Why CJ Hicks is more than 'Captain Buckeye' for Ohio State

Al Washington’s final message to Ohio State’s linebackers room still sticks with CJ Hicks.

In the days leading up to his dismissal from the program, Washington preached a message of accountability to his linebackers room, one of expectation, one of encouragement to let everyone know who they were.

It’s a message Hicks and his roommate, fellow outside linebacker Gabe Powers, sit and think about: shocking the world, giving it 110%, leaving everything on the field when they get the chance.

It’s something that Washington, now the defensive line coach and defensive run-game coordinator at Notre Dame, recruited Hicks to be. It’s a message that, since Hicks committed May 1, 2020, he's been trying to instill, helping recruit teammates that fit that same mold, building those relationships before he and the rest of the 2022 class set foot into the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as official Ohio State football players.

But Hicks wants people to know something: it’s not only about him. He’s not the sole leader of the room, the class or the team.

Yes, since he joined the team as an early enrollee, Hicks has tried to keep every one of his new teammates in check, cultivating community whether it’s going to the practice field to get some extra work in or getting something to eat.

Hicks wants the 2022 class to become a family, something he could never do by himself.

“It really wasn't just me recruiting them,” Hicks said. “That’s another reason why, like the ‘Captain Buckeye’ thing, it’s cool, I like it, but it’s not just me. You know, it’s the coaches, it’s the players, it’s their decision. I made sure the recruits knew that it was their decision. I’m not going to force them to come to Ohio State.”

The “Captain Buckeye” title is just the culmination of how Hicks carries himself: always giving “110%” as long as he can, pouring out blood, sweat and tears on the field, always being a team player, blocking if he has to block, being a distraction if he needs to be a distraction.

Hicks is a team player. He was at Archbishop Alter High School in Kettering, Ohio. He strives to be one now for Ohio State, while also being that example to players who may not be with him yet.

“It is hard. It’s a big transition from high school to college, but show all the other guys that are here coming in the summer… like I was talking to Hero (Kanu) and Sonny (Styles), talking about the home workouts this past weekend because they came up here and the guys that are already here, just to set a good example just to fight through the Team Up North ab workouts, just everything,” Hicks said. “Just fight, give 110% in everything you do.”

But Hicks needs that encouragement too.

It’s something Powers, a Marysville High School graduate who committed to Ohio State Aug. 1 2020, is helping with, working with the Kettering linebacker to build this class from the ground up, setting the tone for what it would be like when they joined the program in 2022.

“We’re finally like brothers,” Powers said. “We’re finally together, so we’ve been working real hard, we’ve been pushing each other, so it means a lot.”

The 110%, the leadership mentality, that all stems from Hicks’ desire to bring back the prevalence of Ohio State’s linebacker room.

He wants to be uttered in the same breath as Ryan Shazier, Raekwon McMillan, Jerome Baker, linebackers of old that took advantage of the same opportunity he had, changing the conversation from a room that’s not what it used to be to a room that’s the center of Ohio State’s defense.

It’s potential Washington saw, potential Washington encouraged the newcomers with before his departure.

Moving forward, it’s something “Captain Buckeye” wants to continue.

“Captain Buckeye” to Hicks is just a nickname. But he realizes the significance and the weight it holds for Ohio State, the pressure-filled prophecy that it represents.

But it’s not too much pressure for Hicks. It’s something he’s been waiting for.

“You know, pressure makes diamonds,” he said.