So far this spring, Ohio State’s cornerback room has answered the bell.
While the corners weren’t solely at fault for giving up 994 yards and eight touchdowns through the air in the final three games of the 2022 season, those numbers certainly weren’t indicative of lockdown play at the position. And given cornerbacks coach Tim Walton’s $300,000 raise this offseason, the entire room likely entered spring ball with something to prove.
Improvements were evident right from the jump. After just one spring practice, Ryan Day already liked what he saw from the likes of Denzel Burke, Jordan Hancock and Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun and let it be known publicly.
“It’s gonna be a good competition. I’ve been impressed with the offseason that some of these guys have had,” Day said on March 7. “I thought Denzel’s really had a really good eight weeks and had a really good first day today. So I think that’s been great. Seeing Jordan out there, Davison’s gonna be out there. We got some good guys back there and I think they’re all growing up. As we know, that was an area that we got to make that sure we really take a big step in. And so it was a good first day today.”
Burke entered his sophomore season with the highest expectations of any Buckeye corner, considering the success he had during a breakout freshman season as a surprise starter for Ohio State. But Burke got off to a rough start in 2022, and despite improved performance as the year went on, it didn’t do much to change the perception that his second season was a disappointment.
In the very first spring practice, though, defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said “he got his hands on more balls than maybe all last spring and camp together.”
“I think Denzel this offseason just stood out, man,” Knowles said. “Just his physical development, the way he competed. We were talking about (Monday) as a defensive staff, I had the defensive staff go through a draft. I'm not giving out any of their results, but I had them go through a draft. And we kind of draft our team to kind of see what our thoughts are on each player. And you can see where maybe somebody drafted him high and somebody drafted him low, but Denzel came out great in that. And I think everybody has seen the offseason.”
Burke hasn’t let his foot off the gas since. On April 4, he called 2023 “a personal year for me” and stated he wants to “prove all the doubters wrong,” and his coaches and teammates said they’ve seen a new level of focus from the Ohio State cornerback this spring.
“Competing way harder than usual. He’s in here at 5 a.m. watching film like before anybody is here, so that's what kind of separates him and makes him a great player,” Hancock said.
Perhaps the most buzzed-about name of any Buckeye defensive back this spring is Igbinosun, who instantly turned heads with his 6-foot-2 frame, rock-solid technique and ability to break up passes. Igbinosun picked off a pass during the Buckeyes’ Student Appreciation Day scrimmage on April 1, which was one of the highlight plays of the afternoon for the Ohio State defense.
Igbinosun might have started with the second-team defense when spring practice opened at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, but his impressive start quickly allowed him to begin mixing in with the first unit.
“He’s looking fantastic. He gets his hands on a lot of balls, he competes, he’s got a mental toughness to him,” Knowles said on March 28. “Very pleased to have him here.”
Almost a great catch by Carnell Tate, but Davison Igbinosun breaks up the play pic.twitter.com/UuwtK4jj51
— Griffin Strom (@GriffinStrom3) April 1, 2023
One would assume the spring Igbinosun’s turned in thus far would make him a frontrunner to start at corner alongside Burke by the start of the 2023 season. But the play of Hancock and second-year CB Jyaire Brown hasn’t made that quite so obvious an assertion.
After suffering a preseason injury last fall, Hancock was held out of the Buckeyes’ first six games in 2022 and never quite got into a rhythm thereafter. Hancock wound up taking defensive snaps in only four games despite entering the year as a player Walton and company expected to play an important role on the back end.
Now healthy during the spring, Hancock has made a number of standout plays and broken up several passes against the first-team Ohio State offense in open practice windows over the past several weeks. If Igbinosun ends up starting the season as one of the Buckeyes’ top two corners, it’ll mean he separated himself from a player in Hancock who could be having his best spring to date.
Brown received plenty of opportunities as a true freshman in 2022, due in part to Hancock’s injury, and wound up logging 197 snaps – the second-most of any returning Buckeye cornerback. Brown’s built on that early experience this spring and has had plenty of moments in his own right, also mixing in with the first unit at times.
The Ohio State corners have been good enough to convince Knowles and company that three of them could be on the field at once in 2023, which could serve as another avenue for Brown to see more playing time in the year ahead.
“We look at what (the nickel safety) has to do in terms of how it fits to our opponents and everything that position has to do. And we think a corner can do it,” Knowles said. “It’s not a place where you really have to be a hard, tough run defender, and we can involve our corners there more and we think that’ll give us more depth as the season goes on. We didn’t have a lot of depth at the nickel position last year when Cam (Martinez) was hurt a lot. That’ll give us an increased ability to get those guys reps, too.
“Jyaire Brown and Ryan (Turner), all those guys that are maybe a second or third corner, I think as many reps as we can get them at nickel helps us be ready for all the things we could have – and get them playing time – and be ready for all the things that can happen during the season, too.”
If you needed any further validation of the cornerback room's caliber of play this spring, consider the fact that Burke, Brown, Hancock and Igbinosun have combined to be named Ohio State's Silver Bullet of the Day on six occasions this spring. Only seven other players have earned the honor, which Knowles posts on his Twitter page.
He who is not courageous enough to take risks will accomplish nothing in life. Muhammad Ali
— Jim Knowles (@CoachJimKnowles) March 8, 2023
Spring 23 Practice #1
@King10Burke #BIA #StrengthAndHonor pic.twitter.com/ILVOTN0zld
Mentality : A constant quest to be the best version of ones self.
— Jim Knowles (@CoachJimKnowles) March 29, 2023
@DaveIgbinosun #BIA #StrengthAndHonor
Spring Practice #6 pic.twitter.com/GgyUAvZ40p
Injuries to top Buckeye wideouts like Emeka Egbuka, Julian Fleming and Xavier Johnson might have something to do with the cornerbacks’ elevated level of success, as well as the feeling-out process for both Kyle McCord and Devin Brown as they vie for the vacant starting quarterback job.
But in Saturday’s spring game, the unit has a chance to translate what they’ve shown in practice onto the gridiron at Ohio Stadium for the masses to see for themselves firsthand. If they can do that, Ohio State fans will have reason to expect improved cornerback play in 2023.
