Ohio State cornerback Jyaire Brown headed to transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Ohio State second-year cornerback Jyaire Brown is headed to the transfer portal, he told On3’s Hayes Fawcett Sunday night.
Brown is the second Buckeyes cornerback, and seventh Ohio State player, to announce intentions to enter the transfer portal this week.
The Lakota West High School product played 195 defensive snaps in 2022, the most of any Buckeyes true freshman that season, but he saw the field for only 48 defensive snaps in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus.
Brown, like Ryan Turner — who also decided to hit the portal Sunday — was cross-training at “nickel” cornerback this offseason. Jordan Hancock ended up being the corner who seized that role, splitting time inside with safety Sonny Styles before ultimately starting there.
Brown and Turner, meanwhile, hardly saw the field, inside or outside.
True freshman Jermaine Mathews Jr. was the first cornerback off the bench when Denzel Burke went down at Purdue, not Brown.
Last year, Brown was thrust in a similar spot as Mathews was this season. Of Brown’s 195 defensive snaps in 2022, 52 came against Wisconsin in Week 4, per PFF, when he made his first career start. Brown thrived while stepping up for an injury-riddled Buckeyes cornerback room, allowing only two receptions for 14 yards on four targets during a blowout Ohio State win.
Brown ranked second in reception percentage (38.5%) among all Big Ten cornerbacks with at least 100 defensive snaps last season, according to PFF. When all was said and done, Brown was targeted 13 times and gave up just five catches for 61 yards. He was penalized just once, and he didn’t concede a touchdown pass.
He arrived at Ohio State after clocking out as the No. 202 overall prospect, No. 24 cornerback and No. 9 Ohio recruit in the 2022 class, according to the On3 Industry Ranking.
While at Lakota West, Brown led the Greater Miami Conference with five picks, not to mention that he had a fumble recovery and punt return for a touchdown, too.
Meanwhile, he also made an impact on offense, where he piled up 26 receptions, 416 receiving yards and four touchdowns in 13 games. He was then selected to play in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio.
That set the stage for his promising first year with the Buckeyes. Along with running back Dallan Hayden, Brown proved to be one of the bigger first-year contributors in the 2022 Ohio State class.
He took a backseat this season, however. And now he’s looking for a new place to play.
