Jermaine Mathews Jr. is quietly having his best season at Ohio State

There’s an old rule about cornerbacks — If you aren’t hearing a corner’s name, he’s probably doing his job.

Nobody talks about the corner when the ball goes somewhere else, when the receiver he’s covering finishes with two catches, or when a third-down throw falls incomplete because the quarterback never pulled the trigger.

By that standard, Jermaine Mathews Jr. is having a great season.

Through six games, the senior hasn’t been the most talked about player in Ohio State’s secondary. Jaylen McClain and Earl Little Jr have been the leaders on the back end, Devin Sanchez has gotten plenty of attention (some good, some not), and Jay Timmons has been the freshman everyone wants back.

Mathews has been one of the most consistent player in the room. In my opinion, it’s the most composed and under control I’ve seen him in his time in Columbus.

Mathews came back with something to prove

To understand why this season matters, you have to remember how last season ended.

For the first 12 games of 2025, Mathews was a really good No. 2 corner. He allowed only 20 catches for 173 yards and one touchdown on 36 targets during the regular season, then earned third-team All-Big Ten honors.

Then came the postseason. In the Big Ten Championship Game against Indiana, he gave up four catches on four targets for 68 yards. That included the 17-yard touchdown from Fernando Mendoza to Elijah Sarratt that decided the 13-10 loss, plus a 33-yard completion to Charlie Becker that all but sealed it.

Mathews also gave up four catches for 40 yards in the playoff loss to Miami.

Mathews admitted this offseason that his NFL decision was, “like 50-50.” He chose to come back, saying he had plays he wanted back and calling the end of 2025 the first real adversity he’d faced at Ohio State. He also said he wanted to improve his physicality against the run and get better in press coverage.

So far, he’s done exactly that.

Quiet in coverage, loud as a tackler

Mathews hasn’t intercepted a pass yet this season, and that’s probably part of why he hasn’t gotten much attention. But the coverage numbers tell a different story.

Pro Football Focus had him with a 76.2 coverage grade through five games, and quarterbacks had a passer rating of only 76.1 when throwing his way. There haven’t been any busted coverages, panicked grabs at the top of routes or big plays he’s had to chase down from behind.

Mathews has been in position, he’s played the ball, and when a receiver has caught one in front of him, he’s made the tackle.

The tackling might be the biggest difference from previous years. Mathews had a career-high 1.5 tackles for loss at Texas and then set a new career high with seven tackles against Illinois. He’s already at 19 tackles through five games, compared to 26 in all 14 games last season.

When Ohio State has needed someone to come up and stop a screen or set the edge against the run, he’s been there. That was exactly what he said he wanted to improve, and it’s showing up on film every week.

His versatility has mattered too. With Timmons missing the last two games with a hamstring injury, Ohio State has had to shuffle its secondary. Mathews has played both outside and in the slot during his career, which gives the coaches options when the depth chart gets thin.

The best is coming at the right time

Against Maryland, Mathews and Sanchez had what was probably their best combined game of the season.

As I wrote after the game, Ohio State’s secondary vs. Maryland’s receivers decided the game. Malik Washington finished with 64 passing yards, the lowest total of his career.

Chris Durr Jr., who entered Saturday second nationally in catches per game, had four receptions for 15 yards. Maryland never found any room outside the numbers, and that starts with the two corners.

Now comes the game Mathews has probably been thinking about since December.

Ohio State travels to Indiana on Saturday for a rematch of the Big Ten title game. Mendoza and Sarratt are gone, but Becker is still there, and Josh Hoover just hit Nick Marsh for touchdowns of 75 and 44 yards in the fourth quarter to beat Nebraska.

Indiana’s offense lives on explosive plays, and the corners will be tested on the outside.

If Mathews and Sanchez build on what they did against Maryland, Ohio State’s defense is in a great spot. And if Mathews has the same kind of quiet day in Bloomington, where nobody says his name because nobody can complete a pass on him, that might be the best way for him to put last December behind him for good.