Captains
Sonny Styles will wear the Block O; Caleb Downs, Brandon Inniss and Austin Siereveld join him as captains.
The expected recipient of Ohio State’s “Block O” jersey this season officially received the coveted honor on Saturday.
Following Saturday’s practice, Ohio State officially awarded the Block O jersey to Sonny Styles, who becomes the sixth player to wear the No. 0 for the Buckeyes.
Your 2025 recipient, @sonnystyles_ pic.twitter.com/Thb5gyalrW
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) August 16, 2025
All signs pointed toward Styles receiving the Block O all offseason. Cody Simon, who wore the No. 0 jersey while captaining the Buckeyes to a national championship last season, officially endorsed Styles as his successor at the NFL Scouting Combine.
“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. “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.”
Coaches and players have consistently identified Styles all offseason as one of the team’s top leaders.
“He’s the ultimate pro, he’s been that way,” Ohio State linebackers coach James Laurinaitis said this spring. “He’s the leader of the front seven and the leader of the entire team.”
Styles said at Big Ten Media Days that he would be honored if he was chosen to wear the Block O.
“Being able to wear the Block O would be an honor,” Styles said. “I think the biggest thing, obviously, wearing the Block O is about the integrity and character of a person. But I think for me, just seeing the guys that wore that number before me and having a personal relationship with them and knowing the kind of men they were, they were great men. So for me to be able to wear the same number as them, that would be an honor.”
A two-time Iron Buckeye recipient this offseason as one of Ohio State’s hardest workers during both winter and summer workouts, Styles will also be a captain for the Buckeyes this season. The rest of the Buckeyes’ captains are expected to be announced later Saturday afternoon.
Styles is expected to be one of the top linebackers in college football this season after recording 100 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, six sacks, five pass breakups and one forced fumble for Ohio State’s No. 1-ranked defense in 2024, his first season playing linebacker after starting his Ohio State career as a safety.
The full list of Buckeyes to wear the Block O that Styles now joins:
- 2020: Jonathon Cooper, DE
- 2021: Thayer Munford, OL
- 2022: Kamryn Babb, WR
- 2023: Xavier Johnson, WR
- 2024: Cody Simon, LB
- 2025: Sonny Styles, LB
