Over the years, Ryan Day and his staff at Ohio State have made a concerted effort to focus on getting high-caliber players and athletes to roam the secondary.
That trend continued Saturday with the news that cornerback Blake Woodby, a top-30 prospect in the junior class, has committed to the Buckeyes. Woodby (No. 29 overall in 2025 ESPN 300) is the Buckeyes' first ESPN 300 pledge in the 2025 cycle.
"Just being able to get some great time with [secondary/cornerbacks] coach [Tim] Walton and see his track record," he told ESPN. "Proof is in the pudding with guys that he's coached. He's coached in the [NFL]. He's coached guys that are All-Pros.
"I feel like he can get me better to get me to the next level, playing for him. Outside of him, I stepped on campus and it just felt like me. It just felt like the type of scenery and type of vibe I wanted to be around."
Woodby, a four-star cornerback hailing from Baltimore football power St. Frances Academy, chose Ohio State over Clemson, Oregon, Alabama and Tennessee. He described Ohio State as his "dream school" to ESPN back in May.
The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Woodby is the fourth-best cornerback in the class and the top player out of Maryland. Woodby's addition is the latest mark Day and staff has made in the defensive backfield on the recruiting trail.
Ohio State has commitments from two ESPN 300 cornerbacks in its 2024 class that ESPN has ranked second overall: Bryce West, Jr. (No. 29 overall in 2024, No. 4 CB) and Aaron Scott (No. 49 overall in 2024, No. 6 CB). It would be the second straight cycle in which the Buckeyes have signed multiple ESPN 300 corners in the same class after the program signed Jermaine Mathews (No. 43 overall, No. 5 CB) and Calvin Simpson-Hunt (No. 149 overall, No. 16 CB) in 2023.
This season, the pass defense (149 YPG) in Columbus has been on point as it sits second in the Big Ten, behind only Penn State. The 255.5 yards it has allowed through five games places it third in the conference as it tries to put last season's shortcomings against Michigan and Georgia to rest.
"Playing wherever they need me for," Woodby said. "[Walton] felt like I could play inside and outside at the corner position. But he definitely sees me on the outside making plays. ... The highest-paying corners in the league came from Ohio State. So seeing that aspect, that's definitely great.
"I want to get to the next level. Coach Walton has developed guys into the league. The best years that he coached certain guys were the best years they ever had in the league."