Last season, Devin Sanchez was thrown into the fire as a freshman. He was the number-one cornerback in the 2025 recruiting class, so the coaching staff wanted to see if he could handle it. Sanchez was up and down during his first year with the Buckeyes.
However, Sanchez started seeing the field more late in the season. This season, he is expected to compete for the starting cornerback position opposite Jermaine Mathews Jr. He thinks he can handle that, and he talked some smack about Ohio State's future opponents.
Devin Sanchez says he's ready to shut down his opponents
After the first day of practice, Sanchez gave a surprising answer when asked about his first reactions to the schedule.
Devin Sanchez looks and sounds like a guy who’s ready to be Ohio State’s No. 1 cornerback: pic.twitter.com/BrMjcFUfwf
— Stephen Means (@Stephen_Means) August 6, 2026
"My first thought when I saw the schedule was Cam Coleman Week 2, Charlie Becker at Indiana, and obviously my boy Dakorien Moore at Oregon. And Evan Stewart, who I know very well. That friendship will be out the window when we're on the field. And when that whistle blows, for that full 60 minutes, it's not a friendship. I gotta go out there, and I gotta beat you. That's what it is and what comes with it."
Sanchez also believes the Ohio State Buckeyes will be making a deep run in the College Football Playoffs.
"We're gonna make the stretch in the playoffs, and whoever I gotta guard, I gotta guard. And it is what it is, and it's going to play out how it plays out."
Sanchez speaks from a place of confidence after the Buckeyes had the best defense in most statistical categories a year ago. In terms of passing defense, they had the best defense in the country by over 30 yards per game. Sanchez thinks he can be a big part of that in 2026.
Matt Patricia instills confidence in the entire Ohio State defense
Bringing Matt Patricia back as the defensive coordinator was a massive moment for the Buckeyes in the offseason. He kept the defense elite after they shut everyone down in the 2024 campaign to win a title. This year, the defense should be even more comfortable in his system.
Despite losing three first-round picks from last year's defense, the Buckeyes are clearly expected to be good by the rest of the coaches in the country. They have Ohio State ranked as the top team in the nation, and by a pretty wide margin. Patricia's return plays a large role in that.
Sanchez is the favorite to win that starting cornerback job. He is battling with transfer Dominick Kelly and true freshman Jay Timmons. Sanchez all but has that starting spot wrapped up based on his play late last season and how he was able to fare during spring practice.
Of course, Sanchez has large expectations to live up to. Being the top cornerback in his class puts a lot of pressure on his shoulders from fans. Based on his confident answer, it looks like he is ready to deal with that pressure in a positive manner.
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