The Ohio State cornerbacks have all kinds of pressure on them yearly. After producing numerous All-Americans and first-round picks over the years, the Buckeye corners are expected to be great every single year. As the Ohio State Fall Camp is getting closer, we’ve been taking a look at each positional group, and now, we look toward the corners.
While only one player departed for the NFL, a handful left via the portal. While the top of the depth chart is pretty put together, there are depth concerns. Even then, there are reasons for optimism this year, including a breakout player expecting to take home the Thorpe Award.
2026 Ohio State Fall Camp Primer: The Cornerbacks
What Was Lost
To start, Davison Igbinosun is off to the NFL after being selected by the Buffalo Bills at the end of the second round. He was an emotional leader and could be credited with putting the grit and nastiness that Buckeye fans love about the secondary. Igbinosun has his issues with penalties in 2024, but he got exponentially better in 2025.
Then, the portal opened. While the Buckeye cornerback room didn’t lose nearly as many as other positions (like safeties), it lost two guys many fans expected to take a step in 2026. Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West were the one-two cornerback punch toward the top of the Ohio State recruiting class in 2024. Both players were from Ohio, and both recruitments were hotly contested. Scott, for example, had this whole get-up of Michigan garb before turning heel and unveiling a bunch of Ohio State equipment.
With Igbinsoun gone, Scott and West were expected to work toward more playing time. Alas, West went north to Wisconsin, and Scott went west to Oregon. Scott earned 106 defensive snaps last year, while West earned 90.
The New Guys
Just as Ohio State did prior to 2023, it dipped into the SEC for some cornerback transfers. This time, the Buckeyes got two. Dominick Kelly is set to be a second-year player this season and spent his first season with Georgia. He only got on the field for 107 snaps on defense and special teams, but he showed that he belonged in an SEC lineup.
This spring, he was one of the brightest stars. He looked good in coverage, and he made a number of great plays. Through those spring workouts, Kelly evidently earned a role in the rotation as the number-three corner.
Additionally, the Buckeyes added fourth-year corner Cam Calhoun. Initially, he signed with Michigan in 2023. After one year, he transferred out to Utah. Then, he hopped over to Alabama for the 2025 season. In total, he’s appeared in 27 games and has amassed 28 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception, 10 pass breakups, and a fumble recovery.
Turning to the first-year corners, there is some serious potential. Considered the second-best class in the nation by 247Sports, the 2026 Ohio State recruiting class took in two players who could earn playing time this fall.
Jay Timmons flipped from Florida State, where his father, Lawrence Timmons, starred. The junior Timmons was a five-star recruit and the consensus third-best corner in the class. He’s impressively athletic and has a quick trigger. In high school, he played in the slot as well as at safety, so it’ll be interesting to see if he earns some snaps in the slot this fall.
The other first-year corner in the class is Jordan Thomas. A four-star recruit, Thomas picked the Buckeyes over a host of SEC programs. He can bring the physicality on the boundary and can beat his blocks when coming down to make the play. He has great footspeed and is more technically sound than you’d expect from a first-year player.
The Next Thorpe Award Winner?
Heading into the Ohio State Fall Camp, all eyes will be on second-year star corner, Devin Sanchez. From the jump last year, Sanchez earned snaps in the biggest games and even started his first game in the win over Illinois. In the short time between that game and the CFP loss to Miami, Sanchez showed plenty of growth both in his play and in his mentality.
In an interview, Sanchez said, “This year, it’s just taking that next step and realizing what I could’ve done last year. After that Miami game, I realized that if I had just done that all season, it could’ve been a whole different outcome. We went into the offseason, and I told (cornerbacks coach Tim Walton) I’m not stepping back this year, I’m coming in with my foot on the gas. It doesn’t matter who’s in front of me, I’m gonna win.”
Sanchez believes he can take home the Thorpe Award this year. If he can play to his billing and continue his development, it’s more than possible. “It was on me a lot to produce, and I feel like I failed myself by not producing,” Sanchez said.
Ohio State needs that confidence from its corners. Last year, it was Igbinosun who believed he could win every matchup. This year, it’ll be Sanchez.
B.I.A. Reloaded
With Sanchez as the number-one corner, the expectation as of now is that fourth-year corner Jermaine Mathews Jr. will play opposite him. Last year, Mathews led the way in the cornerback room with 693 snaps thanks to his positional flexibility. Overall, he was solid last year. He is very instinctive when it comes to recognizing route concepts and has incredible speed to track the ball carrier from across the field.
He did have some lowlights, of course. He gave up the lone touchdown against Texas and was routinely dunked on by Charlie Becker and Indiana in the Big Ten Championship Game loss. Despite that, he had NFL Draft hype this year and elected to return. Mathews is easily the second-best corner on the roster, and it would take a massive effort to unseat him.
Of course, while it is unproven, there is depth at the cornerback position. Between Kelly, Calhoun, Timmons, Thomas, Miles Lockhart (third-year), and Jordyn Woods (second-year), there is a lot of talent. Unproven talent, yes, but talent nonetheless.
As with every position, Ohio State should make sure to position itself best for the future by making sure it rotates some of these guys in. Once the five-for-five eligibility model is officially adopted, redshirts will be no more, so there is no reason to keep talented first-years off the field. If either first-year is good enough to get onto the field, they need to play.
As Ohio State Fall Camp rolls around, keep an eye on the corners and how they rotate.
