Sonny Styles basketball career: Revisiting Ohio State star's highlights, recruiting, more about time playing hoops
Styles is one of the greatest athletes to pass through Pickerington High School Central's halls. He showed as much on the basketball court.
Sonny Styles basketball career: Revisiting Ohio State star's highlights, recruiting, more about time playing hoops originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here . After a glittering four-year career at Ohio State -- and an even more glint showcase at the 2026 NFL Combine -- Sonny Styles finds himself on the cusp of something special.
The 6-foot-4, 243-pound linebacker is slated to hear his name called in the opening paces of the NFL Draft. Formerly a safety, Styles' reputation as a tough tackler has followed him throughout his career. His athletic gifts have made him a fan and scout favorite during the pre-draft process.
Much of that skillset was forged on the hardwood, however. Before Styles was an NFL-caliber linebacker, he was a forward on his local high school's basketball team, known for dancing through traffic before throwing down dunks with authority. With that, here's what you need to know about Styles' glittering high school basketball career.
MORE 2026 NFL DRAFT: SN's 7-round mock | Top 140 big board | Expert mock draft roundup Did Sonny Styles play basketball? Styles starred on the hardwood, emerging as a legitimate basketball prospect while attending Pickerington High School Central. A three-year starter for Central's basketball team, Styles helped lead the Tigers to a 2022 Division I state championship.