Five-Star Safety Sonny Styles, Ohio State’s Top Target for the Recruiting Class of 2023, Down to Five Schools

By Garrick Hodge on September 30, 2021 at 7:02p

Ohio State's biggest target for the class of 2023 has narrowed his school list down to five.

Sonny Styles, a safety/linebacker, announced a top five list of Ohio State, Notre Dame, Clemson, Ole Miss and Florida. 

Styles, a Pickerington resident, recently visited Ohio State on Sept. 11 for the home opener against Oregon. Of course, Styles is a legacy, as his father Lorenzo was a linebacker for the Buckeyes in the mid-1990s. 

“It was pretty crazy, I loved it,” Styles said of the atmosphere at Ohio Stadium in early September. “That was the big thing for me and then linking up with some of them guys, being able to talk to them, I think that was the biggest thing for me.

“I’ve always kept in good contact with Ohio State. I think a lot of times, it’s basic conversations. It’s always about football. And of course, they’re always letting me know they want me here.”

The thought long has been Styles' recruitment is a two-way battle between Ohio State and Notre Dame, as Styles' brother Lorenzo Styles Jr. is a wide receiver for the Fighting Irish. But perhaps one of the other three schools make a late push to add the eighth-best player in the country and the top safety per 247Sports' composite rankings. 

Styles has also visited Florida and Clemson this season, and will visit Notre Dame this weekend. He may return to Columbus for OSU's contest against Penn State on Oct. 30.