ESPN named Texas A&M incoming defensive lineman DJ Hicks as one of the best true freshman of the 2023 class.
With the 2023 college football season just around the corner, fans will get an opportunity to see some of the best recruits of the current cycle take the field. While it’s not a guarantee that every true freshman will get snaps in year one, there are those that are simply too skilled and talented to keep them on the sideline out the gate.
ESPN unveiled their annual list of the best 2023 recruits at, well, everything. Which freshman signal-caller is the most accurate passer? Who is the past rusher with the highest motor? These are just a few of the questions that the worldwide leader in sports sought to answer.
Texas A&M has a talented 2023 recruiting class coming in this year, and for ESPN, one name stands out among them: defensive lineman DJ Hicks.
ESPN named Hicks as the “most powerful” when it comes to true freshmen on the defensive line. The Katy, TX product is currently the eighth-best prospect in ESPN’s 300 rankings:
“Among the most explosive players in this class, Hicks plays with great effort and tenacity. There often seems to be a wake of carnage in his path. He will fire off the ball and be a disruptive force, but you see his power when he meets resistance. He consistently jolts blockers and powers through them. The son of a high school coach, he knows the game well to match his power. He should be a factor for the Aggies in Year 1.”
Out of Paetow High School, the versatile interior defensive lineman is a matchup nightmare against opposing offensive fronts, no matter if you’re putting him in a 4-3 or 3-4 formation. With advanced body control, stellar lower body strength, and power at the point of attack, Hicks boasts all of the prerequisites you want in a force on the defensive line.
Hicks has a prime opportunity to step in and provide valuable depth behind a defensive front that has immense upside in 2023 but has a chip on its shoulder, nonetheless. The Aggies gave up 208.8 yards rushing per game and managed just 19 sacks in 2022, but with a year of experience under their belt, this unit is expected to take a major leap in the fall.
For Hicks, the goal ahead is crystal clear: to be an absolute terror for opposing offenses and be a force of disruption by any means necessary. Given that he’ll be mentored by the likes of McKinnley Jackson and Fadil Diggs, Hicks’ development in 2023 should be a treat as he works to establish himself as a fulcrum for the future.
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