Ohio State’s secondary continues to take shape this spring through competition, growth and new leadership dynamics following key departures.
From a cornerback unit pushing for consistency and star potential to a safety group working to replace Caleb Downs with a collective approach, the Buckeyes are emphasizing development, communication and day-to-day accountability.
Secondary coach Tim Walton, safeties coach Matt Guerrieri and several defensive backs — including Devin Sanchez, Earl Little Jr., Jaylen McClain and Leroy Roker III — met with the media to discuss the unit’s progress this spring. Below are some of the top notes and quotes from those interviews.
Secondary Coach, Co-Defensive Coordinator Tim Walton
“He has to become a dominant player for us. He’s going into his second year, has the talent. He has to take the next step of being dominant, being lockdown, that’s the expectation.”– Tim Walton on what he wants to see from Devin Sanchez
- On his impressions of the cornerback room so far this spring: “We’re growing. They’re competing, just learning. We’ve got a new group of guys, just trying to put them in different spots and see how they’re doing. We’ve been having fun, been flying around.”
- Jermaine Mathews Jr. has been working to correct the mistakes he made at the tail end of the 2025 season, Walton said. “He didn't play the way he wanted to toward the end. So now we've got to go out, correct the little things, attention to details. He's been trying to get that part fixed because, like I said, he's the leader of the room. He's been trying to get that part fixed because, like I said, he's the leader of the room. He's the guy that's been there the longest. He's the most experienced, so he has to handle the heavy lifting.”
- On what stands out about Dominick Kelly: “Consistency. Discipline, consistency, that's what you got to have in this game. You know what I mean? We got to know what we're getting every day, and he's been level-headed. He's been a smooth operator with things.”
- On Earl Little Jr.: “Outstanding. He's a fireball, man. Plays with great energy, great passion, great toughness. He plays the game the way you want to play it. He's embracing the culture here. He's been a great addition.”
Safeties Coach Matt Guerrieri
“No one guy has to take on that role. They know that. They’ve heard that from me. What we do have is we have depth and experience. We have smart players. We have guys who can make plays in a bunch of different ways. Our job is to design, to put those guys in position and be able to split roles amongst those guys.”– Matt Guerrieri on replacing Caleb Downs
- On Earl Little Jr.: “There’s immediate energy when he’s in the building, so he brings that to the team. Highly, highly, highly competitive, which to me is a trait required for a great player. He’s done an awesome job learning the schematics of what we’re doing here. And has jelled great with the guys.”
- On Leroy Roker III: “Leroy is a guy who has developed tremendously over the last couple of years. He has all the skills to be a very, very, very good safety. He’s an awesome person. The sky is the limit for him.”
- Guerrieri said he’s had a relationship with Terry Moore since Moore was a recruit, as Guerrieri was Duke’s co-defensive coordinator and safeties coach before joining Ohio State’s staff in 2022. “He’s an awesome dude, awesome family. He’s grown tremendously throughout his college career. He’s experienced. … He’s had high-level production in his last year playing at Duke, and then he’s got a chip on his shoulder, because he missed the whole last year.”
S Earl Little Jr.
“Just the level of competition, day in and day out. At Alabama, we didn’t compete in the weight room how we do here. With everything you’re doing at Ohio State, you’re gonna compete and you have to be at your best every single day.” – Earl Little Jr. on competition at Alabama and Ohio State
- Little said Matt Patricia has a “pro approach” to his coaching and system. “I love the way he teaches the defense. He teaches conceptually, so it’s kind of easy for us to break down and consume the defense. And it just allows us to go out there and play fast at a high level.”
- Little said Ohio State’s competition level has blown him away so far. “The competition, day in and day out, literally. We’re competing in a weight room with different exercises, literally. I’ve never been a part of something like that, competing in the weight room. And so it’s the level of competition, day in and day out, it’s second to none, and that’s definitely a separating factor.”
- Little said he talked to Caleb Downs before transferring to Ohio State. “It’s a great brotherhood. It’s a special place to be. Playing under (Matt Patricia), that was one of the best decisions Caleb made, and playing for (Matt Guerrieri) as well. Those two guys, they love ball, they’re all about ball, and they’re great teachers, so that’s something I wanted to be a part of.”
- When asked about his relationship with Jeremiah Smith, Little said he’s known about the star wide receiver since both of them played high school football in South Florida. He called Smith a “different animal” in the weight room which is “something I truly respect him for.”
S Jaylen McClain
“Losing Caleb (Downs) and Sonny (Styles), they were the lead communicators on this team and on this defense. So (I’m) working on being more vocal, making myself be heard on and off the field.”– Jaylen McClain on how and why he needs to step up as a vocal leader in 2026
- Vocal leadership isn’t something that comes naturally to McClain, but he knows it’s necessary. “It’s been something I had to work on. All the coaches and the staff, they’ve challenged me to work on that, get better.”
- On what he learned from playing with Caleb Downs: “I just watched how he approached every day. In the film room, on the field, how he took care of his body and just taking pieces and parts of that and just being able to put it in my game.”
- On what made him successful as a pass defender in 2025, given his great coverage numbers: “Reps every day in practice. Coach allows us to be in those situations a lot.”
- On Earl Little Jr.: “He’s very exciting to watch, like I said. High motor. He plays with his hair on fire and I like to see that.”
S Leroy Roker III
“Coming in with a bunch of 4- and 5-stars, highly recruited, it did put a chip on my shoulder. But I knew I could be able to compete with them.”– Leroy Roker III on coming to Ohio State as a three-star recruit
- Roker said he isn’t surprised that he’s getting reps with the starters this spring. He feels he’s put the work in to earn that, starting with his play on special teams over the last two years.
- On being compared to Malik Hooker by Ohio State general manager Mark Pantoni: “That means a lot. Malik Hooker is a very good player, and to be able to be compared to him, it’s good for me.”
- Roker says he’s been playing all three safety spots in Ohio State’s defense.
- Roker believes his biggest strength is his range. He says the biggest thing he’s been working on this spring is communication.
CB Devin Sanchez
“I want to be a Thorpe finalist. I want to win a Thorpe, for sure. I want to be an All-American. I want to be Big Ten DB of the Year. It’s a lot of things I have on the table that I want to accomplish.”– Devin Sanchez on his goals entering his sophomore year
- Sanchez said he feels more comfortable and confident in himself entering his second season. “Last year, coming in the door, I was a little nervous, a little timid. But I feel like this year I’m taking that next step in the role that I got to step up in.”
- Sanchez said he’s already taken freshman Jay Timmons under his wing and helped him handle the expectations placed upon him during his first season. “Just telling him, ‘Just go out there and play. Be yourself. Be comfortable.’ Because last year, I didn’t have the confidence. I feel like this year, if what I went through last year, I can tell him to go out there, have fun and be confident.”
- When asked who has stepped up to replace Caleb Downs, Sanchez answered Jaylen McClain and Earl Little Jr.. “Jaylen has been real vocal out there. He’s talking. He’s leading the secondary. If somebody messes up on the coverage, he makes them right. I feel like it’s definitely Jaylen McClain, but Earl Little is definitely that, too. He comes down. He sets the tone. He’ll go smack a running back right in the face. He’ll just come back and talk and he’ll let you hear it. I feel like it’s both safeties.”
- Sanchez said he and Jeremiah Smith compete “back-and-forth” during practice. He called Smith the best player in college football, which means guarding him in practice helps him grow. “He’s the best player in the country. Coach Walt tells us all the time, if he falls in the draft, he’ll go two. I feel like you can’t wish for nothing better than that. I feel like it goes back and forth. I win something, he wins something.”
