Computed from every play, garbage time excluded. FBS rank among players with enough volume
| Defense | Value | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Havoc plays | 6 | 159th / 2575 |
| Tackles for loss | 1 | 1083rd / 1913 |
| Run stops | 4 | 1624th / 3263 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| Pass breakups | 5 | — |
| Interceptions | 0 | — |
| Forced fumbles | 0 | — |
| Tackles | 24 | — |
Where Jr.'s plays went: throw and catch spots, air yards and yards after the catch, read from the play-by-play
The play-by-play names the defender on breakups, interceptions and tackles, but not the man in coverage on every throw, so true times-targeted isn't in the text. Coverage plays is the closest stand-in; exact targets come from hand charting.
4 seasons since 2014 · box-score totals, snap share estimated from play-by-play
| Season | Team | G | Snaps | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD | Havoc |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 so far | Ohio State#2 · 6-1 | 7 | 92% | 27 | 1.5 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 6 |
| 2025 | Ohio State#2 · 12-2 | 12 | 61% | 26 | 1.5 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 2 |
| 2024 | Ohio State#1 · 14-2 | 12 | 19% | 22 | 2.5 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | Ohio State#4 · 11-2 | 6 | 25% | 11 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 0 |
Past seasons are summed from ESPN box scores; success rates and snap shares come from the play-by-play. Jermaine Mathews Jr.'s team rank is that season's final TDC rank. A dash means the stat wasn't recorded.
Jermaine Mathews Jr.'s box score, game by game, from ESPN, with a 0–10 game score for each (hover it for how it works). Click a result for the full game
FBS rank among qualifying players
| Defense | 2026 | FBS rank |
|---|---|---|
| Tackles | 27 | 565th / 5410 |
| Solo | 16 | — |
| Tackles for loss | 1.5 | 1056th / 2452 |
| Sacks | 0 | — |
| QB hurries | 0 | — |
| Passes defended | 5 | 31st / 1591 |
| Defensive TD | 0 | — |
Estimated snaps from a model trained on real NFL snap counts. Ranges in brackets are where the real number lands 80% of the time: wide for a single game, tighter over the season. How it works
| Game | Start | Opp. plays | Est. snaps | Plays made | Penalties | Snap share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wk 1 · Ball State | ✓ CB | 60 | ~49 (20–52) | 2 | · | 82% |
| Wk 2 · Texas | ✓ CB | 78 | ~66 (27–70) | 5 | · | 85% |
| Wk 3 · Kent State | — | 55 | ~53 (21–55) | 3 | · | 96% |
| Wk 4 · Illinois | ✓ CB | 71 | ~64 (26–68) | 8 | · | 90% |
| Wk 5 · Iowa | ✓ CB | 52 | ~51 (21–52) | 4 | · | 98% |
| Wk 6 · Maryland | ✓ CB | 53 | ~52 (21–53) | 3 | · | 98% |
| Wk 7 · Indiana | — | 69 | ~66 (27–69) | 6 | 1 | 96% |
| Season | 5 GS | 438 | 401 (304–438) | 31 | 1 | 92% |
21 DBs on the Ohio State roster, ordered by tkl
| # | Player | Pos | Class | Tkl | TFL | Sacks | INT | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Earl Little Jr. | S | SR | 38 | 0 | 0 | — | 4 |
| 8 | Jaylen McClain | S | JR | 32 | 1 | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| 6 | Devin Sanchez | CB | SO | 28 | 1 | 0 | — | 6 |
| 7 | Jermaine Mathews Jr. | CB | SR | 27 | 1.5 | 0 | — | 5 |
| Jay Timmons | CB | 16 | 1 | 0 | — | 5 | ||
| 28 | Simeon Caldwell | S | FR | 9 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 10 | Leroy Roker III | S | JR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 18 | Cam Calhoun | CB | SR | 7 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 11 | Terry Moore | S | SR | 5 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| Jordan Thomas | CB | 4 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 21 | Brenten Jones | S | SR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 46 | Ryan Rudzinski | S | SR | 2 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 |
| 16 | Blaine Bradford | S | FR | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 1 |
| 24 | Dominick Kelly | CB | SO | 1 | 1 | 0 | — | 1 |
| Deshawn Stewart | S | 1 | 0 | 0 | — | 0 | ||
| 13 | Miles Lockhart | CB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 30 | Khmari Bing | S | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 32 | Kaden Gebhardt | S | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 39 | Glorien Gough | DB | JR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 43 | Amar'e Miller | CB | FR | — | — | — | — | — |
| 48 | Jackson Gula | DB | SO | — | — | — | — | — |
Stats, EPA and usage come from CollegeFootballData.com and refresh daily. FBS ranks only count players with enough volume for the stat to mean something. Qualifying for EPA takes —+ plays per team game. Ohio State depth chart →