New Faces, Same Standard: Inside Ohio State’s Retooled Secondary Under Matt Patricia

Changing Caleb Downs was never ever going to be a one-for-one swap. Downs, among the most flexible protective backs in the nation throughout his 2 seasons in Columbus, left for the NFL draft along with cornerback Davison Igbinosun, taking with him the sort of do-everything capability that Matt Patricia constructed whole protection principles aroundthroughout his very first season as Ohio State’s protective planner. What Patricia has rather in 2026 is depth, and a secondary he’s wagering can be exceptional as a group instead of around one particular star.

Jaylen McClain returns as the system’s most knowledgeable piece, coming off a 2025 season that produced 53 takes on and 3 pass breaks up in a complementary function. He’s signed up with by 2 considerable portal additions: Earl Little Jr., who made second-team All-ACC honors at Florida State before moving to Columbus, and Terry Moore, another portal addition Patricia’s personnel targeted particularly for the security space. All 3 are anticipated to turn through deep protection and box obligations depending upon the week, the very same positional versatility that specified how Ohio State released Downs a year back.

At cornerback, Jermaine Mathews Jr. returns with beginning experience, and real freshman Jay Timmons, a first-class signee, has actually currently infiltrated the lineup at nickel back. That’s a considerable vote of self-confidence for a real freshman, however it fits a pattern Patricia has actually developed considering that showing up in Columbus: reward the gamers who look all set, no matter experience level, instead of defaulting to seniority.

Sports Devin Sanchez, the Headliner

The headliner of the group, however, is sophomore Devin Sanchez, who gets in 2026 with a clear message for the remainder of the league. “I seem like I can be among the very best corners in the country. I’m gon na be among the very best corners in the country,”Sanchez stated this offseason. Sanchez played thoroughly as a real freshman in 2025, taking in a season’s worth of lessons that he states have actually honed his video game heading into a beginning function. “I’m not freshman Devin no more,” he included, an expression that has actually currently ended up being something of a rallying cry within the program.

What ties the group together is the exact same viewpoint Patricia has actually used throughout the remainder of the defense: versatility over stiff functions. “I do believe we have a great deal of versatility, which is good, in both groups, which is terrific,” he stated throughout fall camp, describing the security and cornerback spaces together instead of treating them as different systems. His usage of Downs as a hybrid safety/linebacker last season revealed a determination to develop protection principles around what a gamer does finest instead of require him into a conventional position, and early indications recommend McClain, Little and Moore will all see representatives in several areas depending upon the strategy.

Sports The Real Test Comes in Austin

Ohio State’s secondary permitted simply 120 passing lawns in the season-opening win over Ball State, a motivating if modest information point versus an outmatched challenger. The genuine test gets here in Austin, where Arch Manning and a gifted Texas getting corps led by Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo will use the very first genuine procedure of just how much this retooled group has actually taken in. For Matt Patriciathe response will state a lot about whether changing a generational skill like Downs with cumulative depth was the ideal bet.

It likewise puts a spotlight on Timmons in specific. Handing significant nickel snaps to a real freshman, even a first-class one, is not something most training personnels do gently in September, not to mentioned in a season that opens with a Playoff-caliber Texas group in Week 2. That Patricia and his personnel are comfy doing it states as much about how they’ve examined Timmons in camp as anything discussed him as a hire. If he holds up in Austin, Ohio State’s secondary depth chart gets a lot more intriguing for the remainder of the season.