a knee injury but showed impressive athleticism for his size before getting hurt.

The top defensive back at Tuesday’s camp was Sharif Denson, who’s rated as only a three-star cornerback but has an impressive list of more than two dozen offers that also includes Florida, Florida State, Miami, Michigan, Notre Dame, Oklahoma and Penn State, among others.

The running back group at Tuesday’s camp was headlined by JT Smith Jr., who hails from the same high school (William Amos Hough in Cornelius, North Carolina) as current Ohio State running back Evan Pryor and has offers from Penn State and Wisconsin, and Kaleb Johnson, a three-star 2022 running back from Hamilton, Ohio.

Johnson, in particular, appeared to make an impression on the Buckeyes on Tuesday as he not only went through running back drills with Tony Alford but also went through an individual workout led by Washington and defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs. While he hadn’t had a lot of communication with Ohio State before Tuesday, he was pleased with the interest the coaches showed in him at the camp, and said he would return to Ohio State for an official visit if he gets an offer.

The offensive line group at Tuesday’s camp also featured several notable prospects, including four-star Texas offensive tackle Isaiah Robinson, three-star Indiana offensive lineman Trevor Lauck, three-star Michigan offensive lineman Dylan Senda and Cash Cleveland, a highly regarded 2024 offensive lineman from Texas whose older brother Corban recently committed to the Buckeyes as a walk-on wide receiver.

The tight end group at Tuesday’s camp was highlighted by Brennan Parachek, a three-star tight end from Dexter, Michigan, who holds six offers including Michigan State, Arizona State and Kentucky.

Brennan Parachek
Brennan Parachek

While Hicks was the only five-star recruit on the field at Tuesday’s camp, two other five-star prospects were at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center on Tuesday. 

Five-star safety Sonny Styles, who will be back on the field at Wednesday’s camp after already camping at Ohio State two weeks ago, watched from the sideline as his cousin Kylon Wilson, a 2023 wide receiver from Farrell, Pennsylvania, participated in Tuesday’s camp. Five-star defensive tackle Walter Nolen, the No. 3 overall prospect in the 2022 class, was also spotted visiting Ohio State on Tuesday.

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