Jim Knowles isn’t giving up on junior linebacker CJ Hicks, who was a 5-star recruit and top-10 player coming out of high school but hasn’t materialized into the impact player that Ohio State thought he would.

But there’s still plenty of time for that to happen, said the Buckeyes defensive coordinator. And just maybe, Knowles said, it could come at a position other than linebacker.

“We haven’t discussed (a position change) because CJ is still developing very well, and he’s considered very much a part of that mix with those guys at linebacker,” said Knowles during Tuesday’s press conference. “But I’ve said it before, it’s always in the back of my mind because I think he has those gifts and tools to be able to do something like that.”

Hicks had a modest 8 total tackles (3 solo) and 1 sack in Ohio State’s 2 blowout victories over Akron and Western Michigan to start the 2024 season.

Hicks only managed 8 total tackles (5 solo) for the entire 2023 season, after registering just 6 tackles (4 solo) during his freshman season in 2022. Hicks had 0 sacks in his 1st 2 seasons in Columbus, too, but Knowles is warning fans not to give up on the Ohio native and not to totally discount that position change.

“It’s nothing we’ve really discussed, but it’s always there for me because I know it may come into play at some point,” said Knowles. “You would have to experience some depth issues at other places. We’re so talented on the edge right now and our depth is so good that it’s not something we need to do right now. If something comes up, it’s always a possibility.”