Jami Jurich
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Bold Predictions: Jordan Hancock will record 10 takeaways in 2024
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With a longer season and another year of experience under his belt, the veteran cornerback could spell disaster for opposing offenses.
As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
It’s no secret the Ohio State cornerback group is loaded, with Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock all returning on the heels of a strong 2023 season. There are plenty of “bold” predictions one could make about the cornerbacks that would actually be playing it relatively safe when this much talent is involved.
But the assignment was “bold,” so bold you’re going to get: Jordan Hancock will force 10 turnovers (combined interceptions and forced fumbles) in the 2024 season, including the postseason.
Hancock, who plays slot cornerback for the Buckeyes, put up stellar numbers in 2023, including 41 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
For those of you doing the math at home, there were four combined takeaways last season. Yes, I’m predicting he’ll more than double that. Feel free to doubt me, laugh at me, or call me crazy. I know it sounds nuts, even as I continue typing this article.
Even when we include the postseason games, 10 takeaways is a lot of takeaways. Like, a lot a lot. I’m aware of the absurdity of that statistic.
For context, Ricardo Hallman of Wisconsin led all NCAA cornerbacks in interceptions with seven takeaways, and former Wolverine Mike Sainristil, who is an opposing offense’s worst nightmare and who went pro at the end of the 2023 season, netted a combined eight takeaways with six interceptions and two forced fumbles.
With that in mind, last season’s statistics are apples and oranges with this upcoming season. Hancock’s four takeaways came over 13 games (12 regular season games plus the Cotton Bowl), while Sainristil’s eight takeaways were over 15 games (12 regular season games, the Big Ten Championship, and the CFP Semifinals and National Championship).
This year brings the expansion of the CFP to a 12-team playoff, meaning the season will be longer. Working on the assumption that the Buckeyes are one of those 12 teams, Hancock should theoretically have even more games than Sainristil had last season to pull off 10 takeaways.
With another year of experience under his belt, Hancock is poised to break up plays and capitalize on opportunities to get the ball back for the good guys.
Because of his role as the slot cornerback, he’ll also have plenty of opportunities to guard against long passes and defend the run, all of which provide him the chance to take the ball away from opposing offenses.
This is particularly true early in the Buckeyes’ schedule when they face teams whose offenses will have a tough time staving off a veteran like Hancock, opening the door for costly errors from quarterbacks and running backs that Hancock could capitalize on.
We saw this last season against Western Kentucky when their backup quarterback Bronson Barron delivered an interception to OSU cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. as if it were wrapped in a bow. Mathews Jr. returned it 58 yards for a Buckeye touchdown.
If Hancock can force a turnover in each of those first three games, he could stay on track for seven more throughout the season.
Factoring into that possibility is the sheer amount of talent on Ohio State’s defense this season. They’re projected to be elite this season, with several returning veterans and key players that could turn them into one of the top, if not the top, defenses in the nation.
If the machine is working as expected, Hancock and his teammates could be creating opportunities for them to take the ball away from their opponents, and Hancock in particular is in a prime position to do some damage. Look to him to capitalize on this in early games and to make big plays in key moments throughout the season.
On the other side of the field, the Buckeyes’ own offense could actually factor into whether Hancock feels comfortable taking risks and attempting to wreak a little havoc. The 2023 Ohio State offense was nothing to scoff at, but with a stronger quarterback and improvements elsewhere offensively, the defense will have a little more room to go from solid coverage to creating chaos.
Assuming the offense is more productive, the defense won’t have to do so much management to protect narrow leads in big moments, freeing guys like Hancock to be a little flashier and try to force errors from their opponents.
Even if Hancock stops at six or seven takeaways, he’ll see his NFL Draft stock rise. And given the strength of the cornerback room, it’s entirely likely that while we’ll see a spike in takeaways across the board, they won’t all belong to Hancock. Surely Burke and Igbinosun are more than capable of pulling their weight as well.
In fact, if the cornerback room combined for 12-15 takeaways, that would be a bold prediction in and of itself, but it feels so within the realm of possibilities, especially given the Buckeyes’ depth at the position, that it didn’t feel bold enough for “Bold Predictions” week. We needed to take it a step further.
So with that, all eyes are on Hancock. There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll improve on last year’s already stellar numbers—all the pieces are in place for him to do so, and he has more games with which to do it. Double-digit takeaways by a single player in a season would be absolutely mind-boggling.
I for one am prepared for Hancock to boggle the mind in the season ahead.
Continue reading...
Jami Jurich via our friends at Land-Grant Holy Land
Visit their fantastic blog and read the full article (and so much more) here
Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK
With a longer season and another year of experience under his belt, the veteran cornerback could spell disaster for opposing offenses.
As preseason camp begins this week, Land-Grant Holy Land is diving into its final theme every week of the off-season. This week is all about making predictions that may or may not be reasonable, in fact, some might say they are bold. You can catch up on all of the Theme Week content here and all of our ”Bold Predictions” articles here.
It’s no secret the Ohio State cornerback group is loaded, with Denzel Burke, Davison Igbinosun and Jordan Hancock all returning on the heels of a strong 2023 season. There are plenty of “bold” predictions one could make about the cornerbacks that would actually be playing it relatively safe when this much talent is involved.
But the assignment was “bold,” so bold you’re going to get: Jordan Hancock will force 10 turnovers (combined interceptions and forced fumbles) in the 2024 season, including the postseason.
Hancock, who plays slot cornerback for the Buckeyes, put up stellar numbers in 2023, including 41 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two interceptions.
For those of you doing the math at home, there were four combined takeaways last season. Yes, I’m predicting he’ll more than double that. Feel free to doubt me, laugh at me, or call me crazy. I know it sounds nuts, even as I continue typing this article.
Even when we include the postseason games, 10 takeaways is a lot of takeaways. Like, a lot a lot. I’m aware of the absurdity of that statistic.
For context, Ricardo Hallman of Wisconsin led all NCAA cornerbacks in interceptions with seven takeaways, and former Wolverine Mike Sainristil, who is an opposing offense’s worst nightmare and who went pro at the end of the 2023 season, netted a combined eight takeaways with six interceptions and two forced fumbles.
With that in mind, last season’s statistics are apples and oranges with this upcoming season. Hancock’s four takeaways came over 13 games (12 regular season games plus the Cotton Bowl), while Sainristil’s eight takeaways were over 15 games (12 regular season games, the Big Ten Championship, and the CFP Semifinals and National Championship).
This year brings the expansion of the CFP to a 12-team playoff, meaning the season will be longer. Working on the assumption that the Buckeyes are one of those 12 teams, Hancock should theoretically have even more games than Sainristil had last season to pull off 10 takeaways.
With another year of experience under his belt, Hancock is poised to break up plays and capitalize on opportunities to get the ball back for the good guys.
Because of his role as the slot cornerback, he’ll also have plenty of opportunities to guard against long passes and defend the run, all of which provide him the chance to take the ball away from opposing offenses.
This is particularly true early in the Buckeyes’ schedule when they face teams whose offenses will have a tough time staving off a veteran like Hancock, opening the door for costly errors from quarterbacks and running backs that Hancock could capitalize on.
We saw this last season against Western Kentucky when their backup quarterback Bronson Barron delivered an interception to OSU cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. as if it were wrapped in a bow. Mathews Jr. returned it 58 yards for a Buckeye touchdown.
If Hancock can force a turnover in each of those first three games, he could stay on track for seven more throughout the season.
Factoring into that possibility is the sheer amount of talent on Ohio State’s defense this season. They’re projected to be elite this season, with several returning veterans and key players that could turn them into one of the top, if not the top, defenses in the nation.
If the machine is working as expected, Hancock and his teammates could be creating opportunities for them to take the ball away from their opponents, and Hancock in particular is in a prime position to do some damage. Look to him to capitalize on this in early games and to make big plays in key moments throughout the season.
On the other side of the field, the Buckeyes’ own offense could actually factor into whether Hancock feels comfortable taking risks and attempting to wreak a little havoc. The 2023 Ohio State offense was nothing to scoff at, but with a stronger quarterback and improvements elsewhere offensively, the defense will have a little more room to go from solid coverage to creating chaos.
Assuming the offense is more productive, the defense won’t have to do so much management to protect narrow leads in big moments, freeing guys like Hancock to be a little flashier and try to force errors from their opponents.
Even if Hancock stops at six or seven takeaways, he’ll see his NFL Draft stock rise. And given the strength of the cornerback room, it’s entirely likely that while we’ll see a spike in takeaways across the board, they won’t all belong to Hancock. Surely Burke and Igbinosun are more than capable of pulling their weight as well.
In fact, if the cornerback room combined for 12-15 takeaways, that would be a bold prediction in and of itself, but it feels so within the realm of possibilities, especially given the Buckeyes’ depth at the position, that it didn’t feel bold enough for “Bold Predictions” week. We needed to take it a step further.
So with that, all eyes are on Hancock. There’s no doubt in my mind he’ll improve on last year’s already stellar numbers—all the pieces are in place for him to do so, and he has more games with which to do it. Double-digit takeaways by a single player in a season would be absolutely mind-boggling.
I for one am prepared for Hancock to boggle the mind in the season ahead.
Continue reading...