Denzel Burke On CJ Hicks: ‘I feel like this is his year’

With 17 Buckeyes now gone from the team and off to try and fulfill their NFL dreams, the attention turns back toward Ohio State where those 17 vacancies need to be filled.

The returning players are a year older, having learned from a remarkable group of seniors on what it takes to win a national championship and also overcome the kind of adversity that can pop up at the absolute worst times.

Those departed Buckeyes were at the NFL Combine last week, spending time with NFL teams, working out in front of scouts and coaches, and also speaking with reporters. Many of the questions from reporters were about what the Buckeyes would look like in 2025.

Cornerback Denzel Burke was asked an open-ended question about which current Buckeyes weren’t being talked about much, but would be a year from now. He first mentioned junior nose tackle Kayden McDonald, then junior linebacker Arvell Reese.

His third answer, however, may have been the most interesting.

“I feel like CJ Hicks, he’s going to be on the rise,” Burke said. “I feel like this is his year.”

Hicks is now a senior who has yet to find consistent playing time at linebacker. He posted 22 tackles last season as the backup Will linebacker. He started the season opener last season, but playing time diminished for him throughout the year. Ahead of him at Will linebacker is Sonny Styles, who played the second-most snaps on the entire Buckeye defense last year.

Playing time doesn’t look too forthcoming at the position, especially with junior Arvell Reese slated to take over in the middle for Cody Simon.

There has, however, been plenty of speculation that CJ Hicks could be moving closer to the line of scrimmage as a pass rusher. Or at least that was looking like the plan before defensive coordinator Jim Knowles left for Penn State and OSU head coach Ryan Day brought in Matt Patricia to replace him.

The newness of the coaching staff is one reason why Burke didn’t have an answer as to how Hicks would actually fit into this year’s defense.

“I don’t know because we’ve got a new DC now, so we’ll have a chance to see how that plays out,” he said. “Looking forward to seeing him play this year.”

Hicks has been a topic of conversation throughout his entire Ohio State career based on his athleticism and recruiting rankings, so having somebody tout him is nothing new. But it’s pretty clear that Burke believes things are trending in a very good direction for Hicks.

Some Ohio State fans reading this right now will be rolling their eyes. Those people will tell you that the first sign of spring in Ohio isn’t seeing a robin in the yard but rather Jim Knowles glowingly answering questions about CJ Hicks.

Denzel Burke, however, has never been one to talk just for the sake of talking. And he’s never thrown attention on a player that he didn’t think deserved it.

Just something to think about as the Buckeyes open spring ball two weeks from today.

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