None of Ohio State’s 21 signees in the 2022 recruiting class entered the 2025 NFL draft, yet only seven of them will play for the Buckeyes this season.
Thirteen members of the class transferred out of Ohio State, while Avery Henry had to retire from football after a battle with cancer. The only members of the class still playing for the Buckeyes are linebacker Sonny Styles, offensive linemen Carson Hinzman and Tegra Tshabola, tight end Bennett Christian and defensive ends Kenyatta Jackson Jr., Caden Curry, and C.J. Hicks.
Three years into their Ohio State careers, the 2022 class hasn’t made a big impact in Columbus. The star of the class, Styles, was originally a member of the 2023 class before reclassifying. Hinzman and Tshabola are the only other members of the class who have been starters for the Buckeyes.
Given that two-thirds of the class left the Buckeyes without ever playing a big on-field role, it’s fair to say the 2022 class, which was the fourth-best class in the country at the time, hasn’t lived up to expectations. While its lack of major contributors can be attributed partially to the fact that so many members of the 2020 and 2021 classes stayed through last season to help the Buckeyes win a national championship, it’s unlikely that any of the players who left Ohio State early would be starters this season if they stayed in Columbus.
| Pos | Name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| DE | C.J. Hicks | Competing for playing time |
| LB | Sonny Styles | Starting Will linebacker |
| QB | Devin Brown | Transferred to California |
| DE | Kenyatta Jackson Jr. | Competing for starting job |
| DE | Omari Abor | Transferred to SMU |
| WR | Kaleb Brown | Transferred to Iowa (now at UAB) |
| WR | Kyion Grayes | Transferred to California |
| LB | Gabe Powers | Transferred to Kansas State |
| RG | Tegra Tshabola | Starting right guard |
| DE | Caden Curry | Competing for starting job |
| DT | Hero Kanu | Transferred to Texas |
| WR | Caleb Burton III | Transferred to Auburn |
| WR | Kojo Antwi | Transferred to Colorado State |
| C | Carson Hinzman | Starting center |
| CB | Jyaire Brown | Transferred to LSU (now at UCF) |
| OT | George Fitzpatrick | Transferred to Kansas State |
| RB | Dallan Hayden | Transferred to Colorado |
| CB | Ryan Turner | Transferred to Boston College (now at Purdue) |
| S | Kye Stokes | Transferred to Cincinnati |
| TE | Bennett Christian | Backup tight end |
| OT | Avery Henry | Medically retired from football |
But there’s still a chance for the members of the class who remain with the Buckeyes to make their mark this season, and they know they’ll be counted on to do as Ohio State’s longest-tenured veterans.
“We look at the class stats every now and then and be like, ‘Oh man, they're gone. They're gone.’ But the guys who are still here have definitely kind of bonded together pretty good,” Hinzman said this spring. “So I think us being able to step up as leaders and as vets to help bring along the team, our units and this program has been really important.”
Styles, one of two five-star recruits to sign with Ohio State in 2022 along with Hicks, is the clear face of the class entering their senior year. Coming off a strong first season as a linebacker in which he tallied 100 tackles, Styles is a projected team captain who will likely wear the “Block O” for Ohio State this year. Having played a significant role for Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense last season, Styles is viewed as an All-American candidate entering 2025.
Hinzman and Tshabola played key roles in last year’s national championship run, too, as the starting center and right guard on the Buckeyes’ offensive line. Tshabola encountered some struggles in his first season as a starter; Hinzman began last season on the bench before becoming Ohio State’s starting left guard after Donovan Jackson moved to left tackle, then struggled in his first couple of games back at center after Seth McLaughlin went down with a season-ending injury. When it mattered most, however, Hinzman and Tshabola both elevated their games in the College Football Playoff, helping lead the way up front as the Buckeyes ran for 632 yards and 10 touchdowns while allowing just four sacks in four CFP games.
Now the two most experienced returning veterans on Ohio State’s offensive line, Hinzman and Tshabola will be counted on to lead the Buckeyes’ front five this season.
Ohio State will also be counting on its 2022 signees to play big roles at defensive end, where Jackson, Curry and Hicks are all chasing breakout seasons. Jackson and Curry were Ohio State’s top backups behind Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau for the past two seasons, and likely would have been starters last year if Tuimoloau and Sawyer entered the draft early. Hicks, the top-rated linebacker recruit in the 2022 class, never quite found his footing at his original position, but there’s mutual optimism between Ohio State and Hicks that a move to the edge can finally unlock his potential.
Stories on Ohio State’s Seniors
- Sonny Styles is the Frontrunner for 2025 “Block O” Jersey with Cody Simon’s Endorsement
- Carson Hinzman Growing from Adversity of Past Seasons As He Works to Be Reliable Leader for Offensive Line
- Caden Curry, Kenyatta Jackson Jr. Hungry to Lead Defensive Line After Waiting Turn Behind Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau
- C.J. Hicks Confident He Can Flourish in New Role Coming Off the Edge
- Bennett Christian Using Time at the “Very Bottom” to Inspire Others
- Jayden Fielding Confident and Healthy After Battling Through Hip Injury in 2024
Christian will be no higher than third on the tight end depth chart behind Max Klare and Will Kacmarek, but being Ohio State’s No. 3 tight end didn’t stop him from making a notable impact as a run blocker in multi-tight end packages last season. He’ll continue to be an asset for the Buckeyes in that capacity this season, and tight ends coach Keenan Bailey has called Christian the top leader in his unit this offseason.
Those seven Buckeyes who signed with Ohio State as scholarship players in 2022 are joined in their class by kicker Jayden Fielding, who began his Ohio State career as a walk-on and is now entering his third year as OSU’s starting kicker after making the game-sealing field goal in the Buckeyes’ national championship win over Notre Dame.
Ohio State’s lineup won’t be nearly as senior-heavy this season as it was last season, when the Buckeyes had eight starters from their 2021 recruiting class and five starters from their 2020 recruiting class. But they need to be able to rely on the seniors they do have if they’re going to make another championship run.
How big each of their roles will be this season remains uncertain, as Ohio State also added North Carolina transfer Beau Atkinson and Idaho State transfer Logan George this offseason. Jackson seems likely to be a starter opposite Atkinson, but Curry and Hicks will be jockeying to prove they should also play regular snaps. But there are different ways Matt Patricia and Larry Johnson could utilize each of them – Curry’s a top candidate to play as an inside rusher in Rushmen packages, while the Buckeyes could use Hicks as an edge-rushing outside linebacker – and both of them will be highly motivated to make an impact in their final year of collegiate eligibility.
They’ve supplemented the fourth-year players they signed out of high school with several fourth- and fifth-year transfers who are also expected to play big roles this season, including Klare and Kacmarek, Atkinson, running back CJ Donaldson, left tackle Ethan Onianwa, nickelback Lorenzo Styles Jr. and long snapper John Ferlmann. But the original members of the 2022 class who have spent their entire careers at Ohio State feel extra motivation and responsibility to be leaders for the Buckeyes this season and make sure their class leaves its mark at Ohio State.
“I mean, it's our senior class,” Curry said this spring. “Probably one of the smallest senior classes Ohio State’s seen, but we're definitely still trying to make an impact.”
