Lorenzo Styles Jr. still has ‘a lot of respect’ for Notre Dame and is excited to face his former team in the national championship game

Before Styles transferred to Ohio State to play cornerback in 2023, he spent two years at Notre Dame as a wide receiver. With his current team and his former team now the bottom two teams standing in college football this season, Styles feels good about both college decisions he’s made.

“Obviously, I chose good schools,” Styles deadpanned during his media availability Wednesday.

Styles transferred to Ohio State in 2023 after deciding a switch from offense to defense would give him the best chance to play in the NFL. While Notre Dame wanted Styles to stay in South Bend and play cornerback there, Styles believed that joining the Buckeyes and being coached by Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton would best prepare him for success at long term.

Now in his second year as a Buckeye with an extra season of eligibility, Styles has become an important role player for Ohio State. He leads the entire team with 232 snaps played on special teams this season, while he’s also mixed in as the sixth defensive back overall for the Buckeyes, usually lining up as a cornerback when he enters the match.

Styles, who is expected to replace Jordan Hancock as Ohio State’s starting cornerback next season, believes he has grown considerably in his second season with the Buckeyes after taking a redshirt his first year.

“I’ve become more passionate about the game, who I play and why I really do it,” Styles said. “But my overall skillset, mastering some of this game, I’m really able to match the speed of the game. I’ve played against different receivers from different schools, different body types, etc., things like that, so just being able to be more dynamic and be blitzed and do things of that nature.

He appreciates having had the opportunity to play on crucial downs for the Buckeyes this season and watches the Buckeyes’ late October win over Nebraska – in which he played a season-high 29 snaps with Jordan Hancock replacing Lathan Ransom at safety and forced a key third down late in the fourth quarter – as a turning point for him to become a more important part of Ohio State’s defense.

“From there, I think my confidence started to increase with the program,” Styles said.

Now, Styles aims to do everything he can to help his new team win a national championship by beating his old team. But he still holds his former team in high regard, saying there are “a lot of similarities” between Ohio State and Notre Dame.

“I played with some of those guys. I have a lot of respect for this program. I have a lot of respect for (Notre Dame coach Marcus) Freeman,” Styles said. “I’m just excited for the game overall.”

Even though he decided Ohio State was a better choice for cornerback than staying at Notre Dame, Styles isn’t surprised by the Fighting Irish’s success this year. Freeman was Notre Dame’s defensive coordinator for Styles’ first year at Notre Dame before becoming the head coach of the Fighting Irish at the end of the 2021 season, and Styles could see then that Freeman had all the qualities to be a great head coach.

“I would say a lot of it has to do with the fact that he has Ohio State roots,” Styles joked of the former Buckeye linebacker. “But honestly, Coach Freeman, when he first came in, the team really welcomed him when I was at Notre Dame. I distinctly remember his first arrival in the locker room (when Freeman was named head coach), and everyone on the team jumped. Another thing that strikes me, before every practice he treated every player in line. So he’s a real players’ coach. And he works very hard. I just saw his dedication, how much he cared about the program, the players and being this Notre Dame man. So I have a lot of respect.

Styles says he’s remained close with several of his former Notre Dame teammates who still play for the Fighting Irish, even though he doesn’t speak with them much this week.

“I spoke to them, but those conversations were short-lived. I told them I can’t talk to the enemy for too long,” Styles said with a laugh.

Styles’ girlfriend is also a student at Notre Dame, although he says she will be cheering for the Buckeyes in Atlanta.

“We actually had a conversation about it, so she should be in Ohio State gear if anyone sees her,” Styles said.

Styles answered some questions from his current coaches and teammates about his former team as the Buckeyes prepare to play Notre Dame, although he said he received more of those questions before last year’s regular season game in South Bend only this week. Notre Dame has a new offensive coordinator this year (Mike Denbrock), so Styles doesn’t have as much insider knowledge on the current Fighting Irish offense as he did a year ago.

RELATED Five things to know about Notre Dame, Ohio State’s opponent in the national championship game

That said, he reflected on his time in South Bend as he prepares to face his former team on college football’s biggest stage. Specifically, Styles reflected on the tug-of-war drills that were part of Notre Dame’s offseason practices and used them as a metaphor for the matchups he might face against some of his former teammates on Monday.

“Going against some of the guys in these one-on-one matchups in this match, it’s kind of like arm wrestling,” Styles said. “There are going to be some dynamic changes, and when they blow the whistle, we need to make sure we pull it on our side.”