Every day from now until the start of the season, Land-Grant Holy Land presents Ohio State Football players to keep an eye on this season. Check out all our “Player in focus” article to prepare for the season opener against Akron.
Confidence was never an issue for cornerback Davison Igbinosun. In high school, Igbinosun was a four-star recruit in New Jersey who excelled on both sides of the football. Not only did Igbinosun intercept seven passes and record over 200 tackles on defense, he also ran for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns on just 75 carries on offense. Despite his offensive prowess, it was obvious that Igbinosun would have the biggest impact on the field on defense. Igbinosun chose Ole Miss over Notre Dame, Tennessee and a number of other schools in the Power 5 conference.
It wasn’t long before Igbinosun was on the field at Oxford. He played in 13 games and started in 10 contests as a freshman. In 2022, Igbinosun was credited with 37 tackles and five pass defenses, earning him Freshman All-American honors from College Football News. Despite his impressive freshman season, Igbinosun decided to enter the transfer portal. With Ohio State looking for depth at the defensive back position, Igbinosun announced in late January 2023 that he would be a Buckeye.
Igbinosun immediately made a name for himself on Ohio State’s defense, playing in all 13 games for the Buckeyes in 2023 and finishing the season with 59 tackles, five passes defensed and two fumble recoveries. Igbinosun was not only a playmaker in his first season in Columbus, but also reliable, being the team’s top defensive player with 781 snaps played. The duo of Igbinosun and Denzel Burke was one of the best cornerback duos in the country.
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Photo by Robin Alam/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images
Given his performance over his first two seasons of college football, it’s understandable why Igbinosun talks a lot on the field. According to some of his teammates, Igbinosun is the biggest trash talker on the team. While the title may be a negative for some, Igbinosun has proven he can back up his words with some big plays. Quarterbacks may want to think twice about throwing to Igbinosun, as they could give him even more to talk about.
What should worry opponents is that Igbinosun is only going to get better. The junior is battling talented receivers like Emeka Egbuka, Carnell Tate and Jeremiah Smith in practice. Iron sharpens iron and we’ll see an even better version of Igbinosun in 2024 than we did in 2023. It feels like the year Igbinosun gets his first interception in college football, which is pretty much the only thing that has eluded him the last two seasons. When his career at Ohio State comes to an end, Igbinosun is expected to be selected in the first two days of the NFL Draft, as he has shown he has what it takes to make a difference at the next level.
