When Lorenzo Styles Jr. transferred to Ohio State last offseason, the expectation was that he would compete for a starting cornerback job this offseason. But none of Ohio State’s starting cornerback jobs opened up.
As Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock both opted to stay for their senior years with Davison Igbinosun entering his junior year, Styles’ path to a starting job in Ohio State’s secondary is blocked for now. But Styles is still working hard to prove he can make an impact for the Buckeyes’ defense this season.
“I've been stepping up my game every single day getting better, and the coaches have noticed that, my teammates have noticed that,” Styles said last week. “I'm gaining the trust and respect of everybody around here. So continue to build on that, and when it's my time to go make a play, I'm gonna go make a play.”
Styles played only three snaps for Ohio State’s defense last season – all as a sixth defensive back in prevent situations – but there was never much expectation that he would play much more than that. After two years playing wide receiver at Notre Dame, 2023 was a transition year for Styles as he learned how to play cornerback at the collegiate level. He played in only four regular-season games to take a redshirt and preserve his remaining two seasons of eligibility.
The eligibility clock will start ticking again for Styles this season, though, so he’s eager to get on the field and make an impact. But that’s no different than how he felt when he started his college career in South Bend three years ago.
“I felt that sense of urgency ever since I came into college when I was at Notre Dame. I felt that sense of urgency trying to get on the field as a young dude. And then same thing now,” Styles said.
The older brother of Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles and son of former OSU linebacker Lorenzo Styles, Lorenzo Styles Jr. has been practicing primarily at the nickel cornerback spot, where he’s in line to be Hancock’s top backup this season.
Styles also feels confident he could fill in at outside cornerback if needed, but he believes the biggest benefit he can provide to Ohio State’s defense this year is stepping in whenever Hancock needs a breather and bring a similar skill set to the position with his ability to cover slot receivers and tackle.
“Within this unit, every single guy is a different type of player,” Styles said. “We have IGB, who's kind of long. Denzel, quick feet. Jermaine (Mathews Jr.), kind of in that same spot. Jordan, who can go down, hit stuff and do his job, too; I can bring that same dynamic. So when we need some fresh legs out there, I can go make a play. Jordan does a series, I can do a series. We got a long season, so everyone has to be out there and be at that competitive standard.”
Hancock is confident in Styles’ ability to fill that role as needed based on the growth he’s seen from Styles now that he’s been an Ohio State cornerback for a full year.
“He's grown a lot,” Hancock said. “He's doing some great things out there. He's super fast, super athletic. He's gonna be a really good nickel here. And he can play outside corner if he wants to, but the nickel position fits him really well and his future's gonna be really bright.”
Hancock and Styles believe they both make each other better on the practice field and in the film room.
“Me and him watch film all the time and just break down things,” Hancock said. “If I don't see something, he'll tell me something that he sees and makes me better, and vice versa.”
Styles was sidelined for the end of spring practices after dislocating his shoulder, which required surgery, but he doesn’t feel that injury set him back much. He returned to practice on the fourth day of preseason camp after being held out of live action for the first three days. He says he’s “way ahead of the curve” in his recovery, crediting team physical therapist Adam Stewart with helping him get back quickly, and expects to have no limitations when the season begins.
“He's been practicing fine, and he's good to go,” Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton said last week.
Styles says he feels “way more comfortable” playing cornerback now than he did when he arrived at Ohio State a year ago. After gradually becoming more comfortable as a defensive back while repping with the second-team defense in practice last season, Styles felt as though he “had a really good spring” until he suffered his shoulder injury. Now that he’s back on the field, Styles feels as though he’s fully acclimated into Ohio State’s secondary.
“Coach Walt's been drilling me with all the training, all the tools, so being able to actually apply those now, it makes the game a lot easier and it’s slowed down a lot for me,” Styles said.
“The nickel position fits him really well and his future's gonna be really bright.”– Jordan Hancock on Lorenzo Styles Jr.
That said, the door isn’t completely closed on Styles’ career as a wide receiver. While Styles has practiced exclusively on defense during the preseason practices that have been open to the media this August, he spent some time running routes with the wideouts during summer workouts. And he says he’d be happy to see some occasional playing time on offense if Ohio State thinks he can help there, as he already knows what he can do as a receiver after catching 54 passes for 684 yards and two touchdowns in two seasons with the Fighting Irish.
“We're gonna see how that goes Week 1,” Styles said. “I'm playing corner, but if they need me to go catch a pass, I'll go catch a pass and make some plays. … I put that on tape too at Notre Dame that I can go make some plays. So if they need me to have a little package for me or two, then I'll go do that.”
Whether Ohio State will have any need to play Styles on offense is uncertain, given that Emeka Egbuka, Jeremiah Smith, Carnell Tate and Brandon Inniss are expected to be an elite quartet at receiver for the Buckeyes. Even if it never leads to any offensive playing time, though, Styles believes spending occasional time working with the receivers makes him a better cornerback.
“With the routes, like the different stems, like radical releases, everything, I understand like what they're trying to accomplish. I understand the situations a little bit better, like the route concepts they're trying to run,” Styles said. “So that helps me out.”
