'It’s a dream come true': Ohio State CB Davison Igbinosun to face brother at Rutgers
Soon after Davison Igbinosun put his name in the NCAA transfer portal in January, he listened to a pitch from his home-state school.
The interest from Rutgers made sense.
Igbinosun had been committed to the Scarlet Knights in 2021 as a senior in high school in Union, New Jersey, and his older brother, Desmond, was one of their starting safeties.
But the Mississippi transfer still had reservations.
“He was looking to go to a national championship contender,” Rutgers coach Greg Schiano said, “and he didn’t feel we were that.”
Igbinosun confirmed that's the reason he ultimately ended up at Ohio State and will instead be on the other sideline at SHI Stadium on Saturday when the Buckeyes visit the Scarlet Knights.
Though this sibling reunion is not the one he expected two years ago when it appeared as if both brothers might end up at Rutgers, he remains eager for it.
“It’s definitely exciting,” Igbinosun said. “It’s a dream come true.”
Igbinosun said he expects a large turnout of family in the stands and for their mother, Precious Aladi, to wear a split jersey between Ohio State and Rutgers to support them, each an integral part of two of the stingiest defenses in the nation.
The Buckeyes benefited almost immediately from the arrival of Igbinosun, who shot up the depth chart at cornerback, filling a position of need at the spot opposite Denzel Burke.
Igbinosun provided experience, having started as a freshman last fall at Ole Miss, where he was named a freshman All-American, but the 6-foot-2 sophomore also exuded toughness.
“He’s aggressive,” defensive coordinator Jim Knowles said. “He plays with confidence. Gets his hands on people. He’s not afraid to fight at corner and challenge people.”
The approach reverberated throughout the Woody Hayes Athletic Center in the leadup to this season.
“It was a dynamic that we needed,” Knowles said. “He raised the level of all the guys around him. As a new guy, he’s competing in practice, and everybody sees that, and he’s not intimidated by anybody.”
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Knowles not only pointed to Igbinosun’s aggressiveness in coverage, but also highlighted his willingness to drop down closer to the line of scrimmage to bring down ball carriers.
His 35 tackles are the third-most among the Buckeyes, trailing only linebackers Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers.
Igbinosun said he relishes those opportunities, mirroring his time as a linebacker and safety on Pop Warner teams.
“I’ve always been like that,” he said.
The unbeaten Buckeyes, who were at the top of the first College Football Playoff rankings this week, have given Igbinosun an opportunity to pursue a national title as he once hoped.
Ohio State was also the program he had in mind.
Its championship season in 2014 captivated him when he was in the fifth grade, and he dons No. 1 in order to wear the same uniform number as Jeff Okudah, an All-American cornerback in 2019.
But the Buckeyes did not offer him a scholarship in high school. To make an impact in Columbus, it would take an extra year.
Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Follow him on Facebook and X, the platform formerly known as Twitter. He can also be contacted at jkaufman@dispatch.com.
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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Davison Igbinosun to face brother in Ohio State-Rutgers football game
