{"id":560354,"date":"2026-04-02T14:41:07","date_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:41:07","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/560354\/"},"modified":"2026-04-02T14:41:07","modified_gmt":"2026-04-02T14:41:07","slug":"five-star-freshman-jay-timmons-making-early-push-for-playing-time-in-ohio-states-secondary-gonna-be-a-very-special-player","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/560354\/","title":{"rendered":"Five-Star Freshman Jay Timmons Making Early Push for Playing Time in Ohio State\u2019s Secondary: \u201cGonna Be A Very Special Player\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n When Jeremiah Smith was asked last week who had stood out to him on the defensive side of the ball, the star Ohio State receiver\u2019s mind immediately went to a freshman defensive back. <\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cJay Timmons,\u201d Smith said. \u201cGonna be a very special player for us, for sure.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\tA five-star cornerback ranked as the No. 24 overall prospect<\/a> in 247Sports\u2019 composite rankings for the 2026 class, Timmons is already making a big impression on his Ohio State coaches and teammates through six practices, giving him a chance to earn an immediate role in the secondary as a freshman.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cCompetitive. Got his hands on another ball today,\u201d Ryan Day said Tuesday of Timmons. \u201cI’m not exactly in his meetings with (secondary coach Tim Walton), but you can tell he’s prepared when he steps on the field. He’s got a physicality to him, a toughness to him, an edginess to him, which you’re looking for with a defensive back. And gritty. And productive. Made one play early on that was tremendous, a huge interception. So if he keeps playing like that, he’s going to find himself on the field.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\tRyan Day says five-star freshman cornerback Jay Timmons is going to find himself on the field if he continues to perform the way he has through his first six practices as a Buckeye. pic.twitter.com\/TObfdUW8Lw<\/a>\n\t<\/p>\n

\t\u2014 Eleven Warriors (@11W) April 1, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n

\n\tThere\u2019s plenty of recent precedent for freshmen to make an immediate impact in Ohio State\u2019s secondary \u2013 especially prospects as highly touted as Timmons. Just last year, five-star prospect Devin Sanchez played 323 snaps as a true freshman, making one start while otherwise serving as Ohio State\u2019s top backup cornerback. In 2023, Jermaine Mathews Jr. played 192 snaps with one start as Ohio State\u2019s top backup cornerback as a true freshman, most notably playing a crucial role in place of an injured Denzel Burke in a 20-12 win over Penn State. Burke was an immediate starter at cornerback as a true freshman in 2021 and continued to start at cornerback for the Buckeyes for four years.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tKnowing what it takes to earn immediate playing time in Ohio State\u2019s secondary, Mathews believes Timmons and fellow freshman cornerback Jordan Thomas have the ability to be even better than he was as a freshman.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cThose two, they compete very well. Jordan is the type of guy that he’s trying to just get his reps; he’s just trying to play, he’s just trying to go 100% all the time. Jay’s more technical and a little smart,\u201d Mathews said. \u201cSo I like both of those two freshmen, they’re gonna help the Buckeyes in the future.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cTo be honest, I think they’re more talented than I was as a freshman. I think my (high school) coach, he kind of put me in a different league, as far as mentally, because I knew a lot coming in. But athletically and just technique and all that, they’re kind of better than me how I was as a freshman coming in. It\u2019s just spring ball, this is their first couple practices with the Buckeyes, but they’re going to be very good. Mark that. They’re going to be very good.\u201d\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED Jermaine Mathews Jr. Returned to Ohio State for \u201cUnfinished Business\u201d After Disappointing End to 2025 Season<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tAt 5-foot-11 and 180 pounds with experience playing cornerback, safety and nickel in high school, Timmons brings an intriguing skill set to the Buckeyes. Demonstrating plenty of physicality despite his below-average size for an outside cornerback, Timmons is demonstrating that he has the ability to contribute at multiple spots in Ohio State\u2019s defensive backfield.\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tHe isn\u2019t likely to start as a freshman, as Mathews and Sanchez are in line to start at outside cornerback while Earl Little Jr., Jaylen McClain and either Terry Moore or Leroy Roker III are expected to be Ohio State\u2019s starting safeties. But he\u2019s firmly in the competition to be Ohio State\u2019s top backup cornerback, a competition that also includes Alabama transfer Cam Calhoun and Georgia transfer Dominick Kelly, along with Thomas. He\u2019s also a strong candidate to back up Little at nickel and potentially see action in situations where Ohio State wants three cornerbacks on the field rather than three safeties, along with an option to be the sixth defensive back on the field in dime packages.\n<\/p>\n

\n\tRELATED Earl Little Jr. A \u201cBright Spot,\u201d Helping Recreate Caleb Downs\u2019 Role at Safety for Ohio State<\/a>\n<\/p>\n

\n\tWhat exactly Timmons\u2019 role will look like in year one is still to be determined between the rest of spring and in preseason camp. But it certainly sounds like Timmons is living up to the hype so far, and Day said Tuesday that Ohio State will look for ways to get its talented freshmen on the field if they prove they\u2019re ready to play.\n<\/p>\n

\n\t\u201cI think the first thing we always want to do is win the game, as we know, but then from there, we want to put the best players on the field,\u201d Day said. \u201cThere are guys that deserve to play, and if they earn that right in practice, then we got to put them in the game.\u201d\n<\/p>\n