Scarlet Sunrise: Recapping everything we learned from 'Cornerbacks Week'

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Recapping everything we learned from Lettermen Row ‘Cornerbacks Week’

The final position week of Lettermen Row’s summer preview series centered around one of the most exciting groups on the 2024 Buckeyes roster, the cornerbacks.

Star power and intriguing depth make the Ohio State corners must-watch television this season.

THE BASICS

We outlined the measurables of Ohio State’s scholarship cornerbacks, in addition to where each of them went to high school, what recruiting ranking they received, who they picked the Buckeyes over and their career stats, among other things.

Ohio State’s top-four corners all come from different states. Denzel Burke is a product of Phoenix, Arizona, where he starred at Saguaro High School. Davison Igbinosun is a Jersey guy who arrived at Ohio State by way of Ole Miss, starting 10 games with the Rebels as a true freshman before transferring and emerging as an everyday starter for the Buckeyes. Jordan Hancock’s roots are in Suwanee, Georgia, whereas Jermaine Mathews Jr. is a Cincinnati native who played his high school ball at Winton Woods.

Secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton has already created a head-turning recruiting pipeline in two-plus years at Ohio State, one that features plenty of Ohio flavor. For instance, current true freshmen Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West hail from Springfield, Ohio, and Glenville, Ohio, respectively.

READ: Five Questions for Buckeyes ultra-talented cornerbacks unit
READ: Tale of the Tape: Knowing the basics of Buckeyes cornerbacks
READ: Projecting depth chart for Buckeyes cornerback room

VETERAN BUCKEYES CORNERS FOCUSED ON HELPING TRUE FRESHMEN LEARN WAYS OF ‘BIA’

Speaking of those true freshmen, there are three of them total: Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West and Miles Lockhart. They are the future of the Ohio State cornerback room. The current leaders of the position group are committed to helping that trio learn the ways of a Buckeyes secondary that has reclaimed its “Best in America” tagline.

“They’re gonna be ready,” Hancock said of Ohio State’s newest cornerbacks.

“Coach Walt stays on them. Me and Denzel, we stay on them. Dave stays on them. So they have no choice but to carry on the tradition. I feel like they’re gonna do it real with Miles, Bryce and Aaron. They’re gonna hold up the BIA transition, for sure.”

That transition is key. Burke explained that Ohio State defensive backs are “BIA forever.” It’s important to alumni that the standard is maintained, and he and the other veteran Buckeyes players feel the responsibility of properly passing on the torch after the 2024 season.

READ: Veteran Buckeyes corners focused on helping true freshmen learn ways of ‘BIA’ tradition
READ: Setting expectations for Buckeyes freshmen cornerbacks

JERMAINE MATHEWS JR. MADE A NAME FOR HIMSELF IN 2023, BUT CALVIN SIMPSON-HUNT IS DEVELOPING, TOO

Patience is the name of the game right now for Jermaine Mathews Jr. after he teased his star potential in his first year with the program. Mathews allowed only four catches on 17 targets in more than 100 coverage snaps last season, according to Pro Football Focus. He recorded a pick-six and established himself on special teams early in the year, and then when Denzel Burke went down with an injury at Purdue midseason, Mathews stepped in. His “I’m here” moment came against Penn State in a top-10 showdown, then he made his first career start two weeks later at Rutgers.

But with three returning cornerbacks in front of him on the depth chart, he’ll have to wait his turn — well, to start. He’ll most definitely play in 2024. Not only has he earned defensive snaps, but also the Buckeyes need to rotate their corners — and really all of their players — more this year due to the potential of a significantly longer season with the expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff.

Mathews’ classmate, Calvin Simpson-Hunt, will probably see the field, too, especially in the second half of blowout wins. After arriving in the summer last year, Simpson-Hunt has made noticeable strides. He carved out a role for himself down the stretch of the 2023 campaign, even receiving a shoutout from head coach Ryan Day at one point after the Michigan State game in Week 11.

Mathews is a talker, and Simpson-Hunt keeps to himself more, but they’re both developing under Walton at Ohio State. The depth they provide will surely come in handy for the Buckeyes this season.

READ: Jermaine Mathews using experience, patience learned last year to fuel breakout
READ: ‘You see him coming along’: Calvin Simpson-Hunt growing in competitive cornerback room

ALL THREE OHIO STATE STARTERS LAND NEAR TOP OF 2025 DRAFT-ELIGIBLE CORNERBACKS LIST

That covers the depth of the unit, but what about the starters? Well, their on-field accomplishments last season speak for themselves, as Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock helped Ohio State finish the 2023 campaign with the fewest passing yards per game allowed (145.9) in the country.

It’s not surprising all three of them landed near the top of magazine legend Phil Steele’s list of the top 60 draft-eligible cornerbacks heading into the 2024 season.

Burke is going on his fourth year as an Ohio State starting cornerback. At his best last season, he was shutdown. He’ll have to improve his tackling if he wants to achieve his goal of climbing into the top-10 picks of the 2025 draft. Igbinosun, meanwhile, is one of the best run-defending cornerbacks in the Big Ten, except, in coverage, he could be a bit less handsy and cause more pass disruption. Then there’s Hancock, who thrived at the “nickel” position last season and is searching for an uptick in takeaways as a senior.

That trio helped restore BIA, and they all have NFL futures.

READ: All three Buckeyes starters land near top of 2025 draft-eligible cornerbacks list
READ: Breaking down PFF stats to know about Ohio State cornerbacks
READ: Three big predictions for Buckeyes loaded cornerback room

Full coverage of ‘Cornerbacks Week’ at Lettermen Row

READ: Five Questions for Buckeyes ultra-talented cornerbacks unit
READ: Tale of the Tape: Knowing the basics of Buckeyes cornerbacks
READ: Projecting depth chart for Buckeyes cornerback room
READ: Analyzing Ohio State 2026 cornerback offers, standing with Buckeyes
READ: Jermaine Mathews using experience, patience learned last year to fuel breakout
READ: After breakout, Jordan Hancock hungry for more takeaways in 2024
READ: Versatile Jordan Hancock gives Buckeyes options at cornerback, nickel
READ: Veteran Buckeyes corners focused on helping true freshmen learn ways of ‘BIA’ tradition
READ: All three Buckeyes starters land near top of 2025 draft-eligible cornerbacks list
READ: Lorenzo Styles Jr. switched positions, then redshirted — now he’s ready to make plays on defense
READ: Setting expectations for Buckeyes freshmen cornerbacks
READ: Breaking down PFF stats to know about Ohio State cornerbacks
READ: ‘You see him coming along’: Calvin Simpson-Hunt growing in competitive cornerback room
READ: Three big predictions for Buckeyes loaded cornerback room
READ: Best-case, worst-case scenarios for Buckeyes cornerback room
READ: Roundtable: Star power, intriguing depth make Ohio State secondary must-watch unit in 2024
READ: Tim Walton quickly becoming best cornerbacks coach in college football

Counting Down

Buckeyes vs. Akron: 40 days
Buckeyes vs. Michigan: 131 days

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