He Ohio State BuckeyesThe defense has completely flipped the script after the team’s tough loss against the Oregon Ducks, thanks to the veteran leadership of the front seven.

One of the key contributors to the effort has been the linebacker. sonny styleswho was recently named a semi-finalist for the acclaimed Butkus Prize.

Styles, a former five-star safety turned linebacker, has been electric this season. The Ohio native recorded 52 total tackles in 2024 while maintaining a run defense grade of 78.6. according to PFF. Despite this being Styles’ first season at linebacker, he and the Buckeye have long Cody Simon They have formed a dynamic duo throughout the season.

The last time Ohio State had a linebacker win the Butkus Award was in 2007 with James Laurinaitis. He was one of two former Buckeye linebackers to ever receive the award, as Andy Katzenmoyer won it in 1997.

Named after Hall of Fame linebacker Dick Butkus, the Butkus award “It is one of the elite individual honors, originally awarded each year to a college football player – the most impactful linebacker in the game.” Many winners of the prestigious award have gone on to have incredible careers in the NFL, including Eric Kendricks, Von Miller and Luke Kuechly.

Along with Styles, Iowa’s Jay Higgins and Indiana’s Aiden Fisher are the other two players who reached the Big Ten Conference semifinals. The talented Buckeyes linebacker will have a four-game stretch in the month of November to bolster his chances of winning the award.