Freshman All-America cornerback Davison Igbinosun announces transfer to Ohio State football

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State football finally found the cornerback help from the transfer portal it has needed for two seasons.

Davison Igbinosun, a freshman starter at Ole Miss last season, committed to Ohio State on Tuesday, as first reported by On3′s Hayes Fawcett. The freshman All-American per College Football News recently visited Columbus, as well as Michigan, Tennessee and UCLA.

With his combination of starting experience and performance, he immediately jumps into starting consideration for a fairly inexperienced Buckeye cornerback group.

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“I’ve been an Ohio State fan my entire life and everything worked out in my favor to get there,” Igbinosun told On3. “They have a history of producing first-round cornerbacks and I want to be next. Another huge reason is their receiving core. They’re the best wideouts in college football and competing against the best everyday will only make me better.”

Unlike some of OSU’s most successful portal additions, Igbinosun can provide long-term help with three years of eligibility remaining. The Buckeyes were also able to pick up a player Michigan also pursued. Igbinosun visited Ann Arbor after visiting Columbus last week.

The 6-foot-2, 185-pound Igbinosun posted 37 tackles, five pass breakups. A former four-star, top-200 prospect out of Union, New Jersey, he started 10 of 13 games.

Denzel Burke returns as a possible third-year starter for Ohio State. Without adding a transfer, competition for the other starting spot fell to third-year Jordan Hancock — who missed most of last season with a hamstring injury — sophomore Jyaire Brown, redshirt freshman Ryan Turner and incoming freshman Jermaine Mathews and Calvin Simpson-Hunt.

In one season, Igbinosun started more games than the rest of that non-Burke group combined. He will also have three years of eligibility remaining, providing some stability to a group that was carved up by injuries from preseason camp on last year.

Igbinosun is the fifth scholarship player OSU has added from the portal this offseason, joining safety Ja’Had Carter, offensive lineman Vic Cutler (Louisana Monroe), quarterback Tristan Gebbia (Oregon State) and long snapper John Ferlmann (Arizona State).

He could also become the second defensive back to transfer in and start in as many years. Tanner McCalister started 12 of the Buckeyes’ 13 games last season.

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