Love that he's coming into his own and getting on the field. This is the deepest DB room I've ever witnessed, so I'm glad he's grinding and finding his niche in our defense and special teams.
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Love that he's coming into his own and getting on the field. This is the deepest DB room I've ever witnessed, so I'm glad he's grinding and finding his niche in our defense and special teams.
Uhhh, I wouldn’t go that far. IF Iggy comes back that’s one spot, and then I can see Matthew’s and CSH battling for the other spot, and I could see the loser going to the slot. And then there’s also Aaron Scott and even West. CB will be a very deep position next year.
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Exactly what I was thinking, sounds like Lorenzo has come a long ways and I am rooting for him next year to earn a spot. But competition is going to be fierece. Mathews is going to lock down one spot, if Iggy comes back that is two spots. Then CSH, Scott and West are studs. Not saying Lorenzo can't win a spot in that scenario, but it is far from a given.
In the meantime, hopefully he can continue to contribute this season and get on the field some in these early games.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Lorenzo Styles Jr. Having “The Most Fun” of His College Football Career As He Emerges On Ohio State’s Defense and Special Teams
Lorenzo Styles Jr. is having “the most fun I've had since I've been in college playing football” and Ryan Day says Styles’ special teams play could lead to more snaps on defense.
Lorenzo Styles Jr. Having “The Most Fun” of His College Football Career As He Emerges On Ohio State’s Defense and Special Teams
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.”
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Also looked good out there in defense and got some meaningful PT early on at CB. Lorenzo is at least a really good depth piece and ST guy this year, but he is going to compete for a starting role next year.
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Fungo Squiggly
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Arnette? Now I’m having flashbacks to Jamario O’Neal, too….how has it been 16 years since he played for OSU?!?
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Yeah there's that. Burke and Hancock are gone after this year, Iggy could very likely go pro (but could make a return like our current seniors and be the man). Then you have droves of young talent next year with Mathews, CSH, Scott, West, Sanchez, Offord, etc. But if Lorenzo earns a spot or PT in that midst, he has freaking earned it.
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