The Buckeyes just secured a signature from the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association's Division II Defensive Player of the Year.
MATHEWS PROFILE
Hometown: Cincinnati, Ohio
High School: Winton Woods
Size: 6-foot-0, 175 pounds
Composite Ranking:★★★★
Commitment Date: July 1, 2022
Recruitment Recap: Jermaine Mathews showed up to Ohio State’s one-day camp in June with a chip on his shoulder, believing that the Buckeyes should have offered him a scholarship long before ran a 4.35-second dash and locked down the best receivers on campus.
His performance not only caught the eye of defensive coordinator Jim Knowles and secondary/cornerbacks coach Tim Walton, but it also had several current players pleading with the staff to extend a scholarship offer that afternoon.
Alabama, LSU, Oklahoma and Penn State quickly followed suit, and Mathews – who initially planned to make his decision from the likes of Cincinnati, Kentucky, Pittsburgh and West Virginia – suddenly had several premier schools to consider.
Mathews ultimately committed to Ohio State on July 1, exactly one month after earning his offer. Meanwhile, Miami (Fla.) was hoping to get him on campus in an effort to flip him late in the process, but he reaffirmed his pledge to the Buckeyes earlier this month.
Evaluation: "Mathews’ aggressiveness and physicality immediately stand out on his tape, but it wasn’t until he used his length and 4.35-second speed to disrupt the best receivers at Ohio State’s one-day camp on June 1 that he became a highly sought-after prospect. His confidence will serve him well when he’s left alone on the boundary at the next level.
"Mathews was recently named the Division II Defensive Player of the Year by the Ohio Prep Sportswriters Association after he recorded 51 tackles, 20 pass break ups, six interceptions, five tackles for loss, four forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries and three defensive scores to lead Cincinnati Winton Woods to the regional finals this fall."
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