One of the things we love to follow is when the newly minted Ohio State football captains make those calls home to share the news. It's a human moment in the big machine that is big-time college football, and it just reminds you that these are still just kids, and there are some life goals being forged on the field and memories being made with family.
It doesn't just go on at Ohio State, however. It appears as though former Buckeye offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Brian Hartline took the tradition with him to USF as its new head coach. And ... one of those captains who jumped on the phone to call his mother to deliver the news was former Ohio State linebacker C.J. Hicks, who entered the transfer portal and followed Hartline to Tampa.
As we always say, "once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye," and so we love it when former players reach their hopes and dreams elsewhere -- ahem, as long as it isn't detrimental to all things scarlet and gray. Have a watch and listen to the former 5-star linebacker out of Dayton share the honor back home.
The phone call home for C.J.! pic.twitter.com/iWnY3xwNDc
— South Florida Football (@USFFootball) August 30, 2026
Good luck to Hicks and good luck to Hartline as they bring a little of that Buckeye culture to South Florida. We'll be rooting for things to go well there for the Bulls, who kick off their season this coming Saturday against FIU.
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This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Former Ohio State player named captain by Brian Hartline at USF
