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Sayin, Kienholz ‘neck and neck’ for QB job as St. Clair develops
Lantern Reporter
Expected to stretch into the summer, Ohio State’s quarterback competition is set for the long haul.
Even with the spring game approaching, head coach Ryan Day doesn’t seem close to naming a starter, describing the battle between sophomore Julian Sayin and redshirt sophomore Lincoln Kienholz as a “neck-and-neck” competition.
“Somebody would have to make a or Saturday to really make that move to jump ahead,” Day said Monday.
seven years as head coach that he has elected not to name a starting quarterback in spring camp. The two exceptions came in 2020 and 2022, when Justin Fields and C.J. Stroud, respectively, entered their second years as the starter.
Another player in the mix is true
freshman Tavien St. Clair, who currently sits third on the depth chart behind Sayin and Kienholz.
“I think it’s fair to say that [St. Clair] has probably the longest way to go just because of just the lack of experience,” Day said. “The talent and his ability to run, his athleticism, the arm, he has all those things. He just needs to play more.”
Sayin
Sayin is beginning his second season with Ohio State, after appearing in four games last year.
Originally recruited by former Alabama head coach
QB continues on Page 5
CARLY DAMON | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
PARTY’S OVER
Buckeyes done celebrating National Championship, looking to ‘earn it’ in 2025
Sports Editor
In 2014, the Buckeyes won their eighth national championship.
Despite expectations to go back-toback in 2015, Ohio State lost to Michigan State late in the regular season and missed the four-team College Football
The 2024-25 Buckeyes know the age-old saying that history repeats itself. This year’s team, however, isn’t
putting much stock in it.
After Ohio State’s Jan. 20 national championship win in the debut 12-orabilia was dispersed around the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in celebration.
Nearly three months later, many Buckeye fans are still riding high from the team’s improbable run. But inside the facility, there’s little suggestion of a national title. In fact, the new leaders of the 2025-26 team wanted some of
the remembrances to be taken down.
“The 2014 team, they were great, and the 2015 [team] had more tal-
Hinzman said. “But they were a little undisciplined, and what they did, we don’t want to become a story like that.
and get in the mindset ‘we haven’t earned anything’ has been important for us.”
Star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith — who’s working to be more outspoken
this spring — said the Buckeyes have
“We can’t live in the past,” Smith said. “The 2024 team won the National Championship. This [year’s team], we didn’t.”
New defensive coordinator Matt Patricia said football is unlike any other sport when it comes to trying to repeat as champions.
you win a championship in boxing, the next time you step in the ring, you step
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in as the champ, and you have to defend your title,” Patricia said. “When you win a championship in football, something new — it’s a new season, You’re not defending anything. What you won, you won — that can’t be taken away from you. That was last season.”
Even so, there are still banners hanging on the walls of the indoor there for eternity. The new leaders understand that, but are still doing all they can to eliminate potential distractions.
“We try not to talk about it as much we’ve got to earn it, just like we earnedman Luke Montgomery.
This fresh, focused mindset began just hours after the team’s national championship celebration inside Ohio Stadium Jan. 26.
After the Buckeyes invited fans inside the ‘Shoe to commemorate their historic victory, Ohio State held its champions inside the main meeting room at the Woody.
The seniors — like they had all year — sat in the front, followed by juniors and the underclassmen toward the back.
On that day, all departing players stood out of their chairs, walked to the front of the room and faced the return-
ing players.
It was a changing of the guard. The juniors, as the program’s new leaders,
“It was kind of a ceremony,” head coach Ryan Day said. “You’re now going from being a junior to being a senior that we’re counting on to be a leader. You’re now going from being a freshman to a guy that has to step up
Your role has physically changed in the room by moving down in the team room.”
Throughout the spring, senior defensive lineman Caden Curry said new leaders have emerged who are continuing to progress in their distinct roles, particularly those on the defensive line.
“Me, [Kenyatta Jackson Jr.] and [C.J. Hicks] are all trying to take that leadership role,” Curry said. “We’re trying to push the guys to be the best version of themselves every day. We’re
nator Brian Hartline said the entire program understands this rising team hasn’t accomplished anything quite yet, and these new Buckeyes have a long way to go.
“We were trying to build the map to get to where you wanted to get to,” Hartline said. “But now that we have the map, it doesn’t mean we’ve traveled the path.”
“We can’t live in the past. The 2024 team won the National Championship. This [year’s team], we didn’t.”
- JEREMIAH SMITH
Buckeyes bolster the trenches: e next wave of Ohio State defensive linemen is ready to emerge
Asst. Sports Editor
Develop, gain valuable reps, rise through the depth chart and re peat.
That’s how Ohio State reloads its ev er-talented defensive line units season after season.
After all four of its starting defen sive linemen departed for the 2025 NFL Draft, Ohio State has replaced its front four with a group that’s untest ed, yet brings valuable experience as it attempts to uphold its predecessors’ standard of dominance.
Last season, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau, as well as defensive tackles Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton, led the charge not only in the trenches, but also as team leaders.
Now, defensive linemen Caden Cur ry, Eddrick Houston, Kayden McDon ald and Kenyatta Jackson Jr. — all of Ohio State’s dominant starting de fensive line in the 2024-25 sea son — are the frontrunners to return as the Buckeyes’ top group.
Jackson said it’s vital for the newest group of rushers to follow in the footsteps of Ohio State’s former, always-stout defensive line groups, using the lessons they have learned in seasons past to make an impact.
“We lost four good leaders
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and four good players,” Jackson said.
“I’m just trying to take them piece by piece by piece by piece, you know, continuing that tradition of what the rushmen are.”
Knowles left for Penn State in January. Curry said Patricia has already made an immediate impression, citing his NFL experience with the New England Patriots and Detroit Lions as a factor that will help the line
helping us play better, faster, stronger,” Currynitely helps us kind of push ourselves, and it helps us get better day
Though Ohio State’s starting defensive line group will likely include the four rotational linemen from last season, Patricia still emphasized the importance of having depth.
“I do think that depth is -
ing out exactly what roles those guys can play within the defensive line to have some flexibility to be able to move guys around,”
Patricia
Patricia said the beauty of spring camp is having the ability to move players around on the line. In addition, he believes the Buckeyes have done a great job of adjusting throughout practices
“The guys have done a really good job with the multiplicity of some of the things that we’re do -
ing right now, and moving around and
get an evaluation of it,” Patricia said. “We want to see if we can have some of that depth to put them in those alignments. That’s been pretty impressive.”
Despite the fact depth in the trenches is important and can wear down opposing teams, starting experience and playing time in big moments is certainly invaluable.
The Buckeyes’ revamped defensive line lacks that starting experience, but
victory, the unit is hungry for more andtial it showed last season.
Houston praised the starting defensive line’s leadership from last year, saying he hopes to instill many of that front line’s traits within this season’s group.
“Jack [Sawyer], JT [Tuimoloau], Tyleik [Williams] and Ty [Hamil-
where to go get something, they’d tell me or just [hang] out with the group, getting them closer. There are a lot of
up last year that I need to start doing this year.”
Jackson agreed that adding members of the new defensive line group must establish consistency in their work and routine, just like their predecessors.
“We just got to take on what the guys left for us,” Jackson said. “Spe -
mindset that we had last year, to stay consistent in our toolbox.”
Ohio State spring game
Saturday, April 12
Ohio Stadium Noon on Big Ten Network
QB continued from Page 1
Nick Saban to the Crimson Tide, Sayin joined the Buckeyes in January 2024 after entering the transfer portal following Saban’s retirement.
The top quarterback in the 2024 passes for 84 yards and a touchdown in limited play time as the Buckeyes’ third-string quarterback.
Sayin said he credits quarterbacks coach Billy Fessler for helping him get better every day by improving his fundamentals.
“It’s been good, just trying to get better every day,” Sayin said. “Coach Fes has done a really good job with us, and we’re improving our fundamentals.”
Sayin is one of two viable options to be the Buckeyes’ starter in 2025 and the current favorite amongst fans.
Kienholz, who’s been with the Buckeyes since 2023, begins 2025 as the longest-tenured scholarship quarterback on Ohio State’s roster.
Despite being in Columbus the longest among the three quarterbacks, the Pierre, South Dakota native has only played in three career games, all of which came during the 2023 season.
His most notable appearance was in that year’s Cotton Bowl, at which he completed six of his 17 passes for 86 passing yards in the Buckeyes’ 14-3 loss to Missouri.
Day has previously praised Kienholz’s athleticism and ability to make tough throws.
“You saw his potential on some of the throws that he made,” Day said. “You saw his athleticism show.”
Kienholz said he believes he’s ready for the challenge of being the starter,
both grown over the past three years.
“In past years, I’ve had older guys
in front of me,” Kienholz said. “Getting to learn from them on how to be a leader, and how to take control of the huddle and things like that. Now, I’m the oldest guy in the room, so I feel
need to be a leader for the quarterback room.”
St. Clair enters the season as the newest quarterback in Ohio State’s quarterback room.
The nation’s No. 3 quarterback in the 2025 recruiting class, according to 247 Sports, St. Clair joins the Buckeyes after a storied career at Ohio’s own Bellefontaine High School, where he threw for over 10,000 yards and 100 touchdowns.
-
tition among the Buckeyes’ potential quarterbacks has only helped him improve.
“The guys in the room, we’re the
best in the country, so you just gotta compete every day,” St. Clair said. “At Ohio State, that’s what it breeds. Competition’s what we talk, and that’s what we do. So, really just getting better every day, that’s been all of our focuses, and we’re just ready to work.”
Day said St. Clair has the essential traits he needs to succeed, but he needs to become acclimated to the speed of the college game.
“He needs to see it more,” Day said. “The game is moving really fast for him right now, but he’s picking it up, he’s getting it every day.”
Though St. Clair may be sitting behind Sayin and Kienholz, he’s still getting invaluable reps, which will only increase going forward.
No matter what happens during Saturday’s spring game, Day said he prospects at the quarterback position.
“We have good players,” Day said. “And I think the guys believe that they can do it. It’s just a growing process.”
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CARLY DAMON | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
Frames from the 2024 spring game
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CALEB BLAKE | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
SANDRA FU | PHOTO EDITOR LILY HYNES | LANTERN FILE PHOTO
Shifting gears: NFL veteran Matt Patricia takes over Ohio State’s defense
Lantern Reporter wants to do.”
Afreshbeginning.
That’s how Matt Patricia described his transition from professional coaching to taking over Ohio State’s championship-winning defense.
Patricia is no stranger to winning national titles, but he’s never helped a college team raise a trophy in celebration.
After 20 seasons in the NFL — including three Super Bowl victories with the New England Patriots — Patricia made the rare move to collegeson as Ohio State’s defensive coordinaPatricia said he couldn’t imagine being anywhere else.
“Look, there’s nothing better than Ohio football,” Patricia said. “I know that.”
The upcoming season will mark Pa-ball since 2003, when he served as ancuse.
Now, with changes to name, image and likeness policies — as well as the said the college football landscape is evolving in ways that feel familiar.lege football to me really felt like, ‘Hey, that’s where I want to be,’” Patricia said.
Head coach Ryan Day’s choice to defensive coordinator Jim Knowles — who left for Penn State after three seasons and a national championship — was met with anticipation from many Buckeye fans.
Like Patricia, Day said he recognizes the growing similarities between the NFL and college football, which is why he believes Patricia can excel at the university level.
“It’s a new chapter,” Day said. “He can absolutely come in here and make
As Patricia settles into his new role, he is eager to take it all in, one day at a time.
“I just want to teach,” Patricia said. “I want to mentor, but really, right now, I’ve got to learn. I’ve got to listen. Right now, I feel like I’m the student.”
oritized is recruiting and evaluating young talent. After all, it’s a big shift from watching professional players to assessing the raw potential of high school and college athletes.
Patricia said his approach is rooted in evaluating a player’s speed, strength, power and overall talent.
“It’s been a while since I’ve watched that level of football, just how good it’s gotten,” Patricia said. “You have a vision of what it looked like 25 years ago, and I know we lived our glory days back then too, but the kids are way better now than we ever were.”
During his time in New England, Patricia said he learned the imporbalance between developing strategy and giving his players the freedom to play fast and aggressive.
This approach is one he plans to bring to Ohio State.
“I’m not playing,” Patricia said. “They play the game, so let them them play fast, let them play aggressive.”
As he prepares for Ohio State’s spring game, Patricia said he is learning to adapt to a roster that is vastly
changes following the departures of key players Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau, Tyleik Williams and Ty Hamilton.
In addition to readjusting the line, Patricia has also worked to build relationships with his players, both on
West said Patricia immerses himself in the team environment and, like other coaches, connects with his players on a personal level.
“It’s not always about ball with them,” West said. “It’s about focusing on helping you become a better man and a better player individually.”
Patricia earned a bachelor’s degree in
aeronautical engineering from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. But engineering didn’t compare to his passion for mentoring young players.
Now, Patricia has returned to the college game to do just that at Ohio State.
“I really got into coaching when I left engineering to pursue my passion for working with young men,” Patritheir lives and helping them grow, that’s what college coaches were for me. When you’re in college and tryinguation where we’re in the building all the time, you have problems that come up. And just working with young men, I think it’s so important to have that.”
SANDRA FU | PHOTO EDITOR
From sweeping oors to shaping futures: Logan Hittle’s unorthodox path to success at Ohio State
Sports Editor
LoganHittle was working as a facilities assistant at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in 2018 when he out the trash.
Eron Hodges, former assistant director of player personnel for Ohio State football, was sitting at his desk and looked up at the interruption. He quickly took notice of Hittle.
“You’re a bigger guy,” Hodges said. “Have you ever thought about playing here?”
Hittle answered honestly: The thought had never occurred to him.
But he pondered the idea, imagining what it could be like.
A few months later, the team was holding tryouts, and Hittle had thought enough — he was ready to set the bizarre idea into motion.
He walked onto the indoor practice
white cleats with gold laces.
“Are you here to take out the trash?” asked Phil Matusz, a strength and conditioning coach.
“No coach,” Hittle replied. “I’m here to try out.”
The rest is history.
the 2018 Buckeyes, and he hasn’t looked back since. Seven years later, he’s the associate athletic director of Ohio State’s name, image and likeness
and advising student-athletes in 36 sports through the ever-changing collegiate athletics landscape.
“I had the foresight that getting that job at the Woody and having the chance to walk on was always bigger than football,” Hittle said. “It was always going to lead to the opportunity to work in college athletics, hopefully at Ohio State, but at least somewhere.”
the Fawcett Center, where his framed,
scarlet No. 48 jersey hangs on one wall.
On another wall are nearly a dozen handwritten notes from student-athletes, expressing their gratitude for Hittle’s guidance over the years.
His current setup is a far cry from the janitorial job he took in 2017 to earn “spending money” and help him pay tuition.
“If I’m taking out the trash of a a defensive coordinator, that’s like a 30-second opportunity every day to try and build a little bit of a relationship,” Hittle said.
So, Hittle gave it his all every time he stepped through the door, whether cleaning toilets or taking out trash.
“Logan was great; he was probably one of the best students we’ve ever had,” said Sean Perkins, assistant ath-
letics director of indoor facilities. “We promoted him to student supervisor; he was a self-starter, he was a leader — he led the crew, and he could manage the crew for you.”
himself to try out for the Buckeyes, he ran into a roadblock: He forgot to turn in his mandatory paperwork and thought he had blown his chance of making the team.
Hittle went back to the recruiting mistake. But he wasn’t told he was out of luck. Instead, he realized his determination as a facilities worker was being noticed.
“Certain people, I know who they are,” Hodges said. “He didn’t have to
Hittle had Hodges’ trust already, and that following Wednesday, he was
good to go for tryouts.
A day after his tryout, Hittle was sitting in his American literature class at 11:35 a.m. when he received an email. He had made the cut.
“It was just one of those things that didn’t feel real,” Hittle said.
But Hittle didn’t quit his custodial job just because he made the team. In fact, he consistently went from practices to cleaning shifts.
“It tells you the kind of person he is; it tells you how driven he is; it tells you how loyal and dedicated he is,” Perkins said.
Hittle’s lone snap as a member of the Buckeye football team came Sept. 21, 2019, when Ohio State led Miami (OH) 76-5 in a torrential downpour.
HITTLE continues on Page 9
HITTLE continued from Page 8
Before the game was called early by mutual consent, Hittle and the other walk-ons were put into the game.
“It was a cool moment to be out there with guys who are in similar situations as you,” Hittle said. “There were probably 300 people in the stands. It was probably all of our parents.”
Hittle spent two years on the football team and graduated in December 2019. Soon after, he sat down with then-athletic director Gene Smith and asked him about working in collegiate athletics.
“Leave, get out of here,” Smith said to Hittle. “You can always come back, but go get experience somewhere else to help build your resume.”
Hittle left for the University of Tennessee to serve as a graduate assistant for the school’s football program, helping the Volunteers plan academic
schedules, track educational progress and schedule tutors and mentoring sessions.
A year later, Hittle got a call from Melissa McGhee, director of student-athlete development at Ohiociate director.
“It was a no-brainer,” Hittle said. “I wanted to be at Ohio State anyway. It was incredible because what Gene had
As Hittle began his new job back in Columbus, NIL initiatives started to gain steam in the wider world of college sports.
Carey Hoyt, executive associate athletic director of sport administration and student-athlete development at Ohio State, oversaw the athletic detle to read through related articles and review potential vendors with whom the program could connect.
As more and more schools began
a position he assumed in 2022.
“He is elite in so many ways,” Hoyt said about Hittle. “In the space that we’re in, and NIL and the responsibilities that he has, I don’t know that everyone could handle them. It’s very fast-paced, changes quickly, high-pressure, high-stakes, and he handles it like a pro.”
In his role, Hittle completes a multitude of tasks, whether it’s educating student-athletes on brand building, talking to potential donors about how they can collaborate with student-athletes, researching how jersey sales impact Ohio State and its athletes or pitching why Columbus is the best place for a new recruit.
Hittle said he has helped facilitate more than 5,500 NIL deals and works closely with Ohio State’s 1,100 student-athletes, as well as coaches, administrators, brands, donors, alumni, fans, agents and parents.
“Anybody that interacts with him externally — whether it’s a brand or another professional in Columbus, a donor — everybody is just so impressed with him, and people go out of their way to take note of how special he is,” Hoyt said.
Hittle’s quick rise in the athletics administration landscape was not a surprise to Hoyt, Athletic Director Ross Bjork or Hodges, who is now the associate director of player personnel for Alabama football.
“I had no idea where it was going, but knew that I was willing to take the opportunity to learn and grow with the space,” Hittle said. “I’m so fortunate because this NIL space has allowed me, as a young professional, to develop exponentially fast.”
“Certain people have traits that you can consistently see them climbing,” Hodges said. “And he’s one of those people that I saw those traits when he was changing trash, I saw it when he became a player, even after I left, and I see it now in his ability to navigate NIL.”
Bjork agreed.
“I’ve been so impressed with his talent, his organization, his calmness,” Bjork said. “He’s in a high-pressure environment around the NIL world, and you can’t get too high or too low with his steadiness, and calmness and organization; he puts people at ease.”
ent as he continues to gain diverse experience in the college administration realm. Looking forward, he said he can see himself becoming an athletic director someday, or even the CEO of a company adjacent to college athletics.
Even so, Hittle isn’t worried about the future — he’s focused on the present.
“One of my favorite quotes I have on my wall is, ‘Keep your vision solid,timately, that endpoint and how you want to feel has to stay consistent, but how you’re gonna get there isn’t always going to be a straight line.”
COURTESY OF LOGAN HITTLE
Opinion: C.J. Hicks poised to strengthen Ohio State’s defensive line with transition from linebacker in 2025
Lantern Reporter
Whena highly touted prospect comes to Ohio State, it’s not uncommon for their career to follow a prescribed path.
Typically, freshmen are expecteded playing time. By the time they enter their sophomore and junior years, however, it’s time for them to consistently produce.
But for C.J. Hicks, perhaps a career at Ohio State is not as simple as being a bust or star player.
was ranked as the No. 10 player nationally in the 2022 class, according to 247
but also his true position on the team. played linebacker. Now, as a senior in home at defensive end and contribute to the Buckeyes in a big way.
When Hicks was coming out of Archbishop Alter High School in Dayton, Ohio, his athleticism and talent were never in question. In high school, he played linebacker, wide receiver, running back, and he also ran track. But his skill set hasn’t quite clicked at Ohio State.
For Hicks, this struggle can be chalked up to a mix of coaching turnover and being stuck behind established starters. He was originally recruited by former linebacker coach Al Washington, who left Columbus for enrolled at Ohio State.
Defensive coordinator Jim Knowles then served as Hicks’ linebacker coach for the 2022 and 2023 seasons, followed by James Laurinaitis, who remains in the role. Knowles has since left for Penn State and was replaced by new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia in February.
Before Patricia’s arrival, Hicks had been trying to earn playing time at a position dominated by veteran starters like Steele Chambers, Tommy Eichenberg and Cody Simon. Sonny Styles also switched to linebacker last season, which further cut into Hicks’ opportunity.
The situation seemed to reach a frustrating point last season for Hicks, as rumblings emerged of his potential frustration with his role and lack of playing time.
Many fans even speculated that Hicks would enter the transfer portal. But Hicks didn’t leave the program, on the edge. And the early returns, albeit in spring practice, have been encouraging.
“He’s done an outstanding job thus far,” defensive line coach Larry Johnson said. “He’s bought into what we’re doing, and I think that’s the key, when a guy buys in [and] is like, ‘This is what I want to do.’”
Laurinaitis said he knew Hicks’ potential could be maximized with Patricia — a historically high-quality developer of players — as soon as he was hired.
“It’s funny; when we hired [Patricia], the
was [Hicks],” Laurinaitis said. The relationship between the new defensive coordinator and the new edge rusher has been -
ation of many ever since Patricia was pictured with his arm around Hicks on
For a player who has had to deal with so much coaching turnover, it just might be the last one who unlocks his true potential. And if anyone can help Hicks develop, it will be Patricia.
Patricia compared Hicks to hybrid-outside linebackers and defensive ends that he’s coached in the past, as they have similar skill sets and body frames.
Before landing in Columbus, Patricia was a Super Bowl-winning defensive coordinator for the New England Patriots and had a short stint as the head coach of the Detroit Lions.
Besides praise from coaches, the extend-plicitly voiced its faith in Hicks as an edge rusher by not adding another one from the transfer portal, with the exception of Idaho State transfer Logan George. This comes after the departure of two stars at the position, Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau. Because of this, Hicks will undoubtedly have a role on the 2025 Ohio State defensive line, as well as a valuable chance to make a true impact from the jump.
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Ohio State Football Team Celebrates Student Appreciation Day
Rain, snow or shine, Buckeye Nation always nds a way to support Ohio State sports, and they did just that Saturday afternoon at the 10th Student Appreciation Day.
“Best part is this right here,” Brandon Inniss said. “Getting to interact with the fans and stu like that. ey came out here to watch us. So, it’s just us giving back time right now.”
Buckeyes 2 Watch: ree Freshman to look out for this season
Enjoy spotlights on some of the top recruits joining the Ohio State Football team for the 2025-26 season.
From ve-star quarterback Tavien St. Clair to standout cornerback Devin Sanchez and wide receiver Quincy Porter.
CARLY DAMON | ASST. PHOTO EDITOR
e making of a new freshman phenom: Devin Sanchez embraces the climb at Ohio State
Lantern Reporter
Lastseason, Jeremiah Smith lit the true freshman, rewriting record books can accomplish at Ohio State.
Now, Buckeye fans have their eyes on another rising talent — cornerback Devin Sanchez.
Like Smith, Sanchez is hoping to year wearing scarlet and gray.
“What [Smith] did last year as a true freshman — being able to impact the team like that — obviously, I want that for myself,” Sanchez said. “I’m going to push myself to the limit and try the biggest reason I came here.”
The 18-year-old Houston native is the latest addition to Ohio State’s prestigious “Best in America” lineage of de -
the No. 1 cornerback in the nation, according to 247 Sports, Sanchez arrived in Columbus with sky-high expectations.
But unlike Smith, who burst onto the scene from day one, Sanchez’s ascent might be more of a slow burn — ament and earning his place in one of the most competitive position groups in the country.
For Sanchez, the main challenge of transitioning to college from high school — where he said he’s “been the man” for three years — will be starting from scratch once again.
Still, he’s no stranger to earning his stripes. At North Shore High School — a national powerhouse that regularly ranked among the top 15 teams in the country during Sanchez’s tenure — he before becoming one of the most dominant corners in the United States.
“I think my history is repeating itself,” Sanchez said. “When I went into high school, I was at the bottom and
had to work my way up. I’m at the bottom here, so I [have] to work my way up to the top.”
With a crowded cornerback room led by veterans like Davison Igbinosun, Jermaine Matthews Jr. and Lorenzo Styles Jr., Sanchez is likely slotted as the No. 4 corner heading into the spring game. Nevertheless, head coach Ryan Day said the freshman’s diligent approach is exactly what the Buckeyes want to see.
“He’s out there competing, and he’s doing some good things,” Day said. “He’s also making some mistakes, and learning from that and growing. [Sanchez] has the right mindset and just needs to continue to get reps under his belt and grow from it.”
Co-defensive coordinator and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton — a key State — echoed Day’s emphasis on balancing expectations with development.
“I don’t ever like to put expectations on guys; I like to let them go play,” Walton said. “But he’s doing well. He’s
learn. We’re pleased with his progression so far.”
Regardless of the cornerback room, knows nothing is just given at Ohio State. His focus isn’t on the hype, but rather on earning everything he de -
serves.
“Anybody can say, ‘Oh, he’s going to play this year,’ but I actually gotta prove it,” Sanchez said. “I just gotta come out here, work and earn that spot.”
It may not happen overnight, but Sanchez is betting on himself — and if history indeed repeats itself, it won’t be long before he climbs from the bottom and stakes his claim as the next breakout star in Columbus.
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