4-star safety Ronnie Hickman signs with Ohio State on National Signing Day

Ohio State has added some depth at safety with Ronnie Hickman out of Wayne, New Jersey officially signing his National Letter of Intent to be a Buckeye.

Hickman is a 247Sports Composite 4-star recruit, and ranks No. 112 nationally among 2019 prospects. He is considered the ninth best safety in the class and third best player out of Jersey. The incoming freshman chose Ohio State over schools like Boston College, Florida and Florida State, and held offers from nine other Big Ten schools.

The safety visited Columbus just over a week ago to meet with new head coach Ryan Day. It was enough to reaffirm his commitment to the Buckeyes — especially after Urban Meyer announced his retirement.

Scouting Report

The expectation at Ohio State is that Ronnie Hickman plays on the defensive side of the ball in Columbus, specifically in the defensive backfield. it’s easy to see why when you look at his frame, and his film. Firstly, Hickman is 6-foot-1, 200 pounds, and could get even bigger if Ohio State wants him to. That’s the ideal size for a safety in modern college football, especially a hybrid safety if the Buckeyes want to transition to Nickel as they showed late in the 2018 season.

From a film perspective, that spot makes a lot of sense too. Hickman is an extremely smart player, a rangey safety, capable in coverage, and more than willing to hit. He isn’t a Malik Hooker caliber playmaker, nor is he a Jordan Fuller caliber tackler, but he’s good at everything, and should make for a solid starter as soon as his second year, wherever Ohio State puts him in the backfield. - Patrick Mayhorn

Highlights