Maturity isn’t something quantifiable – at least not directly – but anecdotally, it’s clear that Sonny Styles outpaces his peers in the category.
While Styles should technically still be a freshman since he reclassified from the class of 2023 to the class of 2022 out of high school, he has seen his starting position change and his role grow over the course of the 2023 season.
And yet, that hasn’t hindered his effectiveness.
“It’s easy to see his skill set,” Ryan Day said. “You see his size, you see what he can do, you watch him on the basketball court when we were recruiting him. You watch his football, (he has) range, that’s the first thing you notice. But then you realize that he has a quiet confidence about him. He’s very serious. He can take hard coaching. He’s very critical of himself. He takes great care of his body. Just very mature for somebody his age.”
With starting strong safety Lathan Ransom out the rest of the regular season, Ohio State’s defense hasn’t missed a beat with Styles filling in, and the team's coaches expect that to be the case moving forward.
“I’m in the classroom with him. I know what he does as far as his preparation,” safeties coach Perry Eliano said. “I know the conversations that we have and just being able to truly understand what we’re expecting of him and understand the scheme. All you see is the maturation. He’s playing faster because he understands what’s expected of him more and more.”
Ransom’s injury forced Styles from the nickel spot he’s rotated at with Jordan Hancock all season and placed him back deep in a full-time capacity.
“Scheme-wise, it’s all pretty similar for me,” Styles said. “You’re just relating it to – one is to the field, one is to the boundary. Similar pressures, things like that. So it wasn’t that big of a jump for me, really.”
It also helped that Styles has cross-trained at all three safety positions the past two seasons, he added. That’s been a big part of Ohio State’s identity at safety under Eliano and defensive coordinator Jim Knowles.
“We’re a safety-driven defense, so for us, the expectation is, as we continue to grow, that we know what to do at multiple spots,” Eliano said. “That’s the fun thing about football. The more you can do, the more you understand, the faster you play. So that’s what you’ve been seeing with him.”
Styles saw the field for a career-high 73 snaps in the Buckeyes’ first game without Ransom against Rutgers. When Josh Proctor left that contest with an injury of his own, Styles slid over to free safety while Malik Hartford replaced him at the “bandit” spot.
“Going from 30 plays to 70 plays, that’s a little bit of an adjustment, but I think I did fine,” Styles said. “I think it’s just all about how you prepare, take care of your body and recover after the game. My body feels good.”
There are still some key differences between playing nickel and playing “bandit” in the Ohio State defense, however, Styles noted. With the strong safety spot being to the shorter side of the field and not pressed up on slot receivers as much as nickel is, he’s been dealing with less space to cover in pass defense.
Then the run fits are different as well, given that bandit is closer to the middle of Ohio State’s defense.
“At bandit, you saw it a lot with Lathan where he’s just shooting the gap,” Styles said. “I think you’ve seen it with me a little bit, too. You’re in the fit a lot. They ask the bandit, whether in cover three, whatever it is, you’re in the fit a lot, so (you’re) getting a chance to show your run-stopping ability. Then you can still play curl, flat into the boundary just like you do to the field. You can play a hook (zone), you can a (deep) half like you do to do the field.”
"He’s very serious, he can take hard coaching. He’s very critical of himself. He takes great care of his body. Just very mature for somebody his age."– Ryan Day on Sonny Styles
Run-stopping ability has been a strength for Styles. Not only is he tied for the lead among Ohio State’s non-defensive linemen with four tackles for loss this season, he’s added 40 takedowns in total, sixth-most on the squad and second-most among defensive backs.
According to Pro Football Focus, Styles leads all Power Five defenders against the run after 11 weeks in 2023.
Sonny Styles: 91.8 Run Defense Grade this season
— PFF College (@PFF_College) November 14, 2023
Leads all Power Five Defenders pic.twitter.com/ZGynIOK31I
Eliano credits much of Styles’ development to his maturity, especially in the film room. He’s seen Styles grow in that area since he arrived at Ohio State.
“Really being able to talk more,” Eliano said. “Being able to diagnose the play before it actually happens. Just being able to really, really hone in in practice, and you see him making plays. That’s what’s exciting to me.”
Knowles indicated that Styles could be used in more inventive ways as the Buckeyes prepare for their final tests of the season. He’ll continue to play a vital role in replacing Ransom.
“He has range. He has a lot of experience,” Knowles said. “We were able to gain him a lot of coverage experience at the nickel position covering a slot in the open field, which is a difficult thing to do. As that translates into the boundary, he’s just got a lot of versatility. Made some plays last game blitzing for us. So I think he can be a real factor in the blitz game as well.”
