Last week, we shared this interview with Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerrieri with his thoughts on that position group. Today, we are back with comments from Tim Walton, who serves as an associate head coach, secondary and cornerbacks coach for the Buckeyes.
Walton lost two of his three starters to graduation and the NFL. Slot corner Jordan Hancock was taken in the fifth round of the draft by the Buffalo Bills, while corner Denzel Burke was also a fifth-rounder to the Arizona Cardinals.
The one returning starter will be senior Davison Igbinosun. The 6-2, 193-pound Igbinosun considered a jump to the NFL, but opted to return to try and boost his draft stock.
Igbinosun is a veteran of 41 games with 38 starts. In 2024, he was 11th on the team in tackles with 45 as the Buckeyes went 14-2 and rolled through the College Football Playoff to win the national championship. Igbinosun had two tackles-for-loss, nine pass break-ups and tied Burke and safety Caleb Downs for the team lead in interceptions with two.
Throughout the spring, it seemed like junior Jermaine Mathews Jr. (5-11, 189) had the inside track to replace Burke at corner. Senior Lorenzo Styles Jr. (6-1, 195), who transferred in from Notre Dame last year, was the starter much of the spring at the slot corner position.
Mathews has been a primary backup for much of his first two seasons. He filled in admirably in the Cotton Bowl national semifinal win when Burke went out with an injury. For the year, he had 22 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and one sack. As a junior, Styles had 16 tackles and four pass break-ups. Neither of them has started a game at Ohio State yet in their career.
There is a talented group of players waiting in the wings behind them. Sophomore Aaron Scott Jr. (6-0, 185) saw action in seven games in 2024, while Bryce West (5-11, 196) was able to redshirt after playing in four regular season games and one playoff game.
West seemed to be working behind Styles at the spot corner. Scott and highly touted true freshman Devin Sanchez (6-2, 192) – the nation's No. 1-ranked corner and No. 5 overall prospect for 2025, according to 247Sports.com – were working behind Igbinosun and Mathews as corners. Redshirt freshman Miles Lockhart (5-9, 193) was also in the rotation this spring.
Walton is back for his fourth season as OSU's cornerbacks coach. He played corner for the Buckeyes in the early 1990s and has 30 years of experience, including several stints with NFL teams.
Below, we have his comments on how this promising cornerbacks group, ranked as OSU's third-best position group in this analysis, looked in the spring.