The Buckeyes didn’t think twice about their next step after standout cornerback Denzel Burke was forced to leave Ohio State’s game against Purdue two weeks ago due to an injury. Jermaine Mathews Jr., a rookie, took over at the field corner position, while Davison Igbinosun, a sophomore, moved to the boundary corner.
The following week, Jim Knowles, the defensive coordinator for the Scarlet and Gray, complimented Mathews, stating that he had “moxie.”
Knowles went on, “From the beginning, he demonstrated a willingness to compete against some of the nation’s top receivers.” “Therefore, you believe a young guy has a chance when you see him do that.”
Mathews claimed to have heard what Knowles had to say about him but that he still had to check up what “moxie” meant. Although he couldn’t recall the word’s exact Merriam-Webster definition, he was aware of its positive connotations.
Mathews was used again last weekend after making two tackles and playing a career-high 25 snaps against the Boilermakers. This time, it was against Penn State in a top-10 matchup that was a part of FOX’s Big Noon Nickoff.
Due to Burke’s injury, Mathews played in 47 defensive plays, more than double his season total, and recorded a career-high three tackles. Along the way to winning College Football Network’s Freshman of the Week, he also managed one pass break up against the Nittany Lions. Going one-on-one with Penn State’s top receiver, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, he denied him a completion on one of Ohio State’s 15 consecutive third down stops during the game.
On the play, Mathews physically assaulted Lambert-Smith, which made the receiver look for a flag. However, Mathews turned to look for the ball, therefore there was no penalty.
This week, Knowles remarked of Mathews, “He doesn’t flinch.” “He turned to face the ball at a press conference, and he executed the shot on a grand scale. That, in my opinion, speaks for itself. He has a great deal of naturalness. He also absorbs coaching nicely. And no matter how hard you coach him, he never gives up.
It wasn’t always the case that the Buckeye staff was so confident in Mathews.
Mathews, who is from Cincinnati, did not receive a scholarship offer from Ohio State until June 2022. That only happened after three-star prospect Mathews visited a Buckeye camp and dominated in drills where he faced off against players one-on-one, calling out to the Scarlet and Gray staff to pass to him after each basket.
Shortly after, Mathews received the offer and on July 1, 2022, he committed to Ohio State. With his recruitment ranking rising to a top-150 player, Mathews rapidly garnered offers from other elite universities, such as Michigan and Clemson, but he chose to remain at his home state university.
This week, Mathews stated, “I feel like everything just happened for a reason.” And I consider myself quite fortunate to be in this role. I thus basically pay attention to everything and never take anything for granted.
This was Mathews’ strategy for obtaining an offer from the Buckeyes, and it has been his mode of operation ever since he arrived on campus. As a rookie, Mathews has been likened to Burke: a self-assured athlete who is willing to take on challenges and go one-on-one with the Scarlet and Gray’s top receivers during practice.
This week, Mathews stated, “I feel like everything just happened for a reason.” And I consider myself quite fortunate to be in this role. I thus basically pay attention to everything and never take anything for granted.
This was Mathews’ strategy for obtaining an offer from the Buckeyes, and it has been his mode of operation ever since he arrived on campus. As a rookie, Mathews has been likened to Burke: a self-assured athlete who is willing to take on challenges and go one-on-one with the Scarlet and Gray’s top receivers during practice.
