Jermaine Mathews bet on himself, and now he gets to cash in his chips: The Class of 2023 defensive back from Winton Woods (Ohio) has committed to Ohio State.

“It’s great to just have it over with. I’m just excited, really, to focus on one school and really get started,” Mathews told Scarlet and Gray Report. “It’s still a little surreal to me. Just growing up being in Ohio, you’re obviously gonna hear about Ohio State a lot and see them on TV a lot. So it’s definitely a dream come true. It’s gonna be very exciting.”

Mathews sat down with us for a video interview prior to announcing his commitment to discuss the reasons why he picked the Buckeyes. You can watch the full interview in the video above and on the Scarlet and Gray YouTube page.

Mathews, who is the 16th commitment and sixth defensive back pledge in the Buckeyes' class, knew the ideal place that he wanted to be long before Ohio State ever offered him.

The 6-foot, 175-pound four-star prospect was holding off on locking in a commitment date back in early April because, as he told us at the time, he was waiting to see if the Buckeyes would come calling with an offer.

He doubled down on that standpoint with us in mid-April. But the Buckeyes still had not offered him by the time mid-May hit, and Mathews locked in a commitment date. Cincinnati had all the momentum behind a recruiting effort from former Buckeyes defensive backs coaching legend Kerry Coombs, who took over as the Bearcats’ secondary coach following his stint as the Buckeyes’ defensive coordinator.

Mathews was very close to not giving Ohio State an extended opportunity to offer him. He initially decided to not camp in Columbus this summer. But after some persuasion, he elected to camp, and he showcased what he could do.

“I had a lot of people in my ear telling me different things that I should or shouldn’t [camp],” Mathews said. “At the time, I had 30 offers, so some people were saying you have 30 offers, you don’t really need to camp anywhere and all that. I decided not to camp at first.

“But Coach [Tim] Walton came to my school and talked to me about camp and just how things were. He kind of convinced me, so I really just bet on myself, went out there, camped and earned the offer.”

Walton and Ryan Day offered Mathews following that camp performance in early June, and he has now come through on our prediction all the way back in April. Here is what I wrote then:

I think [Mathews] has a real chance to get offered by Ohio State this summer, and if he does you’re almost certainly looking at a future Buckeye.

For his journey to come full circle in the way that it has is objectively impressive, and it's certainly satisfying for the in-state defensive back.

Mathews has finally written his name in pencil in the Buckeyes’ 2023 class with his verbal pledge, and he will etch his name in stone when he signs in December.

Read more analysis on what Mathews brings to the field and his impact on the Buckeyes’ class momentarily at Scarlet and Gray Report.