For the third time this week, the Buckeyes have landed a verbal commitment in the 2023 recruiting class. And for the third time this week, it’s a cornerback.
On Monday, it was four-star Georgia prospect Kayin Lee. Then on Thursday it was four-star Texas corner Calvin Simpson-Hunt. And today, it is four-star Ohio cornerback Jermaine Mathews.
Mathews, who attends Winton Woods in Cincinnati, took his official visit to OSU two weeks ago, which helped solidify his decision.
Mathews earned an offer from the Buckeyes on June 1 following a strong camp showing at OSU’s first one-day prospect camp. He showed up and performed extremely well in front of Ohio State’s entire defensive staff, which also included him ripping off a 4.35 40-yard dash.
At Ohio State’s camp, Mathews measured in at 6-0 and 178 pounds. He is the top 2023 cornerback prospect in Ohio and saw his recruiting rankings jump from three stars to four stars in the week following his performance.
Prior to his Ohio State official visit, he also camped at LSU and turned in one of the best individual performances on the day. The Tigers followed up with an offer. Oklahoma and Alabama also extended offers in June as well.
Mathews is the 24th-ranked “athlete” in the 2023 class and the No. 373 prospect overall. He is the No. 9 player in Ohio. He committed to Ohio State over offers from LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Cincinnati, Missouri, Kentucky, Pittsburgh, Jackson State, and others.
The Buckeyes now have four cornerbacks committed in the 2023 recruiting class, as Mathews joins Dijon Johnson and the aforementioned duo that was already added this week. Johnson is a four-star prospect out of Tampa, Florida. He is ranked the No. 11 cornerback nationally and the No. 95 player overall. Kayin Lee is the No. 18 cornerback and the No. 145 prospect nationally. Calvin Simpson-Hunt is ranked the No. 22 cornerback and No. 173 player overall in the 2023 cycle.
The Ohio State recruiting class now stands at 16 players and ranks first nationally in the 247Sports Composite class rankings.