Former Ohio State DC Jim Knowles left after the team won the national championship. Their linebacker, CJ Hicks, is embracing a new position on defense. Did we miss something? But wait, this move didn’t come out of nowhere for Ryan Day’s defensive star. The 21-year-old spent three years as a Buckeyes linebacker, but heading into 2025, he’s making a permanent move to defensive end. And that shift has fired up Ohio State’s highly optimistic defensive line coach, Larry Johnson.

With a new DC in Matt Patricia, Ohio State is expected to use multiple fronts. And CJ Hicks’ speed, length, and explosiveness could make him the perfect hybrid edge rusher. Fox analyst RJ Young broke it down on The Number One College Football Show on March 10, explaining that this isn’t just about finding Hicks a spot. It’s about getting the Buckeyes’ best pass rushers on the field. “He’s going to be that hybrid defensive end with his hand on the ground,” he said. “With his length and his speed and his explosiveness, you expect him to be able to wreak havoc off that edge.” 

So, the idea is to mix things up, right? Make that front four less predictable. As Young put it, “That is in just trying to make Ohio State a little bit more versatile against the kind of offenses they’re likely to see. The one that they face against Oregon would not be the one they faced against Michigan, and having two different fronts might be able to help you with that….Larry Johnson Sr. is excited about it.” And now that the edge rusher is in Larry Johnson’s room, he has high hopes.

For Johnson, who’s entering his 12th season as the Buckeyes’ DL coach, this transition is about developing CJ Hicks into an every-down player. “CJ’s with me right now trying to learn how to play the position,” the coach said. “I want him to learn how to play the position as a defensive end standup and not as a linebacker… He’s done an outstanding job this far.” This is a major shift for Ohio State, which has relied on the traditional four-down front in the past years.

Matt Patricia is expected to mix things up with Hicks’ transition, which will give the defense more versatility. And this is what Johnson’s excited about, as is apparent from his statement—“That’s a bonus… Because he stays in the field. You bring a guy from space, you can drop him from space or you can blitz him, and I think that as we go forward, I think we’ll try to build that.” But this positional change isn’t the only thing making headlines in Columbus. 

Larry Johnson clears record on Jim Knowles rift

With Jim Knowles leaving for Penn State, rumors swirled that this departure wasn’t exactly on good terms, particularly with Larry Johnson. According to whispers, the two defensive coaches clashed over the implementation of the Jack LB position, a hybrid role the Knowles had used at Oklahoma State but struggled to fit into Ohio State’s scheme. Some even suggested that Johnson wasn’t on board with the new Penn State DC’s vision, leading to tension behind closed doors. 

But Larry Johnson dispelled the rumors about the supposed rift. “I don’t chase stories and lies out there because nobody’s asking me this question,” he said. “But Jim and I had a really great conversation about what we were doing. There was never a moment where we were going, ‘Hey, I don’t want the 3-4.’ There was never that. It was like, ‘What’s the best with our players and how can we get a 3-4 team?’ And that was always the conversation.” Whether or not you want to believe his statement, one thing’s for certain — Ohio State is heading into a new era defensively.

With Jim Knowles’s departure and Matt Patricia taking the reins, Ryan Day’s squad is making key adjustments. CJ Hicks’ role change is just one piece of the puzzle. It remains to be seen if this transition will unlock his full potential, but if Larry Johnson is excited, Buckeye Nation has plenty to look forward to.