Ohio State’s defense should be one of the best units in the entire country in 2024. The secondary in particular is absolutely loaded, with Caleb Downs, a former freshman All-American, joining an already established group of Lathan Ransom and Jordan Hancock at safety and Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun at cornerback. However, those five guys won’t be able to handle the task alone over the course of what could be a 17-game college football season.
Appearance: Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Mathews came to Ohio State as the No. 6 CB and No. 51 national prospect in the class of 2023 according to the 247Sports Composite and was also the best player in Ohio for the cycle. The 6-foot-1 defensive back from Cincinnati received a whopping 45 offers during the recruiting process but ultimately decided to stay close to home and play for the Buckeyes under the guidance of position coach Tim Walton.
Although a number of others were ahead of him in the pecking order when he arrived on campus, Mathews made a significant contribution as a freshman.
In the Buckeyes’ third game of the season against Western Kentucky, Mathews entered the game in the fourth quarter with a 56-10 win. He quickly made it 63-10 with a 58-yard pick-six, jumped the out route down the sideline and ran all the way for the home run to cap Ohio State’s victory. It would be Mathews’ only interception of the season, and he also finished the year with 13 tackles and three pass breakups.
Beyond the stats, Mathews became an even more important part of the defense when Burke missed a few games due to injury. The freshman came off the bench to replace the star cornerback against Purdue and even started in his place twice against Penn State and Rutgers. This year, Mathews logged 194 total snaps on defense – far fewer than the 769 and 579 snaps of Igbinosun and Burke, respectively, but far more than the next player behind him (Jyaire Brown, 47).
Despite his limited appearances, Mathews would finish the 2023 season as Ohio State’s second-best defensive player with an 86.0 according to PFF, with only Jack Sawyer (90.0) better. PFF credits Mathews with being targeted 16 times while allowing just four catches for 34 yards and one garbage time touchdown. Stepping in for a guy like Burke and being the third man in a rotation behind him and Igbinosun is no easy task, but Mathews has been up to the challenge every time he’s been called upon.
In 2024, Mathews will again be behind Burke and Igbinosun in the rankings, but expect his snap count to be significantly higher than last year, as Walton will likely rotate his guys more frequently and keep them fresh over the course of a longer season. In addition to his skills as a fullback, Mathews has emerged this offseason as a potential replacement for Hancock in that slot safety role, further increasing his chances of being on the field more often.
“Jermaine has already shown us he can play in the crucial moments,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said last week. “He had to play cornerback against Penn State. And they got him. So Jermaine has already shown he can be a player, and that’s why he’s a nickelback – we’re trying to find a home for him. (…) But I know Jermaine will be there come game time.”
His position coach also saw great things from Mathews during the offseason and knows that he is ready for his breakthrough when given the chance.
“He’s taken a big step forward,” Walton said in March. “He’s the next guy up, man. He’s been extremely important to the development of our secondary because now we’ve used him a little bit inside, he’s played outside at both corner positions. He’s got that something, you know what I mean? So we’re looking at what he brings, the energy, the competitiveness, we’ve got to build on last year and expand his role.”
Ohio State doesn’t have much depth behind Hancock at that nickelback spot, with Lorenzo Styles Jr. likely being the No. 2 pick in the offseason. However, it sounds like Mathews is a legitimate option for that important role on the Buckeyes’ defense. Combined with his clear spot behind Iggy and Burke at the cornerback position when either needs a breather, you’ll be seeing a lot of Jermaine Mathews Jr. all over the field in 2024.
