Ohio State football’s track record of developing cornerbacks of the past decade plus has been among the best in college football.
However, it has taken a bit of a hit in recent years with no Buckeye corner being drafted in the first four rounds since Jeff Okudah and Damon Arnette in 2020. But the Buckeyes’ cornerback play took a massive leap last season, and with all three starters returning along with a lot of young talent in the room expectations are sky high for the unit.
This is backed up by On3’s college football columnist Jesse Simonton who ranked the Buckeyes as the best cornerback room in college football headed into the 2024 season in his article last week.
One of the biggest returnees for Ohio State in 2024 was Denzel Burke who will enter his fourth season as a starter. Burke is coming off the best season of his career where he was named first-team all Big Ten by the coaches.
Also playing boundary corner will be Davison Igbinosun, who returns for his second season with the Buckeyes. The former Ole Miss transfer avoids mental lapses in coverage well, is a strong tackler, and plays with a high level of intensity.
Jordan Hancock who emerged as a starter for the Buckeyes’ defense last season is expected to start in the same role at slot cornerback. Hancock is reliable as a coverage defender, run defender, and blitzer.
Also expected to play a role in the defense is Jermaine Mathews Jr., who played 192 defensive snaps in his true freshman season and showcased his potential in those reps as PFF’s highest graded freshman cornerback.
With Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, and Miles Lockhart also on the roster, Ohio State has a lot of depth at the position and young talent that will look to develop for future seasons.
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