Ohio State football’s Sonny Styles has ambitions of becoming a captain for the 2025 season.
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Linebacker Sonny Styles is returning to Ohio State football for the 2025 season, and among various goals, he hopes to follow in the footsteps of his mentor.
Styles moved from safety to linebacker ahead of the 2024 campaign. While there, he played alongside fifth-year linebacker, captain and Block ‘O’ recipient Cody Simon.
Styles is expected to emerge as a senior leader with a plethora of veterans, including Simon, departing after winning a national title.
He’s an early favorite to be a captain for the Buckeyes.
“I’d love to be that,” Styles said Sunday after OSU’s championship celebration. “I think that’s one of the bigger accomplishments I’d ever achieve here. When you’re voted a captain, that says a lot. That says a lot (about) what your players and your teammates think about you.”
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Styles became an immediate starter despite the transition to a new position.
He finished second on the team, behind Simon, with 100 tackles. Styles also collected 10.5 tackles for loss and six sacks.
He grew comfortable at linebacker as the season progressed — a testament to the benefit of having Simon nearby.
“He really showed me what it looked 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 really inspired me. Seeing him come back for his last year and seeing how much better he got really inspired me as well.”
The Buckeyes also got promising news from cornerback Davison Igbinosun last week. Like Styles, he elected to pass on the 2025 NFL Draft and return for Ohio State’s title-defending season.
Safety Caleb Downs was the only player guaranteed to return for the Buckeyes’ 2025 campaign.
Now, he’ll have a pair of starters back with him — a crucial development with defensive coordinator Jim Knowles departing for Penn State.
“We’re going to have a really good team next year,” Styles said. “I think we’re going to be able to get it done again.”
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