The Ohio State Buckeyes had the best freshman in the country last season. His name was Jeremiah Smith, and he's back for much more as a sophomore wide receiver.
What if OSU repeats that trick this season?
Ohio State fans are already fired up on social media about a defensive freshman who actually wears the same No. 4 that Smith does on offense.
His name: Devin Sanchez.
Devin Sanchez is Jeremiah Smith on defense.
— Mekka Don (@MekkaDonMusic) July 31, 2025
Sanchez was a five-star recruit out of North Shore High School in the Houston area.
He measures up at 6-foot-2 and 180 pounds, according to 247Sports, and at his age, could very well still be growing and getting stronger.
On 247Sports, Sanchez was ranked as the No. 5 recruit nationally in his class, including the top corner.
Some Buckeyes fans are pushing back on the early hype, saying that no one would live up to the bar set by Smith as a freshman.
It's also trickier to measure the impact of one cornerback on a game than one wide receiver.
But clearly, Sanchez is doing the right things in the early going to create this hype train at all.
Ohio State is loaded with four- and five-star recruits, so it's rare that the Buckeyes even need a freshman to step into a huge role right away.
Sanchez seems like the kind of talent who is ready to do so.
And he probably gets his toughest test in practice each day, when he lines up across from Smith. After doing that, Sanchez should be ready for anything another team could throw at him.
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