A big smile flashed across Cody Simon’s face when a reporter asked him who he thought would wear the “Block O” jersey for Ohio State in 2025.
Simon said he didn’t know for sure who would succeed him in wearing Ohio State’s most coveted uniform number this season. But he had no hesitation in giving his endorsement for who he thought should receive that award.
“I mean, I don't want to give away or I don't know anything about who, but I mean, if I were to choose, I would probably say Sonny Styles,” Simon said last week at the NFL Scouting Combine. “He's putting the work in. He's done everything you need to do. And he's gonna be a leader for that team next year. And I hope they look to him for guidance. Because he's done it before, he's been a high-level player.”
While Simon was everything Ohio State expects a Block O wearer to be and then some this past season, recording 112 tackles as the captain of OSU’s No. 1-ranked defense while leading the Buckeyes to a national championship, there were a host of players who could have been given the No. 0 jersey last year. There was strong agreement among players and coaches that Simon deserved the Block O last season, but no one would have batted an eye if another senior leader like Jack Sawyer, TreVeyon Henderson, Emeka Egbuka or Lathan Ransom had received the honor instead.
This year, however, the choice looks more clear. The Block O jersey has always been awarded to a senior in his final year of eligibility who has played his entire college career with the Buckeyes, and Styles is the only returning starter who meets those criteria. Add in Styles being a Central Ohio native whose father Lorenzo also played (and brother Lorenzo Jr. also currently plays) for the Buckeyes, and Styles seems like the obvious choice for one of Ohio State’s most prestigious honors.
It’s an honor that Styles wouldn’t take lightly if he’s chosen to wear the Block O – or even if he’s just named a captain.
“I'd love to be that. I think that's one of the biggest accomplishments I'd ever achieve here,” Styles said in January after Ohio State’s national championship celebration. “When you're voted a captain, that says a lot. It says a lot about what the players and your teammates think about you. Obviously, the four captains we had up there this last year, they're amazing people, amazing players, but it's what your teammates think about you, man. That's special.”
Styles says he learned about what it means to wear the Block O and be a team captain from starting alongside Simon at linebacker last season, and he’ll look to emulate Simon’s leadership as he takes over as an elder statesman of Ohio State’s defense.
“I think there's a lot of guys who've laid the platform for what it looks like to be a leader. I think a big shoutout goes to Cody Simon there; obviously he was the Block O this year, and we were both linebackers together this year obviously, but I think he really showed me what it looks like to be a true leader,” Styles said. “We have a lot of great leaders, but I think being so close to him every day and working with him every day, he's really inspired me, and seeing him come back for his last year and seeing how much better he got really inspired me as well.”
Styles’ leadership and playmaking ability will both be crucial for a team that’s replacing 17 players who played major roles last season. And now that he has a full year of playing linebacker under his belt, Styles’ NFL-bound former Ohio State teammates expect him to be a star in 2025.
“Sonny's one of the hardest-working kids I've ever been around. Me and his older brother were good friends growing up, so I've got a chance to know Sonny since he was just a little guy, and seeing him now, the freak of an athlete that he is and the type of man he is, I'm just happy for him,” Jack Sawyer said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “I think going into year two, he's going to take a huge jump playing linebacker. He had a great year this year, obviously. It was his first year playing it. He's a super-smart kid, super-competitive kid, tough kid. And obviously, he's got the traits of a top-10 pick, so I'm excited to see what this year in his second year. I know it's going to be something great.”
Former Ohio State defensive backs Jordan Hancock and Lathan Ransom both said at the combine that they expect Styles to be the best linebacker in college football in 2025.
“He's a baller, man,” Ransom said. “To watch the way he developed and the way he was playing that last stretch at the end of the season, man, he made a lot of plays, and I think he's the best linebacker coming back in the country this year. So to see what he's going to do next year, man, it’s going to be special, and I will not be surprised when he's standing at this podium (at the combine) next year.”
“He's gonna have an all-American year, in my opinion,” Hancock added.
Styles recorded exactly 100 tackles in his first season as a linebacker, adding 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups and one forced fumble. Arvell Reese is expected to start alongside Styles at linebacker in 2025 while Payton Pierce is a leading candidate to be their top backup on the depth chart.
