Jay Timmons has put himself in rare company.
The Ohio State cornerback is one of 14 semifinalists for the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award, which goes to the top freshman in college football. Timmons earned that spot after a strong opening stretch that included 16 tackles, one tackle for loss, six pass breakups, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in five games.
He also picked up midseason freshman All-American recognition from The Athletic, 247Sports and On3.
The production has come in spite of an injury that has slowed his season. What appears to be a hamstring issue has kept Timmons out of Ohio State’s games against Iowa, Maryland and USC, and the Buckeyes have been cautious about pushing him back too soon.
After Ohio State’s loss to USC, Ryan Day explained why the staff has been careful with the 5-foot-11, 180-pound defensive back. Timmons had already dealt with a setback in the Buckeyes’ win over Indiana, even though he was excellent in that game with seven tackles, two pass breakups and a forced fumble.
“It’s been one of those injuries that we held him off for quite a while and wanted to really make sure he was back for (the Indiana game). He probably could have played the week before.
We held him off,” Day said. “We know what an impact he makes.
In a game like this (against USC), a space game like this, we knew it was gonna be important, but he kind of re-tweaked it in the Indiana game.
“He was trying like heck to get back. But it’s one of those injuries where you put him back out there, he just resets it again and then we start right back from zero again. He made some progress late in the week, but it wasn’t enough where our doctors and trainers felt like it was the right thing to do for him, so the decision was made to hold him.”
Timmons’ availability for Ohio State’s game against Oregon is still up in the air. The first Big Ten availability report should shed light on where he stands, and Day is also scheduled to speak with reporters at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center this evening, which could bring another update.
Ohio State has never had a player win the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year award since it was created in 2018. Former Alabama safety Caleb Downs won it in 2023, and Texas defensive end Colin Simmons took the honor in 2024 over Jeremiah Smith.
In Other News...
Ohio States CFP Ranking Just Reignited A Frustrating Committee Debate
The first College Football Playoff rankings of 2026 immediately stirred up the kind of familiar arguments that seem to arrive every November, and Ohio State fans know the drill well enough by now. Miami landed at No. 1, followed by Georgia, Utah, Indiana and Alabama, but the order raised fresh questions about how the committee is weighing head-to-head results, strength of schedule and the value of unbeaten records in a crowded field.
Hunter Yurachek tried to walk through the committees thinking, but the explanations only sharpened the debate around several placements, especially UCLA sitting behind teams with losses and Utah climbing so high with just one ranked win. For Ohio State, the broader concern is less about one specific slot than the same old uncertainty about what the rankings are really rewarding, and whether the committees logic will hold once the bracket starts to take shape. [Read more 🡒]
Ohio State Has A Legit CFP Ranking Complaint After First Bracket
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the 2026 season immediately stirred the usual arguments, with Alabama landing in the top five despite a mixed record against ranked opponents and Notre Dame showing up lower than it did in the AP poll. The committee also drew attention for the way it handled strength of schedule, a familiar flashpoint this time of year, and it did not take long for the Buckeyes to have a reason to feel slighted.
Hunter Yurachek said the committee did not consider Ohio States head-to-head win over Indiana when it made its first bracket. For a program that has spent the early part of the season trying to stack rsum points against quality competition, that omission stands out, especially when the rankings are already inviting scrutiny elsewhere. Ohio State may not love the opening picture, and this is the kind of detail that tends to linger until the committee explains itself a little more fully. [Read more 🡒]
Lincoln Riley Explains Tense Ohio State Exchange After USC Statement Win
USCs 30-18 win over Ohio State ended with a little more edge than the scoreboard alone suggested, as Trojans coach Lincoln Riley and Buckeyes athletic director Ross Bjork had a brief verbal exchange on the field afterward. Riley was asked about it later and downplayed the moment, saying it was simply part of the emotions that spill over after a game like that and that the two moved past it quickly.
For Ohio State, the exchange was a small postgame footnote to an outcome that already stung, but it still drew attention because it happened in plain view after a high-profile nonconference matchup. Riley did not get into what started it, leaving the specifics out of reach even as he tried to brush off any bigger meaning from the scene. [Read more 🡒]