There aren’t many teams Jermaine Mathews Jr. would be a backup on.
It might be just one.
Ohio State’s sophomore cornerback – a composite top-60 prospect out of high school –made an impact when called upon as a freshman. He did an immaculate job filling in for Denzel Burke when the Buckeyes’ star corner went down with a lower-body injury last year, collecting three tackles with a pass breakup to help his defense stuff No. 7 Penn State in a 20-12 win for OSU on Oct. 21.
Now entering his second season, he’s taking a second-year leap.
“He’s taken a great step forward,” cornerback coach Tim Walton said. “He’s the next guy up, man. He’s been extremely important in the growth of our secondary because now we’ve worked him inside some, he’s played outside at both corner spots. He’s got that ‘it’ factor, you know what I mean? So we look at what he brings, the energy, the competitiveness, we’ve gotta build off last year and expand the role for him.”
Thing is, the three corners that started in front of him in 2023 are back for 2024.
That includes Burke, among the best at his position in the country last season, and Jordan Hancock, a revelation with 41 tackles, five PBUs and two interceptions out of the nickel position in 2023. Davison Igbinosun rounds out the starting trio off a year with 59 tackles and five PBUs of his own.
Thus, as a Cadillac of a backup, Mathews is working to find roles wherever he can.
“Just a guy that can play anywhere in the back end, a guy who can help on special teams,” Mathews said. “Wherever they need me at this year, just go out there and give it my all.”
Mathews finished his freshman year with 13 tackles and one interception, a pick-six against Western Kentucky.
Jermaine Mathews Jr. to the CRIB. pic.twitter.com/gh6uJn696x
— Eleven Warriors (@11W) September 16, 2023
For a player who was already pretty self-assured, his experiences playing last campaign built additional confidence.
“The more reps you get on the field, it definitely builds more confidence,” Mathews said. “Once you see, basically, about everything you’re going to see in a game, you’re gonna get more comfortable. It just feels more at ease, more like football.”
Ohio State didn’t have a reputation for rotating its cornerbacks in 2023 outside of the nickel position, where Sonny Styles and Hancock rotated before Lathan Ransom went down with an injury in the final game of October, forcing Sonny Styles out of that spot to replace Ransom at strong safety. That rotation served a schematic purpose, with Styles used against more run-heavy fronts and Hancock playing more against spread teams as a purer coverage option.
Mathews doesn’t fit the Styles mold, but his talent and the need for more depth in what could be a 16- to 17-game season with a run to the College Football Playoff national championship game could command a role for the Ohio product.
“We play it by ear,” Walton said. “We’ll see how it goes by the time we get into camp. But, obviously, he’s earning his stripes. He earned his stripes, it’s our job to create opportunities for him. We’ll have to see how it goes with all the other stuff when we get closer to the season and we get into game plan stuff, but he’s doing a great job.”
For the time being, Mathews is content to continue learning from the veterans in front of him.
“I think it’s just about me pushing them and them pushing me,” Mathews said. “Last year, it was me just learning, and they were just helping me as the older vets. Now we’re all back again. It just gives me a chance to learn more and watch the vets.”
He’s also acclimating to the nickel spot, where he didn’t work much last year but is taking some practice reps this spring.
“It’s just the two-way go (from receivers) that you get being in the slot, you can go inside, outside,” Mathews said of playing nickel. “If you press, it’s the ‘catch’ technique compared to backpedaling. You’ve got to (play) sideline-to-sideline as an extra defender.”
“We’ve worked him inside some, he’s played outside at both corner spots. He’s got that ‘it’ factor.”– Tim Walton on Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Before Mathews’ arrival, Ohio State’s corners spent a couple of years as a maligned unit that frequently lost in practice to the Buckeyes’ consistently elite wide receiver corps, to the point that defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said that it was tough to evaluate the team’s outermost defenders in practice.
That competition has “balanced up a little bit now,” per Walton. The starting trio listed above fueled a pass defense that ranked No. 1 nationally in 2023, surrendering just 145.9 passing yards per game.
“The competitiveness has ramped up this year,” Mathews said. “Especially this spring. I think the competitive spirit in everybody just went up and everybody just feels more hungry this year.”
As the Buckeyes are only now through their fourth spring practice, Mathews will continue working to carve out a role and provide his “it factor” to their defensive backfield.
