Sonny Styles Predicts Ohio State's Next Great Linebacker at NFL Combine

When it comes to Ohio State linebackers, the tradition is vast and glorious with names like Spielman, Gradishar, Cousineau and Katzenmoyer echoing loudly while greeting newer legends such as Laurinaitis, Hawk and Shazier.

Sonny Styles deserves a place in this proud line of heritage. As first-team All-American, Styles is making the rounds at the NFL Scouting Combine as a projected first round pick for next April’s Draft.

Speaking from Indianapolis, Styles revealed that he has already made up his mind on who the next great linebacker at Ohio State will be:

“First, I would say Payton Pierce.

Which linebacker is up next for Ohio State?

“I would say Payton Pierce.”

-Sonny Styles (@sonnystyles_) calls his shot before the NFL Draft ⬇️ pic.twitter.com/oq0Fj3EevI
— BIGPLAY (@BIGPLAY) February 25, 2026

“He’s a guy that’s very smart, very physical. He showed his physicality from the jump, as soon as he got here as a freshman. He’s very comfortable in terms of, like in the box, whether it be counter, anything like that, ‘cause he was so used to it coming out of Texas. Like a lot of guys come into college and they’ve never seen counter-OY or counter-OT, things like that. He was used to that. He showed up early and I think he’s gotten more comfortable and he’s gonna take a huge step this year.”

With Styles and fellow first-round prospect Arvell Reese headed to the NFL, Pierce looks to become the Buckeyes leader at the linebacker position for the 2026 season.

Why will Payton Pierce be so important to Ohio State in 2026?

The Buckeyes will miss several playmakers on defense. Gone are, along with Styles and Reese, safety Caleb Downs, defensive tackle Kayden McDonald, defensive end Caden Curry, and cornerbacks Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr., Sonny’s brother, all of them pursuing their NFL dreams.

Pierce, who notched 43 stops with 1.5 tackles for a loss, one interception, one forced fumble and one fumble recovery for Ohio State last year while playing second fiddle to Sonny Styles and Reese, started three of the 14 games he saw action in as a sophomore. He should be joined at the linebacker spot with Riley Pettijohn, who saw action in 2025 in 13 games as a freshman. Incoming transfer Christian Alliegro will also be a part of the mix as the most experienced player of the three, after starting his collegiate career at Wisconsin.

One person who will be a key component in Payton reaching those high expectations will be defensive coordinator Matt Patricia, who recently signed on to return to Ohio State for another season after a tremendous debut campaign where his Buckeyes led the Nation in yards allowed per game and points allowed per game.

Back in October, Pierce revealed an affinity for playing under Patricia by stating “He’s poured into all of us, and he does every single day. I mean, he's still sitting out here talking to players. Any questions we got, he's always here to help. Not just in football, but in life. He's given us different advice and stuff like that and he's been through so much, so it's great hearing from him every single day, and I appreciate him a lot.”

At that time, Pierce also revealed he had talked to Patricia more often during his first two days in Columbus than to Jim Knowles, Ohio State’s former defensive coordinator, during Pierce’s freshman season.

Likewise, Patricia also had some impressive things to say about Pierce in the past, stating back in April, according to Eleven Warriors: “Everyone is gonna feel Payton Pierce right away. He comes downhill with a physicality that is phenomenal. He is a physical, physical player.”

That familiarity between linebacker and his coordinator should be obvious once the Buckeyes step onto the field once again, come September.