WICHITA, Kan. – The Buckeyes have not traditionally not recruited the state of Kansas but that will change if players like Marcus Hicks keep popping up on the radar. The Rivals250 defensive end is an imposing figure at 6-foot-6, 230-pounds and teams from coast-to-coast have taken notice of the talented pass rusher.

Hicks worked his list down to a top-12 a few months ago and while he has plans to get down to a top-five by the end of the summer, he is still enjoying the process and working on setting up visits as he tries to draw closer to making the toughest decision he has ever had to make, picking a college.

The four-star has official visits set up already for Washington (June 21st) and Notre Dame (September 1st) and admits that the Buckeyes may be in line for one of those visits by the time that the dust settles, and decisions are made.

Hicks has made two unofficial visits to Ohio State over the years, in 2017 for a game and in 2018 for a spring practice. He has come away impressed with the program at Ohio State, even over and above the football that Urban Meyer's team has put on the field.

"I have seen this family atmosphere around the coaches and the players and I have seen how they keep their kids to a higher standard but are still going to love them," Hicks said. "It is just something that I really like about them."

As with any defensive lineman that Ohio State is looking at, defensive line coach Larry Johnson gets a lot of mentions, not just for his track record of who he has put in the NFL but what he has meant to them off the field as a mentor and teacher. That is no different for Hicks.

"He asks me how school is going and how my family is doing, and I ask him the same," Hicks said. "He is just one of those guys that I can talk to away from football. He is just kind of like a family guy."

Not every conversation with the defensive line coach is about football or recruiting. What is the breakdown of what is football related and what is not?

"It is about 50-50," Hicks said. "He does not want to kill me with football, he knows that I have other stuff going on. He is always asking me about school and how my grades are doing. He is just recruiting me hard, but he also wants to know how I am as a person away from football."

Hicks said that Ohio State definitely has a good shot of landing him, but many people feel that Oklahoma seems to be the forgone conclusion.

"I would not start guessing that right now," Hicks said. "They are definitely really high on my list."

But for now, Hicks is focused on finishing up his track and field season and working his way toward a successful senior season at Northwest high school.