Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day. Joseph Maiorana-Imagn Images

Ohio State flips 4-star CB Jay Timmons from Florida State: 'I want to compete with the best'

By Andrew Kulha | Last updated Nov 6, 2025 2:17 PM ET

Ryan Day, secondary coach Tim Walton and the Ohio State Buckeyes have secured a massive flip late in the 2026 recruiting cycle.

Jay Timmons, a 4-star cornerback from Gibsonia, Pennsylvania, had been committed to the Florida State Seminoles since June of 2025. That is no longer the case.

Ohio State had been evaluating the cornerback from Pine-Richland High School over the course of his senior season and ended up offering him on September 16. Timmons took an official visit to Columbus this past weekend to watch the No. 1-ranked Buckeyes beat the Penn State Nittany Lions, 38-14.

A few days later, Timmons is now committed to Ohio State's 2026 class. The very fact that Timmons' father, linebacker Lawrence Timmons, played at FSU from 2004-06 before putting together an 11-year NFL career didn't matter.

”I want to compete with the best,” Timmons told Steve Wiltfong of Rivals. “Their defense is what excites me and the energy they bring it’s something different," he continued, speaking of the Buckeyes.

BREAKING: Elite 2026 CB Jay Timmons has Flipped his Commitment from Florida State to Ohio State, he tells me for @rivals

The 5’11 185 CB had been Committed to the Seminoles since June

He’s ranked as the No. 2 CB in the ’26 Class (per Rivals)https://t.co/P6SJaVhotB pic.twitter.com/IxR6JF62Nc
— Hayes Fawcett (@Hayesfawcett3) November 6, 2025

Ohio State Buckeyes flip elite CB recruit Jay Timmons from Florida State

Timmons is a big-time recruit. According to the 247Sports Composite, he's the No. 17 cornerback in the 2026 class. Rivals is even higher on him, ranking him as the No. 2 cornerback and No. 29 prospect overall.

Though he's a legacy recruit for Florida State, it sounds as if the official to Columbus really made an impact on him.

“People don’t stop saying O-H-I-O,” Timmons said. “The people here are super loyal.”

Timmons is a multi-sport athlete, so he brings a ton of athleticism to the table for the Buckeyes. In track and field, he ran a 10.9 100-meter dash, so he'll also be bringing a ton of speed to the field.

“Hyper-instinctual defensive back with playmaking ability, physicality, and athleticism that make him one of the top pure football players in the 2026 cycle," Rivals Director of Scouting Charles Power said of Timmons.

Andrew Kulha

Andrew Kulha is probably the only sports writer you know who also doubles as a mortician. Spooky! @KulhaSports

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