Ohio State’s cornerback room will have rising senior Jermaine Mathews Jr. back for the 2026 season, he announced on Thursday.
The deadline to enter the NFL draft was Wednesday, Jan. 14, and Mathews likely believes he can improve his draft stock by coming back to Columbus for his last season.
Mathews sat behind Denzel Burke for two seasons and earned playing time as a freshman in 2023, even starting two games due to injuries. He ended up making his way into a backup role during the 2024 national championship season. By the end of the year, he was rotating consistently.
He took over as the starter on the outside for his junior season and played well. In 2025, Mathews had 26 tackles, three pass breakups and two interceptions. He also forced a fumble, had 1.5 tackles for loss and one sack, which was a strip sack in the win over Illinois in October.
Mathews is one of three defensive starters returning for the 2026 season, joining defensive end Kenyatta Jackson Jr. and safety Jaylen McClain. Eddrick Houston will also be back next year after losing his starting spot to Tywone Malone Jr. early in the year.
The Buckeyes have also added to the defensive secondary through the transfer portal, getting commitments from former Florida State safety Earl Little Jr., former Duke safety Terry Moore and former Alabama cornerback Cam Calhoun.
