Scarlet Sunrise: Tim Walton says Buckeyes secondary has to get back to 'BIA' standard
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Tim Walton says Buckeyes secondary has to get back to ‘BIA’ standard
“Best in America” (“BIA”): It’s a motto and a standard for the Ohio State secondary.
At least, it has been over the years.
Buckeyes secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, who played for Ohio State from 1990-93 and is now in his second year on staff, made the point on the program’s latest episode of “Tradition Talk” that Ohio State’s defensive backfield must return to the BIA status.
“The ‘Best in America.’ That’s a big statement, you know what I mean,” Walton said to Buckeyes third-year cornerback Denzel Burke. “I think we had that going for a while. I think we gotta get that back to being the Best in America. I mean, when you start looking at the all-conference teams, the All-American team, the first-round draft picks, all that type of stuff, man, we can get that standard back going.
“And you’ll be the guy to get that back going.”
Burke is coming off an up-and-down sophomore season that was riddled by injury. First he suffered an offseason shoulder injury that limited his preseason and fall camp reps. Then he sustained a midseason hand injury, which required mid-week surgery and cost him the Wisconsin game and significant snaps until late October.
Burke, who earned freshman All-American honors in 2021, finished the 2022 season on a high note. The 6-foot-1, 190-pound corner allowed only 10 receptions and 97 receiving yards on 18 targets the final five games of the season, according to Pro Football Focus.
Walton said in the spring that Burke has been “dialed in” this offseason. A mindset shift could help Burke carry over his late-season momentum from last year into 2023 — that, in turn, could serve as the secondary’s first step in re-establishing its BIA brand.
“To me, honestly, [being] the best in everything that you do daily,” Burke said. “‘Best in America’: being best on the field, on and off the field, being recognized as one of the best in your position. That’s what BIA really means to me. And being remembered in the game.
Burke added: “I want to be known as a great teammate, someone you can really talk to. Obviously, I want to leave a great legacy playing the game at corner. I want to leave here as one of the best corners to ever play the game at Ohio State. And just take care of the name on my back and just put my name on the wall and live my life.”
Burke headlines a revamped Ohio State defensive backfield, which also features cornerbacks Jordan Hancock, who dealt with his fair share of injuries in 2022, and Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun, who started 10 games for the Rebels as a freshman last season.
Ohio State’s corners didn’t record a single interception in 2022 and played a role in the Buckeyes ranking only sixth in the Big Ten — yet 26th nationally — in passing defense (200.5 yards per allowed through the air).
Ohio State produced at least one draftee at the position every year from 2014-21, but the program hasn’t had a corner hear his name called in each of the last two drafts.
Insider notes as Ohio State completes final official visit weekend
Ohio State hosted its final official visit weekend of June, welcoming seven 2024 prospects to campus: Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West, Miles Lockhart, Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Justin Scott and Damarion Witten.
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Of those seven, two — a pair of high school teammates, actually — committed during their official visits, West and Witten. West is a four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville cornerback. Witten is a four-star Cleveland (Ohio) Glenville tight end.
Ohio State now has 16 commits in its 2024 class, which is second nationally, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
Lettermen Row broke down what we’re hearing from another big Buckeyes weekend.
A look at more 2025 in-state prospects with Ohio State offers and where they stand
Ohio State has two commits in its 2025 class, and one of them could be the Buckeyes’ signal caller of the future: four-star Bellefontaine (Ohio) quarterback Tavien St. Clair. The other is four-star Atlanta (Ga.) Douglass defensive back Jontae Gilbert.
St. Clair will be a linchpin of Ohio State’s 2025 class, largely because he’s a quarterback and partly because he’s from Ohio.
The Buckeyes have offered eight other in-state prospects in the 2025 cycle. Lettermen Row is looking at each of those prospects here and here.
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