Davison Igbinosun wants to set the record straight: He never wore oven mitts to prevent him from grabbing receivers in practice.
As Ohio State looked for ways to help Igbinosun cut down on penalties in 2024, then-defensive coordinator Jim Knowles told reporters that Ohio State had the cornerback wear special gloves in practice to prevent him from grabbing receivers.
“We've got to put the gloves on him so that he can't grab,” Knowles said on Oct. 29, 2024.
Four days later, Igbinosun made the signature play of his Ohio State career, stealing the ball out of Penn State receiver Harrison Wallace III’s hands for an interception in the end zone – a seven-point swing just before halftime that played a crucial role in a 20-13 road win for the Buckeyes over the third-ranked Nittany Lions.
WHAT AN UNREAL INTERCEPTION
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) November 2, 2024
How did Davison Igbinosun even catch this for @OhioStateFB?! pic.twitter.com/YlvorsDzSE
That prompted a question at Ohio State’s press conference the following Tuesday about whether “the mitts” worked, to which Knowles replied, “Absolutely,” creating the folklore that Igbinosun wore gloves resembling kitchen equipment in practice.
Igbinosun, however, says that never actually happened.
“That's cap. That’s not true,” Igbinosun said after Wednesday’s pro day when asked if he wore “oven mitts” in practice. “I don’t know who made that up, I think it was Jim Knowles … I’ve seen that narrative, but I came back to change the narrative.”
Igbinosun said he never would have worn oven mitts in practice because they would have prevented him from doing exactly what he did in Happy Valley: Catch interceptions, which he did twice in each of his final two seasons at Ohio State, tying for the team lead in both years.
“I want to catch picks,” Igbinosun said. “If I’ve got mitts on, I’ve gotta body catch. I wanna catch it with my hands.”
“That's cap. That’s not true.”– Davison Igbinosun on the story that he wore oven mitts in practice
Regardless of what Igbinosun wore or didn’t wear in practice, he continued to struggle with penalties throughout the 2024 season, committing the most penalties of any defender in college football as he was flagged 16 times in 16 games. Partially for that reason, he chose to stay at Ohio State rather than enter the 2025 NFL draft. With Matt Patricia leading the defense after Knowles left to become Penn State’s defensive coordinator, Igbinosun cut down significantly on penalties in his senior year, committing just five penalties on his way to earning All-Big Ten honors.
Igbinosun said that all came down to doing a better job of getting his head around and playing the ball rather than the receiver.
“It was pretty simple,” Igbinosun said. “I didn't change my technique at the line of scrimmage. I just like, with the point of attack, top of the route, just getting my head around, playing the football. You get a lot more leeway playing the football.”
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton said it was Igbinosun’s footwork, not his hands, that made the difference for Igbinosun to cut down on penalties in his senior season.
“Got his feet right,” Walton said. “Got his feet right.”
Igbinosun is projected to be selected on Day 2 of the 2026 NFL draft, which will take place on April 24 in Pittsburgh.
