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Ohio State Star Gets Candid on Stunning Decision to Spurn NFL Draft

This Ohio State Buckeyes star has opened up on why he made the surprising decision to spurn the NFL Draft.
Matthew Schmidt|
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images
Jan 10, 2025; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes safety Sonny Styles (6) in action during the game between the Texas Longhorns and the Ohio State Buckeyes at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

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The Ohio State Buckeyes will be losing a number of key players to the NFL Draft, and it was looking like linebacker Sonny Styles was sure to join that group.

However, Styles opted to return to Ohio State for one more reason, which certainly took a whole lot of people by surprise.

Well, the upcoming senior explained his decision to stay with the Buckeyes for 2025, saying that he wasn't quite prepared to make the jump to the pros.

“It's probably the best thing for me to do,” Styles told reporters. “I wasn't ready to leave yet. I feel like I have some more stuff to work on, get better at and some more stuff to prove with this team.”

Styles is coming off of a masterful 2024 campaign in which he racked up 100 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, six sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and five passes defended.

His draft stock rose as the season progressed and reached new heights during the College Football Playoff, when Styles put together a string of dominant performances to help Ohio State win a national championship.

Styles' best game came in the Cotton Bowl against Texas, when he logged nine tackles and three sacks. Now, he is looking forward to being an elder statesman next season.

“It feels amazing,” Styles said. “I think there's a lot of guys who've laid the platform for what it looks like to be a leader. I think a big shoutout goes to Cody Simon there; obviously he was the Block O this year, and we were both linebackers together this year obviously, but I think he really showed me what it looks like to be a true leader."

We'll see if Styles can take his game to an even higher level next year.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

Matthew Schmidt is a sportswriter who covers NFL, MLB, NBA and college football and basketball. He has been writing professionally since 2011 and has also worked for Bleacher Report, FanRag Sports, ClutchPoints, NFLAnalysis.net and NBAAnalysis.net. He was born and raised in New Jersey and has a rather eclectic group of favorite teams: the Boston Celtics, New York Giants and Miami Marlins.

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