The Ohio State Buckeyes were led by their defense a season ago, and they’re now replacing eight new starters on that side of the football. Matt Patricia’s unit will look different in 2026, but they’ll still have expectations to be amongst the best in the country. 

Ohio State’s secondary specifically will look a lot different. It won’t be easy to try and replace a player like safety Caleb Downs or even cornerback Davison Igbinosun, but the good news is that there are players ready to step up. 

Devin Sanchez sounds like he’s ready to be THE guy in Ohio State’s secondary 

Several Ohio State football players were at the Memorial Tournament on Wednesday and sophomore Devin Sanchez was amongst the group. The second-year cornerback is going to be relied on as a starter in Ohio State’s secondary, and potentially even their top cornerback. 

“I feel great,” Sanchez stated. “I feel like I can be one of the best corners in the nation. I’m gonna be one of the best corners in the nation. I feel like guys should really watch out for me because I’m not freshman Devin no more.”

That’s a lot of confidence from the former five-star recruit who was rated the No. 1 cornerback in the class of 2025. Sanchez played in 13 games as a true freshman and made 15 tackles with two pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Sanchez worked his way into being the No. 3 cornerback last season, but he will be relied on much more heavily this year. 

It’s Sanchez and Jermaine Mathews Jr. returning as the top cornerbacks for Ohio State. There’s a chance Mathews could play the slot again, if not he’ll be the starting cornerback opposite of Sanchez on the boundary.

Devin Sanchez’s time to lead the secondary is here

Sanchez had a good spring and has the build to be a cornerback with shutdown ability at 6-foot-2, 198 pounds. He certainly doesn’t lack confidence, and his statement saying he’s going to be the best in the country shows as much. 

Comebacks coach Tim Walton’s group has performed consistently at Ohio State and Sanchez has a chance to develop into the best there’s been in Columbus in a while. There’s true first-round draft ability with Sanchez if he can reach the player he’s capable of being while in Columbus. 

Losing Igibinosun means Ohio State needs another player who can be a vocal leader while showing they can back it up on the field. It’s sure starting to sound like Sanchez is going to end up being that guy for the Buckeyes defense.