Buckeyes top On3 list of top cornerback units in college football
COLUMBUS — Another Ohio State position group has been crowned as the best in the country.
Last week, On3’s Jesse Simonton named the Buckeyes wide receiver and running back units as the tops at their position group in the country. He kicked off the week by naming the defensive line as the best in its class. He’s done it again, folks.
Simonton has the Buckeyes as the top cornerback room in all of college football, edging out Oregon, Iowa, Michigan and Florida State — rounding out the top five. Yes, the top four are all from the Big Ten. Notre Dame, North Carolina State, Georgia, Kentucky and Texas A&M make up the rest of the top 10.
Here’s what Simonton said about Ohio State and its top-ranked cornerback room:
The Buckeyes arguably have the best total secondary in college football this fall, and it starts with their cornerback trio Denzel Burke, a potential 1st Round pick in 2025, nickel Jordan Hancock and Davison Igbinosun — all starters in 2023 on a unit that had the No. 1 pass defense in the nation.
Ohio State doesn’t lack depth, either, as Jermaine Matthews Jr. flashed as a freshman and has earned more playing time this season, while Lorenzo Styles Jr. and Calvin Simpson-Hunt are backups with high upside. The Buckeyes also signed several corners in their 2024 class, with Aaron Scott Jr. a near-fringe 5-star recruit (No. 35 overall) and a player talented enough to push for immediate snaps.
Jesse Simonton, On3
It’s hard to argue with Simonton’s reasoning — and we certainly won’t. The unit that calls itself ‘Best in America’ is, well, the best in America.
Buckeyes offense heavily featured in position group rankings
Ohio State topped Simonton’s defensive end/EDGE rankings earlier this week. The Buckeyes did not, however, show up in the top 10 linebacker units rankings.
The Buckeyes were heavily featured in Simonton’s offensive position group rankings.
The Ohio State offensive line unit appeared in Simonton’s “Best of the Rest” category, just missing the Top 10. LSU, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma State were in Simonton’s top five. Oregon, Missouri, Miami, Tennessee and Ole Miss rounded out the Top 10 in the offensive line rankings.
Ohio State could improve to get into the Top 10 as the offseason continues.
That ranking continued the showing that Ohio State should have one of the best — if not the best — offenses in the sport this upcoming fall. Simonton recently ranked the Ohio State quarterback room as the second-best in the country, behind only Texas, and he ranked the Buckeyes tailback room as the No. 1 unit in the country.
He also made sure to rank the Ohio State wide receiver unit as the top group in college football as well. He did not, however, have the Buckeyes tight end room ranked in his list of the best tight end groups in the country.
None of this should come as a surprise. But as the season continues to draw closer, the buzz keeps growing for this Ohio State team that could be the No. 1 team in the country when preseason polls begin leaking out.
