Ohio State Buckeyes Considered The Best Secondary By PFF

The Ohio State Buckeyes have a lot of talent and depth in the secondary. PFF listed the Buckeyes at No. 1 in all of college football.

Oct 21, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Davison Igbinosun (1), cornerback Jordan Hancock (7) and cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. (24) celebrate during the NCAA football game against the Penn State Nittany Lions at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA

The Ohio State Buckeyes not only have top-end talent in the secondary headed into the 2024 season, but they also have a lot of depth. At the cornerback position, Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun, Jordan Hancock and Jermaine Matthews Jr. lead the group. Although those four are projected to get a majority of the defensive reps, Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Lorenzo Styles Jr., Aaron Scott Jr., Bryce West and Miles Lockhart offer plenty of support in the cornerback room.

At safety, Alabama transfer Caleb Downs and veteran Lathan Ransom are set to be the starters. Malik Hartford, South Carolina transfer Keenan Nelson Jr., Jayden Bonsu and Jaylen McClain will all add additional depth.

There are a ton of excellent players that make up this group and most college football analysts are certainly aware of how good this group could be. Max Chadwick of Pro Football Focus recently placed the Buckeyes at No. 1 in his top 10 secondary rankings.

1. Ohio State
10. Arizona

PFF’s Top 10 Secondaries in College Football⬇️https://t.co/btUvaxrnOC

— PFF College (@PFF_College) July 21, 2024

Not only were the Buckeyes No. 1, but they were the first of five Big Ten schools to make the top 10. The Iowa Hawkeyes were No. 2 even without Cooper DeJean, who is now a member of the Philadelphia Eagles. The Michigan Wolverines rank at No. 4 with Will Johnson leading them from the cornerback spot. The Oregon Ducks rank at No. 5 and the Wisconsin Badgers rank at No. 8. This just goes to show how many defenses in the conference have projected strong secondaries approaching the new season.

As for the Ohio State secondary, part of what will help them in games is that they won't face better wide receiver rooms than what Ohio State has in Columbus. Every day at practice will be a battle between the wide receivers and secondary. Both units have a chance to push each other to greatness.