Elite Ohio State freshman is already saying the right things that makes you think he’s going to be a star from the jump in Columbus
It isn’t every year that a freshman comes in and has an impact like Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith did last season. Really, it isn’t even every decade.
Ohio State doesn’t have a Smith clone in their freshman class that is mostly on campus at this point. The Buckeyes did bring in an elite defender who has the chance to have a bigger impact than most do in Year 1.
Devin Sanchez was the top cornerback coming out of high school and he’s already fitting in with the Buckeyes this spring. The Texas native has the perfect approach to getting acclimated as a member of the team.
“I can’t let what people say on the net get to me because anybody can say, ‘Oh, he’s gonna play this year.’ But I just gotta prove it,” Sanchez said recently. “So I just gotta come out here, work and earn that spot.”
The Buckeyes lost Denzel Burke and Jordan Hancock to the draft and will have two spots open in their defensive backfield there. Jermaine Mathews Jr. is set to take a step forward and sophomores Aaron Scott and Bryce West both are competing for playing time. Davison Igbinosun is the top starter in the room after he decided to return for another season.
Sanchez arrived in Columbus with a college-ready frame at 6-foot-2 and 185 pounds. The No. 5 overall player in the class of 2025 has a chance to carve out a serious role, potentially even starting for the defense in his first season. The approach that Sanchez is taking is impressive. Not often you hear highly touted recruits being openly okay with working their way up, even if they’re more talented than some already on the depth chart.
“When I went into high school, the high school I went to we were a powerhouse, so I was at the bottom there and I had to work my way up,” Sanchez said. “And I feel like that’s just repeating itself here. I’m at the bottom here, I put myself at the bottom so I have to work my way up to the top. So just going against these guys, they’re competing every day, you’re not gonna get a day off where receivers are just coming out here just BSing.”
Sanchez is already impressing folks in the limited time that media has been able to view. There isn’t a freshman in this class who has a better chance of being a real contributor in Year 1.
It looks like the Buckeyes have gone into Texas and landed another great one. Only a matter of time before we see it play out on the field.
