Devin Sanchez for the Thorpe Award? OSU's sophomore lists that as a goal

Devin Sanchez knows what he can be.

The Ohio State cornerback also has enough self-awareness to realize what he wasn’t last year.

Sanchez was a five-star recruit from Houston who played 323 snaps last year, the most of any Buckeye freshman defender. Cornerback is a demanding position even for a senior, let alone a player in his first season. It wasn’t surprising that he had bumps in the road.

“It’s hard being a freshman at Ohio State, especially going out there on critical downs,” he said.

He termed his season as just “OK.”

“It’s not what I wanted,” he said. “That’s why I’m hard on myself this year. I’ve got goals.”

Those goals are lofty. With Davison Igbinosun now in the NFL, Sanchez steps into a starting role, and he expects to be a star.

“I’m trying to go get that Thorpe,” he said, referring to the Thorpe Award given to college football’s best defensive back. “That’s my main goal – to become an All-American, and I feel I can do that, especially with the spring I had.”

Sanchez has the physical tools to be elite. He is 6-2 and 199 pounds, big enough to cover big receivers. He has excellent speed and fluid hips to change direction.

Perhaps most importantly, he is embracing the mental side of the game. OSU cornerbacks coach Tim Walton is demanding, and he wants it that way.