Jay Timmons is in position to do something Ohio State has not seen since 2021: start on defense as a freshman in a season opener. The Buckeyes freshman has taken most of the first-team snaps at nickel back in preseason camp, and he could carry that work into the Ball State game if Ryan Day goes with the young defender.
That is why Mccuin Ohio State is drawing attention now. Day has not confirmed the defensive starters, but the path for Timmons is clear. Ohio State entered camp with open spots in the secondary, including nickel back, after Lorenzo Styles Jr. finished his eligibility and was picked in the fifth round of the NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. Jermaine Mathews Jr. worked at nickel back during the spring game, yet when camp began on Aug. 6 it was Timmons who lined up there for most first-team reps.
He has kept making the case. Timmons recorded a sack during an 11-on-11 period and lost his black stripe on the sixth day of preseason camp, two signs that the staff has seen enough to keep him in the mix. Day has said freshmen who earn trust with teammates and coaches will get chances and more reps, and Timmons has done that while standing out as a tough, instinctive player.
The size of the opportunity is what makes this stand out. If Timmons starts, he would become the first Ohio State freshman to start on defense in a season opener since 2021, when Denzel Burke started at cornerback against Minnesota. Burke remains the only freshman defender under Day whose first appearance came as a starter, which is a reminder of how rarely Ohio State gives that job to a first-year player.
Timmons arrived at Ohio State as a 5-foot-11, 191-pound recruit ranked 25th overall by 247Sports out of Pine-Richland High School in Gibsonia, Pennsylvania. He was the third-highest rated player in Ohio State's Class of 2026, flipped his commitment from Florida State in November, and came in with the kind of reputation that suggested he might not wait long to play.
The catch is that nothing is official yet. Day still has not named his starters for Ball State, and the final call will show whether the coaching staff is ready to trust a freshman in a role that often has to sort coverage, tackle in space and survive quick decisions from the slot. For now, Timmons is the favorite, and Ohio State's opener may tell whether that early trust turns into a first start.
