Ohio State added five-star safety Sonny Styles to its 2023 recruiting class on Saturday, when the Ohio native announced his commitment to the Buckeyes.
Styles is a 6-foot-4, 215-pound safety from Pickerington (Ohio) Central High School and is the No. 9 prospect overall. He's the top safety in the class and the No. 1-ranked recruit in the state.
He's the son of former Ohio State linebacker Lorenzo Styles, and Sonny had an offer to join his brother, Lorenzo Styles Jr., at Notre Dame but chose the Buckeyes.
H O M E. #COMMITTED🌰 pic.twitter.com/xa3fujBa3q
— Alex "Sonny" Styles (@sonnystyles_) November 13, 2021
This is the fifth consecutive class that Ohio State has landed the No. 1-ranked player in Ohio, with linebacker C.J. Hicks committed for 2022, five-star defensive end Jack Sawyer in 2021, five-star offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. in 2020 and five-star defensive end Zach Harrison in 2019. In 2018, though, offensive tackle Jackson Carman signed with Clemson.
Ohio State now has three ESPN Jr. 300 commitments in the 2023 class: Styles; tight end Ty Lockwood, the No. 131 recruit; and offensive lineman Joshua Padilla, ranked No. 158 overall.