Ohio State’s defense has the talent. Now they need a leader

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Every championship defense has one. Not always the biggest star, not always the highest draft pick, just the player everyone else looks to when things start going sideways.

Ohio State had several over the last two seasons. Caleb Downs organized the secondary, Sonny Styles brought the physicality and emotion, Davison Igbinosun never backed down from an opponent’s best receiver. The veterans set the standard, and the younger players followed.

Now almost all of them are gone.

The Buckeyes still have talent, plenty of it. Devin Sanchez might become one of the country’s best cornerbacks. Earl Little Jr. arrives after an All-ACC season. Jaylen McClain looks ready for an even bigger role. Terry Moore has played at an All-ACC level in the past. And the freshmen and sophomores fill nearly every position room with upside.

But upside isn’t experience. Experience, or at least players with experience at Ohio State, isn’t something the Buckeyes have much of anymore. That’s why this defense may ultimately ride or die with Jermaine Mathews Jr.

The one player who has seen almost everything

Mathews has taken a different path than many recent Ohio State stars. He wasn’t a five-star recruit who walked into Columbus expecting to start immediately. Instead, he earned trust piece by piece.

As a freshman, injuries forced him into meaningful snaps before anyone expected. He responded by looking comfortable against some of college football’s best receivers. The following season he became one of the first defensive backs off the bench on a national championship team, learning behind veterans while quietly building confidence.

By 2025, there was no more waiting. Mathews started every game, handled weekly WR1 assignments, and became exactly what every defensive coordinator wants at cornerback, dependable. Sometimes that’s the highest compliment a corner can receive.

When quarterbacks stop throwing your direction, highlight plays naturally disappear. Fans notice interceptions, coaches notice receivers being erased from the game plan. Mathews became that kind of player in certain games, but now he becomes something even bigger. The leader.

Matt Patricia’s defense may depend on him more than anyone realizes

Matt Patricia’s scheme asks defensive backs to communicate constantly. Corners have to understand leverage, disguise coverages, exchange responsibilities after the snap and make adjustments before the offense even reaches the line of scrimmage.

That becomes much harder when half the secondary is learning new roles. Mathews isn’t.

He knows what winning football looks like inside the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. He understands how Ohio State prepares. He understands the expectations every Saturday brings, and that makes him the bridge between two eras.

The younger corners don’t simply need Mathews to play well. They need him to show them how to become Ohio State cornerbacks. That influence probably won’t appear anywhere in the stat sheet, but it could still determine how quickly this defense comes together.

The next step isn’t becoming a better player. It’s becoming impossible to ignore

The funny thing about Mathews is that he’s probably still underrated. He has always possessed NFL athleticism. His feet are outstanding. His recovery speed allows him to stay in phase downfield. His competitiveness jumps off the screen every Saturday. Few corners attack the catch point with as much confidence.

The only thing missing has been the production that catches national attention, and that could change this season.

If Mathews combines his usual consistency but adds four or five interceptions, and another year of shutdown coverage, conversations will look very different by next spring. Suddenly he’s not just one of the Big Ten’s better corners. We’re talking about him as a First-Team All-Big Ten pick, an All-American, and maybe even a first-round draft pick.

The talent has never been the question. Neither has the confidence. And now he gets something he’s never had before. An entire defense looking to him for the answers.

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