With Ohio State’s first 15 practices of the year in the books, we now have a better idea of who’s on the rise and where things stand for the Buckeyes at every position group entering the 2026 season.
New Buckeyes were on the field at every position this spring as 51 new Ohio State players were part of the team that went through the Buckeyes’ March and April practices. There were plenty of newcomers and returning Buckeyes alike who stood out on each side of the ball as players competed for position on the depth chart and looked to prove they can make an impact for OSU this season.
Spring Recaps
Going into summer workouts, we’re taking a position-by-position look at who stood out this spring, what questions still linger after spring, how the depth chart currently stacks up and the overall outlook for each position going into the summer.
In the eighth installment of our Spring Recap series, we finish our post-spring look at the secondary with a look at the cornerbacks, where Tim Walton looks poised to have one of the top units in college football once again following big springs by Devin Sanchez and Dominick Kelly, among others.
Spring Standouts
Devin Sanchez
After an up-and-down freshman year as Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback, Sanchez looks ready to fulfill his five-star potential as a sophomore. The top-ranked cornerback from the 2025 recruiting class was dominant during spring practices, holding strong in coverage against Jeremiah Smith and the rest of Ohio State’s receivers.
Set to be a full-time starter opposite Jermaine Mathews Jr. this season, Sanchez said this spring that he’s feeling much more confident entering his second year as a Buckeye, and it showed on the field. He wants to be an All-American, and his coaches and teammates believe in his ability to achieve that goal.
“I really believe he'll be one of the best corners in the country one day. I truly believe that,” Mathews said of Sanchez this spring. “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.”
Dominick Kelly
Kelly was the surprise star of the spring in Ohio State’s secondary. While fellow offseason transfer addition Cam Calhoun entered the spring as the frontrunner to be Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback behind Mathews and Sanchez, Kelly seized that spot on the depth chart by consistently taking advantage of first-team reps by providing lockdown coverage on the outside.
A sophomore who saw occasional playing time as a freshman at Georgia, Kelly performed well enough this spring to make his case that he should see frequent playing time in a rotation with the starters. If Kelly continues to shine in preseason camp, Ohio State could also opt to move Mathews inside to play nickel in three-cornerback lineups.
“He's been a smooth operator,” Walton said of Kelly. “When you’re consistent all the time, then the plays happen for you because you're always in the right spot, and he's smart and he understands the game.”
Two Lingering Questions
1. Can Jermaine Mathews Jr. become a consistently dominant player?
Mathews entered last season with much of the same hype that Sanchez has entering this season. After performing well as Ohio State’s No. 3 cornerback in his first two seasons as a Buckeye, Mathews played well for the most part in his first year as a full-time starter, contributing to Ohio State leading the nation with only 129.7 passing yards allowed per game in 2025. In Ohio State’s two losses to end the season, however, Mathews struggled, allowing eight catches for 108 yards, including a touchdown and a game-sealing 33-yard deep ball in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten Championship Game loss to Indiana.
Mathews was on the wrong end of some big plays during spring practices, too, leaving questions about whether he can find the consistency to be the true lockdown No. 1 cornerback he’s expected to be as a senior. He’s shown All-American potential at his best, though, and enters his final year as a Buckeye highly motivated to prove he’s one of the nation’s top corners.
“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.”
2. How many cornerbacks will see regular playing time?
Walton typically leans on his starting cornerbacks to play the vast majority of meaningful snaps, but he has deployed a rotation at times, such as the stretch run of Ohio State’s 2024 national championship season, when Mathews saw regular playing time off the bench behind Denzel Burke and Davison Igbinosun. And Sanchez played 321 snaps as Ohio State’s No. 3 CB last season, though most of those snaps came when Mathews was playing nickel or the Buckeyes were in a dime package.
The playing time conversation at cornerback this year starts with whether Ohio State opts to use Mathews as a nickelback or keep him outside with Earl Little Jr. playing nickel. If Mathews stays outside, Walton will have to decide whether Kelly should rotate in regularly with Mathews and/or Sanchez. Beyond them, Calhoun and true freshmen Jay Timmons and Jordan Thomas are also candidates to see playing time, with Timmons offering the versatility to play both outside and inside.
Projected Depth Chart
Cornerback
1. Jermaine Mathews Jr.
2. Cam Calhoun
3. Jay Timmons
4. Miles Lockhart
Cornerback
1. Devin Sanchez
2. Dominick Kelly
3. Jordan Thomas
4. Jordyn Woods
The top three spots on the cornerback depth chart appear set with Mathews and Sanchez starting and Kelly coming in behind them. Calhoun, who graded highly as Utah’s No. 3 cornerback in 2024 before playing only sparingly last season at Alabama, figures to round out the two-deep with his experience, though Timmons shouldn’t be ruled out as a player who could force his way into the top four as a freshman.
A five-star prospect, Timmons is also a candidate to see action behind Earl Little Jr. and/or Mathews at nickel, and is among the options to enter the game as the sixth defensive back in dime packages. Thomas is another highly touted freshman who flashed this spring, though he’ll likely have to wait a year for his chance to play regularly at outside cornerback with the talent in front of him on the depth chart.
Post-Spring Outlook
If Mathews bounces back from his late-season struggles and Sanchez lives up to the hype, Ohio State will have one of the nation’s best cornerback tandems, with Kelly joining them to form an excellent trio at the top of the depth chart. Pairing them with a safety group led by Jaylen McClain, Earl Little Jr. and Terry Moore, Ohio State’s secondary has the potential to be the best in college football once again.
Ohio State’s cornerback depth looks strong, too, as Calhoun would likely be a starter for most teams while Timmons and Thomas both have the talent to play immediately for most teams. While there were some initial concerns about the depth of Walton’s room when Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West hit the transfer portal, Ohio State’s cornerback depth actually looks stronger now with Kelly’s surge this spring, Calhoun’s experience and the addition of two potential star freshmen.
Mathews and Sanchez still enter this season with plenty to prove with the struggles they had at times last year, but they’re both more than capable of being All-Big Ten, if not All-American players, as anchors of Ohio State’s secondary.
