Ohio State cornerback Davison Igbinosun will return to Ohio State in 2025, he told ESPN, a big boost to a Buckeyes defense that could have eight players drafted this spring.

Igbinosun did not file paperwork to be eligible for the NFL draft, which was due Friday for Ohio State and Notre Dame players.

“I’m coming back to school to be a first-round draft pick,” he told ESPN.

Igbinosun is a two-time All-Big Ten honorable mention cornerback who has been a two-year starter since transferring from Ole Miss. He said the allure of being more of a leader next season played a big role in his decision to return, as he’ll be one of the most experienced members of the defense.

He had nine passes break-ups, two interceptions and a recovered fumble for the Buckeyes this season during the school’s run to the national title. He’ll again be a linchpin of Ohio State’s defense next season as the team projects to return three full-time defensive starters.

Igbinosun said he decided to return after talking over his decision with his mother, coach Ryan Day and cornerbacks coach Tim Walton.

“I get the opportunity to lead and do it all over again,” he said, “and have a bigger role as a leader, as more is going to be expected of me as a senior.”

Igbinosun has all the tangibles the NFL is usually looking for, as he has flashed top-end speed and good instincts. At 6-foot-2, 192 pounds, he has the body type of a long NFL corner.

But the obvious flaw in his game has been penalties. He was the most penalized cornerback in college football this season, getting flagged 16 times in coverage.

“I want to improve on the penalties,” he said. “I had too many, I want to clean that up.”

The young collector who scored a one-of-a-kind baseball card featuring National League Rookie of the Year Paul Skenes has turned down a trade offer from the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Topps announced Friday that the 11-year-old from the Los Angeles area had declined the deal and instead was going to put the card — which features Skenes’ autograph and a patch from a game-worn jersey — up for auction.

𝐈𝐓’𝐒 𝐎𝐅𝐅𝐈𝐂𝐈𝐀𝐋: The 11-year-old collector who pulled the Paul Skenes 1/1 Debut Patch card has DECLINED the Pirates’ offer.

The Pirates offer included:
– Two Pirates season tickets behind home plate for the next 30 years
– Meet & Greet with Paul Skenes
– Two Paul Skenes… pic.twitter.com/oRBhhD647j

— Topps (@Topps) January 24, 2025

The Pirates had put together a package that included 30 years’ worth of season tickets behind home plate at PNC Park and the chance to play a softball game on the field in exchange for the card.

Skenes’ girlfriend, LSU gymnast and influencer Livvy Dunne, also offered the card’s owner the opportunity to take in a game with her in a luxury suite at the ballpark during one of Skenes’ starts.

While the collector wrote in a journal entry shared by Topps that nabbing the card was a “dream come true,” that dream apparently did not include spending the next three decades attending games at PNC Park.

The 11-year-old collector who pulled the Paul Skenes 1/1 Debut Patch card just shared his journal entries…

It’s an absolute MUST-READ 🥹❤️ pic.twitter.com/PldkJMS06W

— Topps (@Topps) January 24, 2025

The team posted on X after the decision that it was “bummed” but offered to have the fan at a game sometime during the 2025 season.

Fanatics Collect, which will handle the auctioning of the card in March, said it would donate its proceeds from the sale to fire relief funds in the Los Angeles area.

The card could hold pretty high value considering the potentially bright future ahead for the 22-year-old Skenes, who finished third in NL Cy Young Award voting after an outstanding rookie season.

The No. 1 pick in the 2023 amateur draft made his major league debut in May and put together one of the most impressive rookie seasons in recent memory. Skenes was selected as the NL’s starting pitcher in the All-Star Game after only 11 starts and finished 11-3 with a 1.96 ERA in 23 games.

Skenes said over the weekend he hasn’t thought about the potential of signing a long-term contract to remain in Pittsburgh, saying instead that his focus is on helping the Pirates take a step toward contending in 2025. He is eligible for free agency after the 2029 season.

SOUTH BEND, Ind. — Two-time All-America safety Xavier Watts will enter the NFL draft rather than return to Notre Dame for a sixth season.

Watts made the announcement on social media Friday, four days after the Irish lost to Ohio State in the College Football Playoff championship game in Atlanta.

Watts is the No. 4 draft-eligible safety in 2025, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.

Watts began his college career as a receiver in 2020 and moved to defense his second season. He had 13 interceptions over the past two seasons, most by any player in the Football Bowl Subdivision. He picked off six passes this season, running one back 100 yards to help Notre Dame seal its win against Southern California. He was voted to the Associated Press All-America first team for two straight years.

Watts, whose hometown is Omaha, Nebraska, could have returned to Notre Dame to use the extra season granted by the NCAA to athletes who were active during the 2020 pandemic season. Most draft analysts project Watts to be selected late in the first round or in the second.

“As I embark on the next chapter of my football journey, I’m filled with pride as I look back on the many memories and people that I’ll forever cherish,” Watts wrote on X. “I hope that my time in the Irish uniform has helped continue the tradition of those that came before me.”

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.