Grading Ohio State: How much have Davison Igbinosun and Jermaine Mathews changed the cornerback room?
Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Mathews, and Lorenzo Styles Jr. headline the final position group breakdown and grading
COLUMBUS — We’re almost done. Nine position groups down and here’s No. 10, as we look at the Ohio State cornerbacks this season.
What happened this year
Davison Igbinosun earned first-team All-Big Ten honors from the media and was named to the second team by the coaches. He is the fifth-highest graded Big Ten corner by PFF and 25th among corners for the 68 power conference teams.
Igbinosun drastically cut down on his penalties from a year ago, when the 16 flags against him made him by far the most-penalized defensive player in major college football. According to PFF, no other defender had more than 11 penalties last year. This season, after wearing oven mitts in practice so he couldn’t grab receivers, Igbinosun’s penalties dropped to five through 13 games. But his coverage remained just as physical and tight.
In three seasons as a starter for the Buckeyes since his transfer from Ole Miss, where he was a freshman starter for the Rebels in 2022, Igbinosun has had a major effect on the defense and the cornerback room. Ryan Day cited his edginess, toughness, competitiveness, grittiness and aggression this season while praising him for raising the level of the OSU cornerbacks.
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