Ohio State LB C.J. Hicks plans to enter NCAA Transfer Portal

Ohio State senior linebacker C.J. Hicks plans to enter the NCAA Transfer Portal. On3’s Hayes Fawcett reported the news.

Across four seasons at Ohio State, Hicks recorded 42 tackles, two sacks, and one pass deflection. He will now finish out his collegiate career elsewhere.

BREAKING: Ohio State EDGE/LB CJ Hicks plans to enter the @TransferPortal, he tells @On3Sports⁰⁰The 6’3 245 EDGE/LB will have 1 year of eligibility left⁰⁰He was ranked as a Five-Star Recruit in the 2022 Class (per On3 Industry)https://t.co/RlUbB6Fk7q pic.twitter.com/hASWl8Awo4

— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) January 1, 2026

Hicks’ intention to enter the portal comes one day after the Buckeyes fell to No. 10 Miami in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (CFP Quarterfinal). Ohio State seemed poised to be in great contention to repeat as National Champions, but that will not come to fruition.

“I felt like it took us a while to get into the rhythm of the game,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said postgame. “I thought we did coming out of the second half. And by then, it was going to take a very, very efficient second half to win the game, being down 14-0. But I felt like at that point, we got into a rhythm. And when we had that drive there where we took a shot, it was incomplete.”

“And the next play was a hold that got us way behind the chains, and that was the drive that we needed to go win the game. And when you have a start the way that we did, you put yourself at risk of having to be really darn near perfect in the second half to go win the game. So we put ourselves behind the 8-Ball.”

Ohio State opened its season with an unblemished 12-0 record. But the Buckeyes finished the year with back-to-back losses to Indiana and Miami.

Prior to enrolling at Ohio State, Hicks was ranked as a five-star prospect and the No. 14 overall player in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Consensus. He was the No. 2-ranked LB in his class and the No. 2 overall player from the state of Ohio, hailing from Archbishop Alter.

Ohio State’s Transfer Portal departures

C.J. Hicks is now the fourth Ohio State player who is expected to enter the Transfer Portal.

• Sr. LB C.J. Hicks
• Jr. WR Bryson Rodgers
• Jr. TE Jelani Thurman
• So. CB Bryce West

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire. 

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.