Jermaine Mathews Jr. might be preparing for the 2026 NFL draft right now if the 2025 season had ended more successfully for Mathews and Ohio State.
In his first year starting for the Buckeyes, Mathews looked the part of an NFL draft prospect during the regular season. Playing primarily at outside cornerback while showing versatility by occasionally moving inside to nickel, Mathews limited opponents to 20 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown on 36 targets, per Pro Football Focus. He earned third-team All-Big Ten honors and tied for the team lead with two interceptions.
In Ohio State’s two postseason games, however, Mathews struggled. First, in the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana, Mathews gave up four catches for 68 yards on four targets. Those catches included a 17-yard touchdown pass from Fernando Mendoza to Elijah Sarratt – which ended up being the game-deciding touchdown in Indiana’s 13-10 win – and a 33-yard deep strike from Mendoza to Charlie Becker that all but sealed the Hoosiers’ victory.
TOUCHDOWN INDIANA
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025
WHAT A THROW BY FERNANDO MENDOZA @IndianaFootball pic.twitter.com/7TsAQvWRbv
FERNANDO MENDOZA TO BECKER AGAIN @Indianafootball pic.twitter.com/HMA75IKVHh
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) December 7, 2025
Mathews also gave up four catches for 40 yards – more than he allowed in any regular-season game – as Ohio State’s defense had its worst performance of the season in the Buckeyes’ season-ending 24-14 loss to Miami in the College Football Playoff quarterfinals at the Cotton Bowl.
That disappointing end to the season prompted Mathews to stay at Ohio State for his senior year rather than go pro.
“I didn't end the season how I wanted to end it last year, so I felt like there was some unfinished business,” Mathews said. “So I think I made the right decision to come back and build on what I can.”
Up until last year’s postseason, Mathews had been successful in just about every role he was called upon to play across three seasons as a Buckeye. As a true freshman in 2023, Mathews excelled when thrust into spot duty as Ohio State’s top backup cornerback, allowing just four catches for 34 yards on 17 targets, per PFF. As a sophomore in 2024, Mathews earned regular playing time off the bench in a three-man outside cornerback rotation with Davison Igbinosun and Denzel Burke and continued to perform well when called upon, allowing just 17 catches for 157 yards and one touchdown on 26 targets in 15 games while helping Ohio State win a national championship.
That made the end of last season a harsh dose of reality for Mathews, but the Ohio State cornerback is using that as a learning experience as he prepares for his final season of college football.
“I have a couple of plays I want back, but that’s just the business of playing corner,” Mathews said. “Really faced my first type of adversity toward the end of the season last year, since I’ve really been here, so it's just really coping with that and just keep going every day.”
Mathews, who said his decision on whether to stay at Ohio State or enter the NFL draft was “50/50” before he ultimately chose to come back to the Buckeyes, continues a trend of Ohio State cornerbacks staying for their senior season in an effort to improve their draft stocks.
Two years ago, Denzel Burke stayed at Ohio State for his senior year looking to become a first-round pick; that didn’t happen, as Burke wasn’t drafted until the fifth round, but he did win a national championship. Last year, Davison Igbinosun stayed at Ohio State with his own vision of becoming a first-rounder; while it’s still to be determined where he will be drafted (though he’s widely projected as a third-round pick), he at least improved his draft stock as he earned first-team All-Big Ten honors while cutting down on the penalty issues that plagued him in his first two years as a Buckeye.
Mathews learned a lot from watching both of them develop over the course of their Ohio State careers; now, it’s his turn to follow in their footsteps and be the senior leader of the Buckeyes’ cornerback unit.
“Davison got here as a transfer when I first got here as a freshman, so we both got to Ohio State at the same time. And I’ve seen his growth – major growth – and how he approached the game every day and how serious he is about his craft. He helped me so much last year and just how serious he is about the game,” Mathews said. “Denzel Burke, when he was here my freshman and sophomore year, he was very pro-like and very serious about the game. So those two guys helped me a lot, just learning from them.
“So I think now, for me, it's just upholding the standard. I think just making sure the young guys understand what the standard is here for us, and just keep it going.”
“I didn't end the season how I wanted to end it last year, so I felt like there was some unfinished business.”– Jermaine Mathews Jr. on staying at Ohio State for his senior season
Like Burke and Igbinosun, Mathews is entering his senior season with big goals. Individually, he aims to be the best defensive back in college football and an All-American. From a team standpoint, Mathews strives to help lead the Buckeyes to another win over Michigan and another national championship.
“Jim Thorpe. I need a tree in Buckeye Grove. Those are probably the two main things, and just win. Win everything we can,” Mathews said when asked what his goals are for 2026.
That said, Mathews knows his focus right now needs to be on continuing to improve this spring rather than on what he hopes the end result will be.
“I have a lot of goals and personal goals, team goals for this year, but I think it's moreso just focusing on the little things, the small things that I can control,” Mathews said. “There’s a lot of things that just goes on in this business you really can't control, so I think just controlling all the little things that I can control is gonna help me in the long run.”
With only one year left as a Buckeye, Mathews is motivated to make the most of it, and he’s making his personal development his primary focus this offseason to make sure he positions himself for success.
“It’s my last ride, so I’m just trying to focus in on just bettering myself,” Mathews said. “I’m the type of guy that a lot of people feed off of and I bring people with me, but right now, I’m trying to just focus on myself a little bit, and just keep getting better every day.”
