Can the Buckeyes secondary be elite? Breaking down the hype vs reality

Jaylen McClain is also back after a strong first year as a starting safety in which he posted 53 tackles and allowed only 15 catches for 84 yards on 27 targets in coverage. Add in Devin Sanchez, who already played 321 snaps at corner last season as a true freshman, and is now expected to move into a starting role.

The Buckeyes are not rebuilding from scratch as much as they are elevating former complementary pieces into starring roles.

There is also a very real talent argument here. Sanchez was the top-ranked cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class and entered 2026 as one of the most obvious breakout candidates on the roster, while Mathews gives the room an established veteran who has played both outside and inside in meaningful spots.

Tim Walton’s public challenge this spring was not subtle, he said Sanchez has to become “a dominant player” and a lockdown presence, while also emphasizing that Mathews is the leader of the room. Those comments matter because they reveal what Ohio State thinks the ceiling is.

The Buckeyes are not just hoping Sanchez can hold up, they believe he has true star-level potential.

The case for elite starts with the corners

If this secondary reaches an elite level, the clearest path probably begins at cornerback. In the modern Big Ten, especially with the modern day spacing and tempo now more embedded into the league than ever, having two outside corners who can survive in man coverage changes the entire defense.

Ohio State believes Mathews and Sanchez can be that kind of pairing next season. Mathews returns as the proven veteran, while Sanchez enters the season with the kind of combination, size at 6-foot-2, prior game experience, and recruiting pedigree, that usually signals a player on the verge of a big year two jump.

Ryan Day described the room this spring as “very competitive,” and that competition matters because the top of the corner room is not limited to just those two names.

That room has been bolstered by the portal and by youth. Dominick Kelly emerged as one of the most talked about defenders of spring practice, with Tim Walton praising his consistency and discipline. Cam Calhoun adds another experienced body, while freshmen Jay Timmons and Jordan Thomas give the staff two high-upside options behind the veterans.

The corner room is deeper and more physically imposing than it looked at the start of the offseason, and spring practice showed that depth is becoming real, playable depth rather than just names on a roster.

Safety and nickel are where the reality check begins

The biggest reason to pause before declaring this group elite is simple. Replacing Caleb Downs is not a normal roster move. Downs was not just productive, he was the heartbeat of the secondary and one of the defining defensive players in college football.

Ohio State’s coaches have been candid that the answer at safety will be more collective than singular, which makes sense, but it also underscores the reality that no one on the current roster has yet shown they can replicate Downs’ versatility, anticipation, and range.

That does not mean the safety room lacks answers. McClain returns as the steadying piece, and Ohio State aggressively attacked the portal adding veterans Terry Moore and Earl Little Jr. The spring usage is telling for the safety room.

Both Little and Moore worked with the first team late in the spring, while Ohio State also explored three-safety looks that allowed Mathews to kick inside to nickel when needed. In other words, the Buckeyes are not trying to replace Downs with one guy, they are trying to recreate the effect of that versatility through multiple deployment and depth.

Spring told us something real

Spring practice did not prove the secondary is elite, but it did show why optimism is reasonable. Reports indicated that Ohio State’s defensive backs, particularly the cornerbacks, were “on a roll” entering the spring game, with Sanchez, Kelly, and McClain drawing repeated praise from coaches and teammates.

Ryan Day’s comments about the room being highly competitive line up with those observations. Ohio State looks like a unit with legitimate internal battles rather than one where coaches are simply defaulting to whoever is available.

Still, spring optimism has to be filtered through context. Spring practice heavily favors defensive backs who already know the calls, while offensive timing and chemistry are still developing. The more telling takeaway is that Ohio State has stabilized what could have become a real weakness, and there are clear signs it’s trending toward becoming a strength.

That’s a meaningful step forward, even if there’s still a gap between where the unit is now and where it needs to be to truly be considered elite.

The biggest variables

For this secondary to become elite, two developments probably need to happen, at the minumum. First, Devin Sanchez has to become the player Tim Walton described. A dominant, lockdown corner who changes the way opponents attack the field.

Ohio State can be very good if he is merely solid, but elite usually requires one corner who can erase matchups and free the rest of the scheme.

Second, the safety and nickel puzzle must produce clarity early. McClain can be the center of gravity, but Moore, Little, and the broader rotation have to sort out communication and coverage responsibilities quickly enough that the unit does not give away explosive plays while searching for their identity.

There is also a less discussed pressure point. The secondary’s ceiling is tied to how much Ohio State can trust its depth in high-leverage games. The Buckeyes do not need every young player to be ready immediately, but they do need the room to be sturdy enough that an injury or two does not fundamentally alter the defense.

Hype vs reality: The verdict

So, can this secondary be elite? Yes, but not in the automatic, preseason-magazine way that Ohio State fans may want to hear. The hype is justified because the Buckeyes have retained quality at the top, imported experience through the portal, and developed enough young talent that the room looks far healthier now than it did when those NFL departures became official.

There is a credible path to an elite outcome if Sanchez breaks out, Mathews plays like a true No. 1 corner as well, McClain continues ascending, and the Moore-Little-Kelly additions translate from spring promise to fall reliability.

But the reality is that this group has more to prove than last year’s version ever did. It is replacing an all-time great college safety, integrating multiple transfers, and leaning on players whose biggest roles are still ahead of them.

That combination can absolutely still yield one of the Big Ten’s best secondaries, possibly one of the nation’s best, but calling it elite in May requires a leap of faith.

The smarter projection, at least for now, is this. Ohio State’s secondary has elite potential, but it has not yet earned that elite label.