Sonny Styles family tree: Meet draft-eligible brother, NFL dad, girlfriend and more from Ohio roots
Sonny Styles family tree: Meet draft-eligible brother, NFL dad, girlfriend and more from Ohio roots originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.JUMP TO:Is Sonny Styles related to Lorenzo Styles Jr.?Sonny Styles dad: Lorenzo Styles Sr.Sonny Styles mom: Laverna StylesDoes Sonny Styles have other siblings?What is Sonny Styles' real name?Where is Sonny Styles from?Ohio State linebacker Sonny Styles put together one of the most impressive NFL Combine performances ever, showcasing a rare combination of size and athleticism. Will it translate to stardom in the NFL?Plenty of physical specimens have struggled to become stars at the professional level, and as an inside linebacker, Styles already plays a position that isn't valued as highly as most others.Between his raw talent, Ohio State's track record for developing NFL talent and his own family's history on the gridiron, Styles has the makings of a potential superstar.Here's a look at the family behind Styles, including his NFL father.MORE:Ranking the 15 greatest Ohio State players in historyIs Sonny Styles related to Lorenzo Styles Jr.?Styles has a brother in the 2026 draft: college teammate Lorenzo Styles Jr., who is projected to be a late-round pick.Are Sonny Styles and Lorenzo Styles Jr. twins?While they are heading to the NFL at the same time, the Styles brothers are not twins. In fact, they are more than two years apart. Lorenzo, who started out at Notre Dame before transferring to Ohio State, started his college football career earlier than Sonny.Is Sonny or Lorenzo the older brother?Lorenzo is more than two years older than Sonny, as he was born in September 2002 while Sonny wasn't born until November 2004. With Sonny playing like a no-doubt first-round talent, he is able to head to the NFL at only 21 with his brother by his side.MORE:Ryan Day record against top-5 teamsSonny Styles brother: Lorenzo Styles Jr.Styles' brother, Lorenzo, is a cornerback who started his college career at Notre Dame as a wide receiver. Lorenzo had 54 catches for 684 yards and two touchdowns over his first two seasons with the Fighting Irish, but he transferred to Ohio State to play alongside his brother in 2023 and became a full-time cornerback after playing sparingly in his first season with the Buckeyes.After transferring, Lorenzo told WSYX that making the move was a "hard decision," despite getting the opportunity to play with his brother. "At the end of the day this was the best opportunity for me to excel, Lorenzo said, adding,[Were] trying to bring a national championship back to Ohio.Lorenzo, who is from the Columbus area, fulfilled that goal winning a national championship against his former program in his second season at Ohio State before finishing up his career with three pass deflections on a loaded Buckeyes defense in 2025.While his brother lit up the NFL Combine and is the higher-rated professional prospect, Lorenzo impressed as well with a blazing 4.27-second 40-yard dash that he hopes will make him an NFL Draft pick.MORE:The 10 most shocking NFL Draft slides of all timeSonny Styles dad: Lorenzo Styles Sr.It might be no surprise that both Sonny and Lorenzo are athletic specimens when you consider the football career of their father, Lorenzo Sr.The elder Lorenzo reached the NFL after earning All-Big Ten honors at Ohio State, carving out a six-year career as a linebacker from 1995-2000. While he was primarily a reserve, starting only eight of 70 games, he stuck around long enough to play in a handful of meaningful games.Lorenzo jumped into coaching in 2010 and was on the staff of Lorenzo Jr.'s high school team when it won a state championship in 2019. Today, Lorenzo is a defensive analyst at Bowling Green under former Buckeyes teammate Eddie George.Who did Lorenzo Styles Sr. play for in the NFL?Styles split his six NFL seasons between the Falcons and Rams, spending four of six seasons in St. Louis but playing more than half of his games in Atlanta after being drafted by the Falcons as a third-round pick in 1995.Lorenzo Styles Sr. NFL statsSeasonTeamGamesStartsTacklesINT1995Falcons120001996Falcons1601601997Rams30001998Rams731301999Rams1601802000Rams165470Career708940Styles recorded 94 tackles over six NFL seasons, starting eight of his 70 games and never recording an interception.MORE:Most NFL Draft picks by a school in one yearDid Lorenzo Styles Sr. win a Super Bowl?Styles won Super Bowl 34 with the Rams at the end of the 1999 season, as St. Louis stunningly made a run to the title after QB Kurt Warner emerged as an unlikely star. Styles appeared in every game for the Rams in 1999 but did not start a game; he recorded a tackle in the Super Bowl win over the Titans.Where did Lorenzo Styles Sr. go to college?Styles is originally from Columbus and spent his collegiate career at Ohio State, where he earned All-Big Ten honors in both 1993 and 1994 and recorded an interception in each season. The Buckeyes went 10-1-1 in 1993, beating BYU in the Holiday Bowl.While Lorenzo Jr. has his name, Lorenzo Sr. played the same position as his other son, Sonny, as he was deployed at linebacker by Ohio State.Sonny Styles mom: Laverna StylesStyles' mother, Laverna, also attended Ohio State and works in the Ohio Department of Administrative Services. She met her husband during her time as a Buckeye and graduated in 1994.When Lorenzo Jr. transferred to the program in 2023, Laverna told the Ohio State Alumni Magazine that she was thrilled to see both of her sons playing in Columbus. "I met my husband when we both attended Ohio State, cheered for him as a Buckeye and now Im cheering for our sons asBuckeyes," she said.Laverna beamed with pride at the NFL Combine, wearing Lorenzo Jr.'s jersey when he participated in on-field workouts and Sonny's when it was his turn. "They're focused, they're disciplined," she said. "They know the importance of being true to yourself."View this post on InstagramA post shared by LV Wright-Styles (@werstyles_)Does Sonny Styles have other siblings?There are no more Styles brothers coming up the pipeline for Ohio State football, but Styles does have two sisters, Tonia and Sydney."They both went to the University of Dayton," Laverna told 247 Sports in 2025. "Tonia, the oldest sister, graduated in 2011. Sydney graduated from UD last year in August."Tonia and Sydney both stayed in-state by attending Dayton, but they did break family tradition by passing on Ohio State after both of their parents were Buckeyes.What is Sonny Styles' real name?Styles' birth name is Alexander, but he was given the nickname "Sonny" during childhood because his temper reminded his parents of "The Godfather" character Sonny Corleone."He could go from zero to 10 in the blink of an eye, so his nickname became Sonny," Laverna told NFL Network at the NFL Combine..@StaceyDales spoke with the woman of the hour @WeRStyles, the proud mom of @LorenzoStyles_ and @sonnystyles_ @OhioStateFB2026 NFL Combine on @nflnetworkStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/khtTc5RExD NFL (@NFL) February 27, 2026Is Sonny Styles in a relationship?Styles is dating Boston College basketball player Kaia Henderson. While Henderson started out at Ohio State, the two appeared to meet before their college days. Henderson and Styles attended prom together in 2022, so they are in a long-term relationship.Who is Kaia Henderson?Henderson is originally from Utica, New York, and spent her first two collegiate seasons at Ohio State before transferring to Boston College. She played sparingly for the Buckeyes but averaged close to 12 minutes per game in her first season with the Eagles after redshirting the 2024-25 season.View this post on InstagramA post shared by Kaia (@kaia.henderson)Where is Sonny Styles from?Styles is from the Columbus metro area in Ohio, attending Pickerington High School Central in the suburbs of Columbus. Styles' father is also from Columbus and his parents met at Ohio State, so the family has had its roots planted in the area for a long time.While Styles has been able to play close to home throughout his football career, the NFL Draft could force him into a new environment for the first time unless he ends up in the hands of the Browns or Bengals.
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