What commitment of transfer defensive back Lorenzo Styles Jr. means for Buckeyes
COLUMBUS — Ohio State landed a major transfer portal addition Saturday evening, earning a commitment from former Notre Dame wide receiver Lorenzo Styles Jr.
He’ll play defensive back for the Buckeyes, the program his family is deeply connected to.
Lettermen Row is breaking down what the commitment of Lorenzo Styles Jr. means on the field, off the field and on the roster. Let’s dive in.
Lorenzo Styles Jr. can add to family legacy at Ohio State
It’s not just that Lorenzo Styles Jr. has a father who was a star player for the Buckeyes before heading off to the NFL and winning a Super Bowl with the St. Louis Rams. The younger Styles, though, also has a brother who is two years younger and is an emerging star in the Ohio State secondary. Sonny and Lorenzo Jr. will now be on the same roster, wearing the same jersey and playing in the same stadium their dad did 30 years ago.
The Styles family is deeply tied to Ohio State, which is why the Buckeyes program was always a logical next move for Lorenzo Styles Jr. when he entered the transfer portal after Notre Dame spring practice wrapped up last weekend. Following a visit to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Styles Jr. is home with a couple of years to add to the Styles family legacy at Ohio State.
Buckeyes add depth to talented secondary
Ohio State didn’t add Lorenzo Styles Jr. to its secondary as an instant plug-and-play cornerback, and nobody expects him to be a top-level cornerback in a starting role right away. But the Buckeyes now have a long-term depth piece in the secondary to work with, as well as a player who has shown an ability to make noise with the ball in his hands if they want him to play special teams.
Styles has multiple years of eligibility remaining, giving him time to learn how to play defensive back at an Ohio State level before becoming a real contributor. While the Buckeyes have Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Davison Igbinosun as their top three cornerbacks this upcoming season, Styles can develop and fight hard for a starting secondary role a year later. This is a depth move for Ohio State — but it’s also a move with serious long-term potential for both Styles and the program he knows so well.
Ohio State still working through roster management
Ohio State is still over the scholarship limit as the spring transfer portal window winds down. And while it’s unlikely the Buckeyes will lose any of their contributors or scholarship players to the transfer portal, they will find a way to be at or under the scholarship limit when they need to be — for the first game of the season.
The Buckeyes are feeling good about the other two transfer portal targets they hosted, former Ole Miss defensive tackle Tywone Malone and former San Diego State offensive lineman Josh Simmons. Both players would give Ohio State a nice three-man haul in the spring transfer portal window and help the Buckeyes get to where they want to be: in the national title hunt this fall. But the roster will need managed to make it all happen, one way or another.
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