In-state 4-star CB Jermaine Mathews picks Ohio State

Cincinnati Winton Woods four-star cornerback Jermaine Mathews is staying in the Buckeye State.

The No. 7 player from Ohio in the 2023 On3 Consensus narrowed his list down to his two in-state options of Cincinnati and Ohio State, but he elected to go with the Buckeyes.

“Ohio State was my dream school,” Mathews told On3. “I know about their history, what they are about, and what I am going into. It is a top program.

Mathews had previously narrowed his list down Cincinnati, Jackson State, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma and Penn State.

But the Buckeyes and Bearcats were the two schools that received official visits and those were the two schools he was considering until last week, when he picked Ohio State.

“The staff at Cincinnati is great, and I like the school a lot, but I went with Ohio State,” Mathews said. “It is a great program that produces defensive backs and they win championships. I love to win and I know I can go up there and compete and win a lot of games.”

Mathews has developed a good relationship with new cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, who returned to his alma mater after coaching for the past decade in the NFL.

“Tim Walton is my guy,” Mathews said. “He is a great coach and I think coach Ryan Day bringing him in and making the changes on defense, shows that they just want to win. Winning is what it is about at Ohio State. The changes are for the better. Coach Walton is a stand-up guy that is real and he is going to put me in a position to succeed on and off the field.”

Mathews joins the No. 1 recruiting class in the 2023 On3 Consensus Team Recruiting Ranking. He is the second cornerback to commit to the Buckeyes in two days after Waxahachie (Texas) four-star cornerback Calvin Simpson-Hunt flipped from

Only six of the team’s 16 verbals are from the state of Ohio, but five of them make up the top seven recruits from the state.

“The Ohio boys are different,” Mathews said. “We just play ball. We go hard. When it is football season, we are dogs that get unleashed. I am taking that mentality to Ohio State.”