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Buckeyes cornerbacks have talent, depth to become lockdown unit

Spencer-Holbrookby:Spencer Holbrook•08/10/23•

SpencerHolbrook

Denzel Burke by Matt Parker -- Lettermen Row --
(Matt Parker/Lettermen Row)

COLUMBUS — What a difference a year can make for the Ohio State cornerbacks.

Last August the Buckeyes plodded through training camp while battling through a run of injuries to should-have-been star Denzel Burke and up-and-comer Jordan Hancock. It left the room depleted in the midst of the first training camp under defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton.

Burke is back to full strength as a star of the unit, coming off a disappointing sophomore campaign. Hancock is finally feeling like himself again after battling through a hamstring issue for the entire season last year. And the depth behind them, most notably from Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun, has this unit feeling quite good heading into the second week of camp.

“I feel really good about it because now we’ve been healthy,” Ohio State cornerbacks coach and passing defense coordinator Tim Walton said Thursday. “Guys have been in the system. Guys understand it. So you’re developing chemistry, developing unity and camaraderie.

“So those guys are playing together now. People forget last year that there were a lot of injuries. There were lot of guys in and out. So there’s a lot that goes into effect. … Now you can see it gel a little bit more.”

Ohio State is gelling right now at the cornerback position. The top of the depth chart has drawn rave reviews for the last seven months, and it’s showing up every day in practice. That was apparent when the cornerbacks met with the media on Thursday.

Of course, Lettermen Row’s Spencer Holbrook, Andy Backstrom and Tim May are back inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center as Lettermen Row talked to those Buckeyes cornerbacks. The crew breaks down what it heard from the Buckeyes after the start of training camp last Thursday and they wrapped up practice No. 7 on Thursday — the second day in full pads for the month of camp. Watch here or on the Lettermen Row Youtube channel, and make sure to subscribe to that channel for more Buckeyes breakdown videos.

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Buckeyes CB named to Thorpe Award watch list

A pair of Ohio State defensive backs were named to the preseason watch list for the Jim Thorpe Award: senior safety Lathan Ransom and junior cornerback Denzel Burke.

Ransom was a semifinalist for the honor in 2022. He finished third on the team with 74 total tackles, in addition to posting 3.5 tackles for loss, an interception, three pass break-ups and a forced fumble. Ransom even blocked punts back-to-back weeks against Indiana and Maryland, the second of which he pulled off with a broken thumb.

Burke was bit by the injury bug last season, albeit in a more nagging than serious fashion. A year removed from starting as a true freshman and playing the most defensive snaps of any Buckeyes first-year defensive player, he dealt with a shoulder injury that played a big role in his early-season struggles. Burke allowed a combined seven catches on 12 targets for 151 yards versus Notre Dame and Arkansas State the first two weeks of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.

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