Ohio State football officially lost Brian Hartline for good after the rough 24-14 loss to Miami. Now the Buckeyes are losing a past highly coveted recruit to his USF team.
CBS college football insider Matt Zenitz revealed who's joining Hartline's first South Florida team on Monday night.
“USF has signed Ohio State linebacker transfer C.J. Hicks, Chris Hummer and I have learned,” Zenitz posted on the social media website X, formerly Twitter. “Former top-10 overall recruit who posted 42 career tackles at Ohio State.”
Now it looks like Hicks has a chance to lead the Bulls defense as Hartline transitions into his head coaching chapter.
Is Ohio State undergoing massive roster changes post Brian Hartline's exit?
Head coach Ryan Day loses his top offensive coordinator for the second straight season. Day lost Chip Kelly to the NFL following Ohio State's national title run.
Now Day is dealing with roster attrition — and not just limited to coaching staff departures.
The national champion and the Buckeyes lost one quarterback to the portal, as Lincoln Kienholz departed from the Buckeyes. Kienholz is best known for losing the starting quarterback battle to Julian Sayin.
Like Hicks, Kienholz was highly-touted on the recruiting trail as a four-star. He arrived to Columbus as the nation's No. 11 ranked QB for the 2023 class. But Sayin's ascension to starter plus the fact he starred as a freshman signaled a murky OSU future for Kienholz. Perhaps Hartline could pluck him out of the portal.
OSU even lost a skills position player after falling in The Cotton Bowl. Tight end Jelani Thurman entered the portal after taking the New Year's Eve loss.
Hartline, meanwhile, takes over a Bulls program that finished fourth in the American Athletic Conference at 9-4 overall. USF momentarily trekked to No. 18 overall before falling out of the top 25. Hartline comes in to succeed Alex Golesh, who accepted the open Auburn head coaching job.
