Hicks has big goals both on the field and in recruiting

INDIANAPOLIS – Linebacker CJ Hicks made the quick trip on Sunday to the Rivals Camp Series event with a five-star rating in hand. He didn’t need to show up to improve the evaluators, he has already done that. No, he wanted to show up because he “loves to compete” and despite dreary and rainy conditions, showed out in a showcase of many of the top talents from the Midwest, including a future teammate in Gabe Powers.

The weather was touch-and-go for a little bit but that did not dissuade Hicks from showing up early for his session at Ben Davis high school. Once warmups were done, Hicks did not disappoint, earning a ticket to the Rivals Five-Star Challenge in June and while he was edged out by Powers for the linebacker MVP award, it was a tremendous showing by the nation’s No. 10 overall player.

Ohio State fans think of Hicks as a recruiter first and often lose sight that he is a special football player with some lofty goals for himself and his Archbishop Alter team this upcoming season.

“I know they don't really give it out to defensive players like that, but I want to be Mr. (Football) Ohio I want to win the Butkus award, have over 100 tackles, have 15-plus sacks, you know, just be a good leader for the team,” Hicks said on Sunday.

Hicks has already proven to be a leader of the recruiting class and has been dubbed “Captain Buckeye” by many. Hicks will be able to show off his superpowers during his official visit on June 4th at Ohio State, a visit weekend that will have the majority of the committed class and several major targets.

First and foremost, that weekend will be a good chance for the class of 2022 to meet as a group (mostly) for the first time in person after months and months of electronic communication.

“Looking forward to it a lot, you know, they kept pushing it back,” Hicks said. “It's been over a year besides the spring game since I've been up there. So just looking forward to get back up there. meeting all of the other commits talking to QB1 (Quinn Ewers). Yeah, just having fun.”

QB1 obviously has several meanings, not only referring to the fact that Ewers is the quarterback of the class but that he is also the No. 1 overall ranked recruit in all the land for 2022 according to Rivals.com.

RELATED: Catching up with Quinn on the Southern Swing

Ewers doesn’t seem to let anything get under his skin but that is not without some needling by Hicks and other members of the recruiting class. Has it worked?

“I tried to, but it doesn't really work like that,” Hicks joked. “No, he's cool, though. He's a funny guy.”

Only four of the 12 members of this class reside in the state of Ohio and with players from as far west as Arizona, as far south Florida, not everyone has had a chance to visit Ohio State the way that Hicks has, just a short trip across Interstate 70 from Kettering (Ohio).

This will be an important visit for a lot of players who have committed to Ohio State without setting eyes on the sprawling campus.

“I think it's very important,” Hicks said. “Some guys across the country have not even seen Ohio State, they can't make that trip like how Kyion (Grayes) did, and just seeing everything. I think the officials will help a lot.”

ALSO: Kyion Grayes commits during his self-guided visit to Ohio State

Of course, with close to 10 uncommitted prospects coming in that same weekend, and close to two-dozen other known official visits slated for the month of June, this promises to be a pivotal month in Ohio State recruiting.

“Already talked to a couple guys,” Hicks hinted. “They said they were going to make the move once they do make their officials. So just stay tuned, we are going to get a whole bunch of booms.”

One player that won’t be part of all of this is recently decommitted linebacker Dasan McCullough who backed off of his Ohio State pledge to commit to Indiana to play under his father and alongside his two brothers.

It was a shocking move in terms of a player leaving Ohio State to play for another Big Ten rival and while it was disappointing, after the initial surprise wore off, everyone understood that the family ties were too much to pass up.

“We were mad about it, but like, there's nothing to be mad at,” Hicks said. “Because if you were in the same situation that he was in, you would have to make that same decision because, playing with your brothers, that's family. So, we're not really that mad at him at all. He still talks to us, we still talk to him.”

You better believe that the smack talk will be real each time that Ohio State and Indiana prepare to play each other, even if Hicks and McCullough won’t be on the field at the same time.

The Buckeyes and Hoosiers will play each other later this year on October 23rd in Bloomington (Ind.). Will Hicks get in his friend’s ear and give him a good amount of grief leading into this one?

“100-percent, yeah,” Hicks said with a big smile. “100-percent, will do.”