Quick Hits: Brian Hartline Says Leadership in OSU WR Room is “Great,” Tim Walton Shares His “Authentic” Approach to Recruiting and Sonny Styles Feels Comfortable at LB

Eleven Warriors interviewed eleven warriors on Thursday.

In the final round of spring football media availabilities this week, 11 Ohio State coaches and players held press conferences on the indoor practice field at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. Those Buckeyes included co-offensive coordinator Brian Hartline, secondary coach Tim Walton, wide receivers Brandon Inniss, Carnell Tate, Jayden Ballard and Bryson Rodgers, linebackers Sonny Styles, C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers and cornerbacks Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Lorenzo Styles Jr.

Among the many topics discussed, Hartline said the leadership in Ohio State's wide receiver room has been “great,” Walton discussed his “authentic” approach toward recruiting and Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss talked about their competitive relationship.

Videos and bullet-point recaps of the media sessions can be found below.

Co-OC Brian Hartline

• Hartline said the leadership in the wide receiver room has been “great.” He said the receivers are doing a great job of pushing and encouraging each other.
• Hartline said the competition between the receivers and cornerbacks is “a heavyweight fight daily.”
• On Bryson Rodgers entering the transfer portal but staying at Ohio State: “I think at the end of the day, he realized he made the wrong decision. And we connected on it, we talked about it, and it was a great opportunity to right a wrong. And obviously, we’re very glad he’s here. I’ve always believed in him, we believe in him, and he believes in himself.”
• On Jeremiah Smith: “I love the way he lives. I love the way he approaches things. I love the questions he asks. I love the way he makes mistakes and then corrects mistakes. It’s very veteran-like.”
• Hartline said he loves working with new offensive coordinator Chip Kelly. “I love the viewpoints, I love the veteran that he has, and I love all of it.”
• “I sleep a little better,” Hartline said when asked about no longer being the offensive coordinator this year. He says the offensive coaching staff continues to be very collaborative, “but Chip has a view of things that I never had. So to have that experience and to have that viewpoint, I’m just trying to absorb as much as I can.”
• Hartline said Emeka Egbuka has been taking more reps outside in practice because of the growth and Brandon Inniss and Bryson Rodgers in the slot.
• Egbuka and Carnell Tate are the only players Hartline is currently asking to practice both outside and inside the slot. He believes their versatility gives the Buckeyes the flexibility to get other players involved and create the receiver lineups they want.

Secondary Coach Tim Walton

• On how much more player-led Ohio State’s cornerback room is now than when he first arrived in 2022: “(It’s) completely different. We have a veteran group of guys, Denzel (Burke), Lathan (Ransom), (Jordan) Hancock, (Davison Igbinosun), dudes that have played a lot now that are returning starters. So those guys know the expectations, they know the standard and they know how we need to play.”
• On where Jermaine Mathews Jr. has grown coming off his freshman season: “He’s taken a great step forward. He’s the next guy up, man. He’s been extremely important on the growth of our secondary, because now we’ve worked him inside some, he’s played outside at both corner spots. He’s got that ‘it’ factor, you know what I mean? So we look at what he brings, the energy, the competitiveness, we’ve gotta build off last year and expand the role for him.”
• Walton said simply being “authentic” has fueled his run of recruiting success. “We try to shoot straight, honest communication, honest assessment. The character, the value, the work ethic, and the main thing is the competition. You’ve gotta compete. If you don’t want to compete, it’s not gonna be the place for you.”
• On potentially finding a rotational role for Mathews: “We play it by ear. We’ll see how it goes by the time we get into camp. But, obviously, he’s earning his stripes. He earned his stripes, it’s our job to create opportunities for him.”
• The dynamic has certainly shifted from 2022 when Jim Knowles said that the evaluation of cornerbacks was skewed by the fact they were losing so often in practice to an elite group of wide receivers, Walton stated. “It’s balanced up a little bit now. That goes with great competition. We go against the best receivers in college football. So that helps escalate your growth process because if you don’t figure it out real fast, you’ll get embarrassed.”
• Those wide receivers are part of the pitch to recruits, Walton said. “Iron sharpens iron. So you get to see that every day in practice, that helps you grow.”
• On who outside of Hancock can play the slot: “We’re moving a lot of guys around. ... We probably have three or four different guys in there, obviously Lorenzo (Styles Jr.) is in there, Jermaine is in there, Caleb (Downs), Miles (Lockhart). ... Right now we’re just trying things out in spring ball, see where things fit.”
• On Calvin Simpson-Hunt: “He can run, and he’s strong. He’s fast. Very serious about his business, he’s big, he’s 200 pounds. ... He’s starting to grow and he’s starting to get better with it. So we look for big things from him this spring.”
• Walton wants to see five-star freshman Aaron Scott Jr. “keep competing” this spring. “You throw him in the fire, you let him compete, by the time we get out of training camp, he’ll have it figured out. But now, you just throw it all at them.”
• 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.”

WR Brandon Inniss

• Inniss says he is “definitely a lot more comfortable” now than he was as a freshman. “I’m just playing a lot faster. I feel like I’m not thinking as much when I’m out there.”
• On Ryan Day praising him earlier this week: “It definitely boosts your confidence because you know all the work you’re putting in is being seen, and it’s being acknowledged.”
• Why he thinks he’s a good fit to play slot receiver: “I’m very quick. I have a nice quick twitch to me. I’m elusive. I’m strong, so I can block … I can also play down the field as well, and my run after catch is pretty good, so I feel like I’m the perfect slot receiver. And I can also play outside.”
• Inniss said he’d love to return punts or kickoffs. “Anything I can do to get on the field.”
• Inniss said he spent some time carrying the ball on run plays during bowl practices. He says he learned how to play that role from Xavier Johnson.
• Inniss says his competitive drive comes from growing up in South Florida. “Everybody down there, we compete to the max. There’s no other place that competes like South Florida.”
• Inniss said he played youth football with Jeremiah Smith when they were 10 and 11 years old, and they played against each other in high school. “The growth he’s made over these years is insane. The way his body has changed is crazy. And now seeing him out here today, it’s like everything’s come full circle.”
• Inniss says he, Carnell Tate and Smith expect to keep Ohio State’s receiver room atop college football as the best in the country.
• Asked if he was winded after his 57-yard touchdown last year against Purdue, Inniss said “I feel like it was just the adrenaline rushing. The celebration was more tiring than the run, actually. Everybody jumping on me and stuff like that. But it was definitely a cool experience.”
• Asked if he sees the South Florida mindset in Ohio State’s cornerbacks, Inniss said Davison Igbinosun is the cornerback who fits that mold the most with how competitive he is. He said Jermaine Mathews Jr. is like that as well.

WR Carnell Tate

• On Marvin Harrison Jr. complimenting him last season: “It helped me build my confidence a lot. It let me know that I was on the right path and doing the right things. … In his sophomore year, he had a great year, so hopefully I can go top that or be as good as that. But yeah, it definitely built confidence in me.”
• On losing his mother last summer, Ohio State rallying around him: “The team was there for me. They were my backbone. They helped me get through everything. They showed their support when I needed them the most. It was a tough situation to get through, but it was easier to get through knowing the team was behind me.”
• On his relationship with Brandon Inniss: “That’s my guy. That’s like my brother. We came here together. We played together before we got here. Our relationship is definitely love, but it’s like a love-hate. You would think we hate each other with how much we argue and how much we compete, but we just try to make each other better. I know what I can get out of him; he knows what he can get out of me. I know even when he is doing great, he can be better, and he wants the same for me.”
• On his approach heading into this season: “I’m trying to have a breakout year. … I’m trying to go out there, make plays and make a name for myself.”
• Tate said he wants to approve his route-running this offseason. “I’ve gotten bigger and stronger since last season, so it’s just cleaning up the little things that matter the most.”
• Tate said he’s been working at the inside and outside wide receiver positions this offseason. “Last year, when Emeka (Egbuka) went down, they played me in the slot a little bit. I’m definitely versatile, and I can play both or wherever they need me. We still have some formations where I go in the slot, and (then some) where I go outside, too.”
• On Bryson Rodgers: “He’s fast. He’s twitchy. He can change directions super quick. He can probably change directions the fastest in the room right now (because) he’s super twitchy and quick.”
• Tate said the battles between Ohio State’s wide receivers and defensive backs are more “chippy” than last year. “Usually, it’s the defense is talking, so now the offensive receivers are talking, too. We’re bringing it back with them. It’s been great. It’s been chippy. … That’s definitely been encouraged.”
• On Ohio State’s cornerbacks: “We got the best corners in the country.” Tate said Davison Igbinosun is the biggest trash talker in the Buckeyes’ defensive backfield.

WR Bryson Rodgers

• While Rodgers entered the transfer portal in December, he said he realized after “long talks” with his family that Ohio State “was the right place for me.” He said he wanted to be somewhere he was valued, but got the clarity he needed from Brian Hartline and Ryan Day that he was valued at Ohio State.
• “It’s been nothing but the best decision I made in my life, even coming here in the first place.”
• Rodgers is confident that he can earn playing time at Ohio State. “I feel like I’m a very talented guy, and I can compete here. I can compete anywhere in the country.”
• Rodgers said his teammates “welcomed me back with open arms, and it’s been an even closer bond with them” since he chose to take his name out of the transfer portal.
• Rodgers said he heard from “a lot of schools” while he was in the transfer portal. “They threw the NIL opportunities, they threw chances to start, they threw everything they could at me.”

WR Jayden Ballard

• Ballard says his main goals this spring are to continue to work on his craft, stay on the monarch and work on his route tree.
• On this year being an opportunity: “I think it would be a good opportunity for me just since I’ve been with a lot of guys like Chris (Olave), Garrett (Wilson) and Emeka so I’ve had the opportunity to learn from them. Just building off that and keep stacking days.”
• Ballard says he’s had a similar path as Josh Proctor and Xavier Johnson and has two years remaining to make an impact at the collegiate level. He’s optimistic about this season.
• Ballard says he’s mostly lined up at the Z position this spring
• Ballard says his game is comparable to Olave because of his speed.

LB Sonny Styles

• 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.”

LB C.J. Hicks

• On the start of spring practices, working with James Laurinaitis: “I’m taking it day by day and learning from one of the best linebacker coaches in the world. He did everything that we’re doing now, so it’s a blessing to work for him.”
• On if he and Ohio State’s linebackers expected Laurinaitis to be promoted this offseason: “We kind of knew that he was gonna get the coaching job. The way we looked at it last year it was like Knowles was the ‘linebacker coach,’ but (Laurinaitis) was really the linebacker coach.”
• On his goals for the 2024 season: “The goals I have for myself – I’m gonna keep those private. But as a team, it’s beat the ‘Team Up North,’ win a Big Ten championship and win a national championship. We need to play as a team and make sure we all get there.” 
• Hicks said he doesn’t see Sonny Styles moving to linebacker creating a competition between the two of them. “I don’t really look at it like a competition. I treat my reps like game reps. I am sure he does the same thing. He’s like one of my closest friends, and we are roommates, so I don’t think of it that way.”
• Hicks said he weighs 235 pounds right now. He said Ohio State strength coach Mick Marotti wants him to remain around that weight this offseason.
• Hicks said Ohio State wants to have four or five linebackers rotating onto the field this season, including Cody Simon, Sonny Styles, Gabe Powers, Arvell Reese and him. “Even with me and Cody, our spots are not solidified. My goal this spring is to maintain my spot but also at the same time to continue to learn, take steps forward and be the best player I can be.”

LB Gabe Powers

• On where he’s grown the most and where he needs to improve: “I’ve definitely developed mentally. I think I still need to work on formations-wise for plays on offense, that’s a huge part of linebacker. ... I feel like I can develop in knowing the offense more.”
• Cody Simon has been a help to Powers’ learning process, he said. “Him and Tommy (Eichenberg) have taught me a lot about seeing the plays and walking me through how to do that. We watch film together, so it helps a lot.”
• On competing for the Will linebacker position: “You don’t come in here to try to start, what are you doing? So that’s what you got to go into every practice (trying to do).”
• On Jim Knowles saying his development took off in the second half of 2023: “There was a point when it all kind of clicked, where all the plays started to make sense. Because it is a difficult defense, so I was learning, then once it clicked, it clicked. That was the biggest step for me. I definitely felt it.”
• Of the new alignment of position coaches managing different special teams, Powers said “I love it.”
• On James Laurinaitis: “Amazing. He obviously knows the game, he played at the highest level and was one of the greatest here. So him coming in and teaching the game, because he knows not just as a coach like I said, he knows it as a player. So all the drills can translate to the field very well.”
• On the new in-helmet communication: “It’s been alright. We’ll have (Jim) Knowles, he usually talks a lot. Gets loud in there but it’s good.”
• Powers described his relationship with C.J. Hicks as “great.” “We’ve hung out many times.”

CB Jermaine Mathews Jr.

• Mathews called Bryson Rodgers one of the “shiftier” receivers on Ohio State’s roster. “He probably doesn’t get as much press as some of the other receivers but I think he’s just as good and he’s had some really good routes.”
• Mathews said the receivers “definitely got” the cornerbacks on the first day of practice, but since then the competition has been back and forth. “It’s just great work. Iron sharpens iron.”
• More on that topic: “The competitiveness has ramped up this year. Especially this spring. I think the competitive spirit in everybody just went up and everybody just feels more hungry this year.”
• On how his experiences playing during his freshman season built some self-assurance for this year: “The more reps you get on the field, it definitely builds more confidence. Once you see, basically, about everything you’re going to see in a game, you’re gonna get more comfortable. It just feels more at ease, more like football.”
• On what he sees his role as in the defense: “Just a guy that can play anywhere in the back end, a guy who can help on special teams. Wherever they need me at this year, just go out there and give it my all.”
• Mathews said he’s been playing the nickel “a lot” this spring.
• On differences playing in the nickel vs. outside cornerback: “It’s just the two-way go that you get being in the slot, you can go inside, outside. If you press, it’s the ‘catch’ technique compared to backpedaling. You’ve got to (play) sideline-to-sideline as an extra defender.”
• On trying to take the next step as a player playing behind Ohio State’s returning starting trio at cornerback: “I think it’s just about me pushing them and them pushing me. Last year, it was me just learning, and they were just helping me as the older vets. Now we’re all back again. It just gives me a chance to learn more and watch the vets.”
• On staying patient for playing time: “You really just know, ya feel me? I think a lot of it comes with knowing yourself and knowing what your abilities are and knowing where you really are. I think some people get too ahead of themselves and think they’re ahead of where they really are. It’s just a look in the mirror.”

CB Lorenzo Styles Jr.

• On his relationship with Sonny: “We put a lot of work in together. I never come to the facility alone. Whether it’s recovery, watching film, I have my dad and brother in there with me. I always get great advice from them. I feel like he’s pushing me and I’m pushing him to be better every single day. That’s all you can really ask for.
• Styles says he plays both nickel and corner in practice and feels that he’s developing “really well.”
• On the best advice he’s received from his father: “I’d say trust your eyes and trust your instincts as a player. If you’re second guessing and not pulling your trigger when it’s time to make a play, you’re behind.”
• On Sonny transitioning to linebacker: “He understands the whole defense, so that’s made the transition a little bit easier for him. He’s just closer to the ball now so there’s no wasted movement and getting his footwork right and trusting the coaches.”
• Styles says he feels he has a better understanding of the defense this year compared to last season. He added he feels his techniques are more sound as well.
• Styles says he would like to return punts and kickoffs this season if possible. He has experience at both at his time at Notre Dame.
• Styles says his time as a wide receiver at Notre Dame helped him understand routes more when facing them on defense.
• Styles says he’s comfortable with his ability to be able to blitz and can pull a quick trigger when his number is called.
• On Tim Walton: “He doesn’t overcomplicate things. I feel like a lot of it is trusting your eyes. We do so much film study, he really develops our minds as players. So when we’re out there we’re able to play so fast. I feel like that separates us and when you understand the entire defense you can use you help, use your leverage and make some plays.”