Jordan Hancock was on the timetable to Ohio State stardom that he expected when training camp began last season.

The cornerback played in seven games as a freshman in 2021 despite enrolling in the summer and weighing only 165 pounds. Hancock was ready for a big role as a sophomore.

Then came the third day of training camp. He’d already tweaked a hamstring on the first day. After missing one practice, Hancock was covering Jaxon Smith-Njigba on a crossing route when he felt something much worse than a tweak. He’d fully torn a hamstring.

Hancock missed the first half of last season rehabbing and wasn’t close to healthy when he did play. He gutted it out because the Buckeyes’ secondary was riddled with injuries.

Now he views those struggles as a blessing in disguise.

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“I got my habits right,” he said. “I got everything right. I got closer with God. I’m so thankful for that injury. I really do think it’s a blessing.”

His play this year reflects that. Hancock has been an important and versatile member of a defense that’s the foundation of a team undefeated heading into Saturday’s game against Michigan State.

Last week against Rutgers, he and safety Josh Proctor combined to make the biggest play in the Buckeyes’ 35-16 victory. Hancock intercepted a third-quarter pass deflected by Proctor and returned it 93 yards for a touchdown to give Ohio State the lead for good.

“It felt amazing,” he said.

Ohio State's Jordan Hancock was 'like a Steph Curry'

Hancock grew up in Suwanee, Georgia, a suburb of Atlanta, the youngest of Kenneth and Benita Hancock’s four children. From the start, Hancock was a gifted athlete. His parents always had him play a level above his grade.

Basketball was his first love. Hancock could dunk in eighth grade when he was only about 5 feet 7.

“He was the bomb,” Kenneth said. “Put it this way: He was like a Steph Curry. He could take it to the basket. He could drain the 3 on you. He had the step-back move, the reverse pivot.”

In football, he played quarterback as well as defense.

“We had a little practice dummy,” Benita said, “and Jordan would be in our family room and just take off running and tackle it, so we knew he was a tackler and was not afraid of contact at all.”

Jordan thought he would pursue basketball over football until his freshman year at North Gwinnett High School when the University of Georgia defensive coordinator visited.

“Mel Tucker came to spring practice and told my coaches, ‘We think he’s going to be a really special football player,’ and that’s when I shifted my attention to football,” he said.

Yes, it that Mel Tucker, who would be on the opposite sideline coaching Michigan State this week if he hadn’t been fired in September following sexual harassment allegations.

Once football became Hancock's focus, Ohio State became his destination school because of its history of producing first-round NFL cornerbacks.

“I just always loved Ohio State,” Hancock said. “The tradition, the Buckeye leaves – you won’t find that anyplace else.”

But in early 2020, Benita was diagnosed with breast cancer and needed radiation treatment. Hancock set aside his dream and decided to stay closer to home. In March, just days after COVID-19 hit, Hancock committed to Clemson, which is only about 90 minutes from Suwanee.

“He was actually the strongest person in the whole family when I was going through it,” Benita said. “He was the main one that said, ‘We can beat this.’ He’s such a competitor and he brought that mentality, like, ‘You may be down, but we’re going to beat this.’ ”

Benita did. She was declared cancer-free in May 2020. That spurred a change in heart in Jordan about his college choice.

“As soon as I rang that bell in May and he saw I was OK, he said, ‘Mom, I really want to go to Ohio State.’ And I said, ‘Never make a decision based upon me. I’m going to be OK.’ ”

'I couldn't put on my socks'

Tim Walton was hired as Ohio State’s cornerbacks coach in 2022. Hancock immediately impressed him.

“A good kid,” Walton said. “Smart. Loves to play football. A big-time competitor and understands the game.”

Those qualities were essential when Hancock tore his hamstring, which is among the worst for a cornerback to suffer. He could barely walk after the injury, and simple tasks were close to impossible.

“I couldn’t put on my socks,” he said.

When Hancock finally was well enough to play, Walton estimates he was never more than 75 or 80% healed last year.

“I may have lost confidence a little bit because I couldn’t explode,” Hancock said. “I’m an athletic kid, so playing without athleticism was kind of crazy. It was hard.”

But the idea of sitting out was worse.

“I’m always going to be out there if the team needs me,” he said. “I’ll go out there with one leg if I have to. It’s just me being very competitive.”

Coach Ryan Day said he noticed that as soon as Hancock arrived.

“He’s extremely competitive,” he said. “He (also) has a tremendous work ethic. He’s in here a lot watching film on his own. He’s constantly wearing out coach Walton.”

'You couldn't write it any better.'

It wasn’t until this past summer that Hancock felt fully healed from the hamstring injury. He spent the first half of this season as a part-time player, playing mostly as a nickel cornerback in the slot. But Denzel Burke has been in and out lately, so Hancock has shifted to outside cornerback in his absence.

“He’s an integral part of our defense,” Walton said. “He’s an excellent tackler. He has toughness. And he’s a smart player.”

Hancock said last year’s injury correlates to this year’s success.

“It helped me so much because I couldn’t rely on my athleticism,” he said. “I had to be in the film room a lot more. Coach Walton taught me to really learn the game and not rely on my athleticism. Now I’m combining my athleticism and my intelligence and it’s paying off on the field.”

Hancock is a two-time OSU Scholar-Athlete, which requires a 3.0 GPA, and is on pace to repeat that.

“We ran into his academic advisor,” Benita Hancock said, “and his advisor said he’s having a great academic year. To know that this kid, at the age of 20, can balance the time commitment for football and do well at it and academics, you couldn’t write it any better as parents.”

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State cornerback Jordan Hancock blossoms after hamstring injury