COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Buckeyes will have three veteran players coming back to the team for the 2024 season.

Junior cornerback Denzel Burke, offensive guard Donovan Jackson, and cornerback Jordan Hancock have announced Wednesday afternoon they will return to Ohio State for their senior years and not enter the NFL Draft.

Burke was widely considered to be among the top cornerback prospects if he had entered the draft but he will run it back in Columbus. Jackson similarly was expected to be drafted this year but will look to add more college experience before entering the pros.

Barring injuries, Burke and Jackson look likely to be among the top prospects overall for the 2025 NFL Draft.

“There’s no rush for me to go to the league,” wrote Burke in a statement posted on his social media accounts. “I want to graduate and keep developing into an elite corner. I wanna spend this last year with my brothers and win a Championship.”

Jackson’s announcement was a simple 48-second video on his X (formerly known as Twitter) account where it ends with the words “I’m back.” Hancock announced his intention to return at 4:30 p.m.

Burke, a Phoenix native, has been a consistent starter in the Ohio State secondary since joining the program in 2021. Burke was recognized by many publications as a freshman All-American in 2021 along with being a third-team all-Big Ten member.

After being an honorable mention all-Big Ten in 2022, he earned first-team conference nods last season after playing 11 games in which he registered 24 tackles and had one interception.

Jackson, from Bellaire, Texas, was named to the first-team All-Big Ten the past two seasons as a leader on the Buckeyes offensive line. Hancock is from Suwanee, Georgia and has been named an OSU scholar athlete on multiple occasions.

Ohio State will have multiple experienced veterans on next season’s roster including three top transfers joining Burke: Quarterback Will Howard, running back Quinshon Judkins, and offensive lineman Seth McLaughlin.

The Buckeyes return to the field on Aug. 31 to host Akron in the 2024 season opener.