Craig Young and Ronnie Hickman – a pair of versatile chess pieces in the back seven of Ohio State’s defense – each fit the profile of everything the coaches have ever said they seek in somebody at the bullet, even dating back to when former defensive coordinator Greg Mattison created the position out of thin air soon after getting hired in 2019.
Young has been an exceptionally athletic linebacker and Hickman has been an exceptionally physical safety. So, when Kerry Coombs and Ryan Day decided this offseason to actually implement the bullet into their defensive plans after attempting to do so two years ago and failing, their shifts to the hybrid linebacker/safety role made complete sense.