Ohio State assistant coach Perry Eliano made sure to highlight the maturity of freshman safety Sonny Styles.

Styles has impressed his new team prior to the start of his college career. Styles, a reclassified 5-star recruit from Pickerington, Ohio, is ready to help out Ohio State’s defense. Styles is a safety for the Buckeyes and he has already caught the attention of his position coach, Eliano.

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Eliano marveled at Styles’ skills and how he seemed much older than he actually is. With an entire college offseason under his belt, Styles has adjusted well to this new level of football:

“He’s 17 but you’d think he’s 22,” Eliano said.

Eliano gave the freshman a great amount of credit for his production in preseason. Styles’ maturity will help him earn more playing time and become a bigger contributor to the defense.

Styles will be fighting for playing time in a competitive secondary in Columbus. Ohio State is looking to improve its secondary to compete with the rest of the B1G.

Styles will be a key contributor in defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ defense for the foreseeable future. Even if Styles does not see a lot of playing time in 2022, he could earn his keep on special teams before he sees real playing time on defense.