Ohio State Buckeyes commit C.J. Hicks earns his fifth star

Rivals is kicking off Monday with a bang by unveiling 14 five-star prospects for the Class of 2022.

The top three players in the country are going to be Walter Nolen, Domani Jackson and Denver Harris, but the fourth-ranked prospect on our network is a name familiar to Buckeye Nation: C.J. Hicks.

After initially being rated a four-star recruit, Hicks earned the coveted fifth star this morning. Hicks also checks in as both the top-ranked outside linebacker in the nation as well as the No. 1 junior in Ohio.

BuckeyeGrove was able to get a quick reaction from Hicks, who says he is continuing to perfect his craft on a daily basis.

“It’s a true blessing, but I understand that I can’t be complacent with where I’m at,” Hicks said. “I have to keep improving and working my butt off day in and day out, and become the best me I can be.”

A huge factor in the decision to bump Hicks so high was because of his camp performance in Obetz, Ohio, just over a month ago. Rivals Recruiting Analyst Josh Helmholdt labeled the 6-foot-4, 218-pounder as the “most impressive performer” at the event, and believes he has a bright future given the tools in his arsenal.

“The Ohio State commit was physically and athletically superior to almost every player at the event,” Helmholdt wrote after the camp. “We list him at safety and have compared him to Isaiah Simmons in the past, but Hicks was bigger than five-star linebacker Shawn Murphy and looks headed for that position as well in college.”

Not only is this an incredible accomplishment for Hicks, but he would be a part of a small group if his ranking holds up throughout the rest of his recruitment. Only a handful of top-four players on Rivals – Chris Wells, Curtis Grant, Mike Adams, Terrelle Pryor and Theodore Ginn, Jr. – have ever signed with Ohio State, so Hicks would be joining some nice company.

We will also have coverage for when fellow 2022 commits Gabe Powers, Jyaire Brown and Tegra Tshabola receive their rankings this week, so be sure to stay tuned to BuckeyeGrove.