‘I’m Not Freshman Devin No More’: Devin Sanchez Steps Into a Starting Role Under Matt Patricia
Devin Sanchez arrived at Ohio State with as much fanfare as any defensive back in the country, the No. 1-ranked cornerback in the 2025 class, who committed to the Buckeyes at the All-American Bowl. A freshman season spent absorbing lessons on the field has him entering 2026 sounding like a completely different player, and under Matt Patricia’s system, he’s getting the chance to prove it.
“I’m probably one of the only freshmen that played however many games we played. So I learned a lot throughout the season, had a lot of ups and downs,” Sanchez said, reflecting on a first year that threw him into significant playing time as a true freshman on one of the nation’s best defenses. That experience, unusual for a first-year cornerback at a program with Ohio State’s depth, has shaped how he talks about his own game heading into his sophomore season. “I like to use the Miami game as an example. I feel like that game I came out of my shell,” he said. “I learned that if I slow down in the college game, I can really be an impact player on this field.”
The confidence in his own words this offseason has been hard to miss. “I feel like I can be one of the best corners in the nation. I’m gonna be one of the best corners in the nation,” Sanchez said, adding a phrase that has quickly become his signature going into the year: “I’m not freshman Devin no more.” It’s the kind of statement that invites scrutiny, but Sanchez has also talked about embracing the pressure that comes with it. “That’s what I’m used to. I’m used to being the guy that the defense called on, the team called on when it gets into that fourth quarter and you need that one stop. Being a sophomore and being a starter, you have to lead at some point. I got to be that leader on the defense.”
Leading a Retooled Room
That leadership responsibility matters more given who’s playing around him. Ohio State lost cornerback Davison Igbinosun to the NFL draft, leaving Sanchez as a headlining piece of the secondary alongside returning starter Jermaine Mathews Jr. and true freshman five-star Jay Timmons, who has already worked into the lineup at nickel back. Rather than a room full of proven veterans, Patricia’s cornerback group leans heavily on Sanchez setting the tone.
Scheme-wise, Sanchez fits the kind of aggressive, disguise-heavy coverage concepts Matt Patricia has built his reputation on, the sort of system that asks corners to play fast and trust their eyes rather than sit back in a single deep-third assignment all game. For a player who has already described wanting to be the guy the defense calls on in the fourth quarter, that fits.
The Real Measuring Stick in Austin
Ohio State’s cornerbacks held Ball State to 120 passing yards in the season opener, a solid if unremarkable data point against an overmatched opponent. The far tougher test comes in Austin, where Texas’s Cam Coleman and Ryan Wingo give Sanchez and the rest of the secondary a legitimate measuring stick. If Sanchez plays anything like the corner he says he’s become, Ohio State’s defense will have exactly the kind of difference-maker in the back end that Matt Patricia‘s scheme is designed to create.
What stands out most about Sanchez’s own account of his freshman year is how little it resembles a highlight reel. He talks about ups and downs, about slowing the game down, about learning in real time rather than arriving already finished. That kind of honesty from a former five-star recruit is rare, and it’s part of why his confidence heading into 2026 reads less like bravado and more like a player who has actually done the work to back it up. Ohio State’s defense needs that version of Sanchez against a Texas offense that will test every rep he’s earned.
