COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State doesn’t need Devin Sanchez to be a promising young cornerback anymore. The Buckeyes need him to become the player opposing quarterbacks avoid.
The sophomore cornerback played in every situation imaginable as a true freshman. Some weeks he logged 40 or 50 snaps. Others, he barely saw the field. The experience taught him patience. Now, it has prepared him for a much different role entering 2026.
Ohio State isn’t asking Sanchez to simply contribute anymore or compete for meaningful snaps. The Buckeyes are counting on him to lead the secondary and he’s preparing to shadow the best wide receivers on Ohio State’s schedule.
And that’s exactly how he wants it.
“I feel like these guys are counting on me to go out there and guard the No. 1 receiver,” Sanchez said after Ohio State’s first fall camp practice. “I’m counting on myself. My family’s counting on me and this whole fan base is counting on me. It’s a big task, but I’m not scared of it.”
That confidence wasn’t always there.
Sanchez admitted his freshman season came with growing pains. Some weeks he played 40 or 50 snaps before seeing his role shrink the following game. Rather than becoming frustrated, he said he learned to stay ready because his opportunity could come at any moment.
Now entering Year 2, Sanchez believes the game has slowed down.
“I feel like my old self,” he said. “I feel very comfortable out there… I’m very confident that I can go out here and play with anybody in the country.”
Sanchez credited defensive backs coach Tim Walton for pushing him through uncomfortable situations, saying Walton has coached him harder than ever because he knows what Sanchez is capable of becoming.
“If I’m comfortable, then this is not the place for me,” Sanchez said. “Guarding JJ [Jeremiah Smith] every practice… that’s uncomfortable. You’ve got to be a real stud to go out there and do that.”
Those daily battles against Smith have convinced Sanchez he can now line up against anyone. He called Smith the best receiver in the country and said competing against him every day has accelerated his development more than anything else.
“Going against him made me realize I can guard anybody in the country,” Sanchez said.
Sanchez isn’t hiding from the schedule, either.
When Ohio State’s 2026 slate was released, his eyes immediately went to the receivers he’d be matched up against. He specifically mentioned Cam Coleman, Charlie Becker, Dakorien Moore and Evan Stewart as challenges he’s looking forward to, adding that friendships disappear once the game begins.
Those matchups also fit into the lofty goals Sanchez has set for himself.
He called his freshman season “okay,” saying it wasn’t the standard he expects. This season, his sights are set considerably higher.
“My main goal is to get that Thorpe,” Sanchez said. “Become an All-American… I feel like there’s no better corner in the country than me.”
Confidence alone won’t determine whether Sanchez reaches those goals. But after one season of learning what it takes to play cornerback at Ohio State, he no longer sounds like a player hoping he’s ready. He sounds like one expecting to prove it, and even hungry to prove it.
Photo via Ohio State Dept. of Athletics.
