Versatile Ohio State defensive back Jordan Hancock reveals return for next season
COLUMBUS — Leading up to the Cotton Bowl, defensive back Jordan Hancock called the choice third-year Buckeyes players have to make between returning to Ohio State and declaring for the NFL a “group decision.”
It certainly looks that way right now.
Cornerback Denzel Burke, defensive end Jack Sawyer, defensive tackle Tyleik Williams and offensive guard Donovan Jackson had already announced they were coming back. Now, Hancock is following suit.
Hancock said pre-Cotton Bowl that he felt like he has enough experience to launch an NFL career. What would keep him at Ohio State, he said, is the legacy aspect of things.
“My class was outstanding,” Hancock said of the Buckeyes’ second-ranked 2021 recruiting class. “A lot of future players that are gonna play on Sunday. We kind of want something to show for it when we all graduate, and we’re just stuck in between.”
Ohio State’s three-game losing streak to Michigan and Big Ten title drought cover the three-year tenure of Hancock and his draft-eligible classmates.
For the most part, the Buckeyes’ defense did its part in 2023, ranking second nationally in points per game allowed (11.0), and Hancock was a significant contributor to that effort.
While Denzel Burke and Ole Miss transfer Davison Igbinosun started at outside corner, Hancock rotated into the mix with safety Sonny Styles before eventually seizing the starting “nickel” spot.
Sliding inside was new for Hancock, but it wasn’t outside the blue print for him when Ohio State recruited the North Gwinnett product from Georgia.
Since Hancock had played safety in high school, the physicality of the nickel position was hardly foreign to him. What was more difficult to grasp was learning the run fits, he explained.
“I’m just proud of myself,” Hancock said. “Learning a whole new position, taking on run fits and tackling. Just everything — I really had to play every position in the secondary.
“So it was a great year for me to learn.”
Hancock responded to an injury-riddled 2022 with a breakout 2023 campaign that saw him line up everywhere: 401 defensive snaps in the slot, 90 on the corner, 48 at free safety, 70 in the box and four on the defensive line, according to Pro Football Focus.
Hancock proved his run defense chops with 16 tackles in that category, according to PFF, not to mention a forced fumble. When all was said and done, he finished with 41 total tackles, good for ninth on the team.
He also wasn’t too far behind Igbinosun and Burke with a reception percentage allowed of 55.6%, per PFF, and he snagged two interceptions, including a 93-yard, game-changing pick-six at Rutgers in Week 10.
The do-it-all defensive back’s impact was much greater than his All-Big Ten honorable mention status indicates.
Hancock had his explosiveness back that he was missing in 2022 while he was recovering from a hamstring issue that sidelined him before the bye week.
He had played only 134 defensive snaps his first two years with the Buckeyes.
Hancock logged six times as many defensive snaps in 2023 as he played in 2022. With the uptick in playing time came an almost immediate ascent.
He could have ridden that ascent to the NFL Draft. Instead, he’s coming back to Ohio State for 2024.
