Lorenzo Styles Jr. was a starting wide receiver at Notre Dame before he transferred to Ohio State, but he’s never enjoyed playing college football more than he is right now.
“This is the most fun I've had since I've been in college playing football,” Styles said Wednesday. “I love BIA. I love the defense. I love really the whole organization in general, so I’m having fun with it right now.”
Now in his second year as a Buckeye cornerback, Styles isn’t yet a starter on Ohio State’s defense. Barring injuries, he won’t get that opportunity until next year as he’s currently backing up one of the nation’s top nickel cornerbacks, Jordan Hancock. But Styles has seen late-game playing time at nickel in each of Ohio State’s first two games, all the while playing the most snaps so far (42) of any Buckeye on special teams.
Styles earned special teams player of the game honors for Ohio State’s most recent contest against Western Michigan two Saturdays ago as he made two big tackles on special teams – one on a kickoff return at the 20-yard line and another that brought down Western Michigan punt returner Jordin Parker for a 5-yard loss – while playing a team-high 23 special teams snaps.
He then made the most of his opportunity to play on defense on Western Michigan’s final three possessions as he made a downhill tackle on a 3-yard run in the fourth quarter and followed that up with a third-down pass breakup two plays later.
Ryan Day says Styles’ excellence on special teams could lead to more playing time on defense going forward.
“When you're having an impact on special teams, the next step is to have an impact on your side of the ball, and that’ll happen with Lorenzo,” Day said last week while appearing on the Ohio State Sports Network’s Buckeye Roundtable show. “He's earned that right.”
With Hancock, Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun locked in as the starting cornerbacks, how much defensive playing time will be available to Styles remains uncertain. But Day said Styles has earned the coaches’ trust that they can count on him on both defense and special teams.
“Any time you play well on special teams, you're earning more and more trust with the staff. And that's something that we've always preached here,” Day said this week. “So the more and more trust you're building, you're just earning an opportunity to do that (play more). And so we'll see how that all shakes out game to game and based on the scheme going in that week or what we're seeing in terms of our opponent. But somebody who's competing every day in practice, he's giving great effort on special teams. You see him show up in coverage, getting his hands on balls, effort, and that's big for us right now in terms of we want the hardest-playing guys in the country. And he's shown he'll do that.”
Regardless of what role he’s playing or how much playing time he gets, Styles says he takes pride in doing his job whenever he’s on the field.
“As a man, as a football player, I just hold myself to a certain standard. Whether I'm starting, where I'm the backup, whatever it is, I just hold myself to a certain standard,” Styles said. “So the way I practice, the way I show up every single day is gonna be the same, whether I'm starting or I'm not.”
Styles said the “relentless effort” Ohio State expects its players to play with on special teams translates to playing on defense.
“Special teams, it's a longer play. So you’re on defense only four to six seconds. So being able to have relentless effort on special teams, it translates when you get on defense,” Styles said.
While Styles took a redshirt last season, preserving his two remaining years of eligibility for this year and next year as he learned the ropes of playing defense at the collegiate level, he’s shown his teammates with his growth in his second year that he’s capable of playing as much as the Buckeyes need him.
“He's grown a lot, man. He's a great player. And just to see the way he's elevated his game, it's been really awesome to see,” Burke said. “Sky's the limit for him.”
“This is the most fun I've had since I've been in college playing football.” – Lorenzo Styles Jr. on playing at Ohio State
A native of nearby Pickerington, Ohio, Styles is relishing the opportunity to play alongside his younger brother Sonny Styles, the Buckeyes’ starting Will linebacker. He said he learns a lot from his brother, particularly in terms of playing the run, though he still makes sure to remind Sonny who the older brother is.
“I think he's playing decent so far, but he has to continue to improve,” Lorenzo said of Sonny, who is in his first year at linebacker after starting at safety last season. “He's doing his job. But I want him to take it to the next level and really be that best linebacker in the country type.”
Lorenzo said he appreciates that many players on this year’s team are putting their faith front and center, as he said he’s “trying to grow in that space as well with myself.” And he says Ohio State’s culture pushes him to get better every day.
“They're trying to push me to be my best self every single day. I'm trying to push them. So when you have that, everyone's trying to be their best self every day,” Styles said.
