Confidence was the recurring theme of Devin Sanchez’s first interview session of 2026.
Despite earning an immediate role in Ohio State’s cornerback rotation as a true freshman, Sanchez struggled with his confidence last season, he admitted last week. A five-star recruit ranked as the No. 1 cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class, Sanchez was expected to be an instant star in the Buckeyes’ secondary, and he felt the weight of those expectations as his play didn’t meet that standard.
“Last year, I feel like it was heavy,” Sanchez said. “It was on me a lot to produce, and I feel like I failed myself when I didn't produce.”
Sanchez felt like he was too timid and nervous on the field as a freshman, while he also didn’t process plays quickly enough, leading to lapses in coverage.
“I didn't process things faster. I let my teammates down sometimes just being out there, just being a freshman, making freshman mistakes. And I didn't have the margin of error for that because I was hard on myself,” Sanchez said. “Like, I really want to be that guy. So it was just like, these mistakes that I was making, it wasn't right and not processing things fast enough.”
By the end of the year, however, Sanchez started to regain his confidence, particularly in Ohio State’s College Football Playoff game vs. Miami. While the Buckeyes lost that game 24-14, Sanchez had a strong showing individually, allowing only three catches for 23 yards on five targets with a pass breakup in 43 snaps, per Pro Football Focus.
“Towards the end of the season, and especially in that Miami game, the way I went out there and played, that's when I realized, like, ‘Man, I can really do this,’” Sanchez said.
That gave Sanchez a strong belief in himself entering his second offseason as a Buckeye.
“After that Miami game, I realized, like, if I would have just did this all season, it could have been a whole different outcome,” Sanchez said. “When we went into the offseason, I told Coach Walt, like, ‘I'm not stepping back this year. I'm coming in full head, foot on the gas, I'm not letting up. And it doesn't matter who's in front of me, I'm going to win.’”
Sanchez’s confidence has only grown this spring as he’s battled with Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss and the rest of Ohio State’s talented wide receivers this spring.
“This is the best of the best. So I feel like if I go out there and have the confidence against them, can't no receiver in the country mess with me,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez says he’s also spent more time in the film room this offseason as well as listening to podcasts, such as The Mindset Mentor Podcast and interviews with late NBA legend Kobe Bryant, that have helped him improve his mindset and day-to-day approach.
With his burgeoning confidence, Sanchez feels he’s processing the game much faster, allowing him to make more plays on the ball.
“When you're confident, it just comes quicker. You see the plays faster. You see everything, you see the big picture, you're not just focused on your assignment,” Sanchez said. “When you're confident and you have that ability to be like, ‘I can really do this,’ you see everything. You see routes faster. You see the quarterback. You see where the ball is going. You can process things faster before the snap, and then while the play is going. So I just feel like, for me, that was a big thing. And now that I'm that confident, I see a lot of things faster, and I can read routes faster.”
“When we went into the offseason, I told Coach Walt, like, ‘I'm not stepping back this year. I'm coming in full head, foot on the gas, I'm not letting up. And it doesn't matter who's in front of me, I'm going to win.’”– Devin Sanchez on his confidence entering his second year at Ohio State
Ohio State secondary coach Tim Walton views last season as a learning experience for Sanchez, but has seen improved play from Sanchez this spring now that he has a year of collegiate play under his belt.
“He took stride with it,” Walton said. “You know, it's different than high school, when you get a chance to now you've got to go out and play at the college level and you're getting the immediate snaps. So now he's taking that next step with growing, learning, understanding, discipline, the responsibility that comes with it, the competitive nature you've got to have, and he's taking that next step. He's having a good spring so far. He has to be the guy that keeps stepping up for us.”
Fellow Ohio State cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. has been impressed with the effort he’s seen from Sanchez this spring.
“Devin Sanchez has been working so hard to get better,” Mathews said. “I love Devin, I love his work ethic, I love how he approaches the game.”
After playing 323 snaps last season as Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback, Sanchez is set to start opposite Mathews this season now that Davison Igbinosun is on his way to the NFL. And he has huge expectations for what he can accomplish in his first year as a full-time starter. In a secondary that’s replacing Jim Thorpe Award winner Caleb Downs alongside Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr., Sanchez is striving to emerge as the best defensive back in college football.
“Obviously, do better than I did last year, for one,” Sanchez said when asked about his goals for 2026. “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 a Big Ten All-American. I want to be Big Ten DB of the Year. So it's a lot of things that I have on the table that I want to accomplish.”
Devin Sanchez has big goals entering his second year at Ohio State. pic.twitter.com/MbdiixyBjU
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 8, 2026
Mathews and Walton have equally high expectations for Sanchez.
“I really believe he'll be one of the best corners in the country one day. I truly believe that,” Mathews said. “He’s got the stature, he’s got everything that you want from a corner. So he just has to put all of it together, all the little things, and he's gonna be real good.”
“He has to become a dominant player for us,” Walton said. “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, and he's working toward that.”
