2023 Ohio State Commit Jermaine Mathews Named Division II Defensive Player Of The Year

Mathews intercepted six passes this season and returned three of them for touchdowns.

Ohio State four-star cornerback commit Jermaine Mathews was named the Division II Defensive Player of the Year on Wednesday afternoon by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association.

🏈#OHSAA FOOTBALL: The Division II and III@OhioPrepWriters All-Ohio teams have been announced. Check them out here➡️ https://t.co/49mKohYc88 pic.twitter.com/588al1M99O

— OHSAA Sports (@OHSAASports) December 7, 2022

The 6-foot-0 and 175-pound Mathews recorded 51 tackles, 20 pass break ups, six interceptions, five tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three defensive scores to lead Cincinnati Winton Woods to the regional finals this fall.

Mathews, who committed to the Buckeyes in July over finalists Cincinnati, Jackson State, LSU, Oklahoma and Penn State, also had four receptions for 58 yards and one touchdown and returned one kickoff and one punt for a score for the Warriors.

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That said, Mathews wasn’t the only Ohio State commit honored this week, as 2023 Cleveland Glenville four-star linebacker Arvell Reese was named the Division IV Defensive Player of the Year on Tuesday.

Sunbury Big Walnut four-star athlete Garrett Stover, the lone in-state commitment in the class of 2024, was also a first-team all-state selection at the Division II level. The Division I All-Ohio teams will be announced on Thursday, meanwhile.

That group should include four-star offensive linemen Luke Montgomery (Findlay), Joshua Padilla (Huber Heights Wayne) and Austin Siereveld (Liberty Township Lakota East), as well as four-star defensive tackle Will Smith Jr. (Dublin Coffman) and four-star safety Malik Hartford (West Chester Lakota West).

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