Ohio State Buckeyes Star Lands Shockingly Low Rating

This Ohio State Buckeyes star has not been playing up to par this season.

Aug 31, 2024; Columbus, OH, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Denzel Burke (10) celebrates an interception during the first half of the NCAA football game against the Akron Zips at Ohio Stadium. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK

Going into the Ohio State Buckeyes' season, Denzel Burke was widely viewed as one of the top cornerbacks in the country, and he was certainly considered the best corner on Ohio State.

But things have taken a rather strange twist.

Burke has surprisingly labored through the first two months of 2024, and during the Buckeyes' loss to the Oregon Ducks, he allowed eight catches for 179 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

But Burke's struggles extend beyond what happened at Oregon in Week 7. He has been oddly pedestrian all season long, so much so that Pro Football Focus has actually rated him as Ohio State's worst cornerback thus far (h/t Eleven Warriors).

Burke has landed a 61.7 grade through 265 snaps, placing him last out of the team's seven corners. Now, to be fair, a few of the Buckeyes' other players at the position do not have nearly the same type of volume as Burke, but it still speaks to how disappointing he has been this year.

Not only was Burke hailed as one of the most impressive cornerbacks in the nation heading into 2024, but he was also on the radar as a potential first-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.

Needless to say, Burke's status has clearly taken a hit.

The 21-year-old has logged 20 tackles and a couple of interceptions through his first six games of the campaign.

Burke will get a chance to redeem himself when Ohio State takes on the Nebraska Cornhuskers this Saturday.