Jack Sawyer and Ryan Day wasted no time discussing the new era and the Buckeyes’ plan to dominate. As Big Ten Media Days continued with Ohio State on display, Sawyer and Day took to the podium to discuss the Buckeyes’ approach to the off-season as the conference flexes its muscles nationally following expansion.
Sawyer, a defensive end from Pickerington, Ohio, chose to return to Ohio State for his senior season rather than declare for the NFL. The decorated edge rusher brings a load of production with him from 2023, racking up 48 tackles, 10 TFLs, and 6.5 sacks.
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Sawyer leads a group of 12 players who chose to return to Ohio State rather than declare for the NFL, according to Day. Sawyer was one of the first commitments when Day got the job as head coach and has led the way in returning to Columbus with unfinished business.
Day also took to the podium to talk about the attitude within the program, as Ohio State is working with “urgency and working with purpose” following an 11-2 finish to the season in 2023 and a Cotton Bowl appearance, disappointing to some based on the standards that Ohio State has set over the past decade.
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Sawyer spoke to the media about the one of the reasons he decided to return to Ohio State after losing to rival Michigan in 2023.
“I felt like I let not only Ryan Day down, but the city down,” Sawyer said. “A lot of us, we all feel the same way too. We weren’t going to leave here without having one more shot at doing this the right way and leaving here better than what we came here for.”
Sawyer won’t be alone on that mission, as Ohio State hit the recruiting trail hard in the offseason to remedy a few positions in need, mostly notably at quarterback, with Will Howard, Air Noland, and Julian Sayin entering the QB room for the Buckeyes.
Sawyer will be leading a defense that ranked top three in total defense in 2023, and was quick to point out that he will have help as the Buckeyes try to reestablish dominance in a new look Big Ten.
Ty Hamilton is another senior along the defensive front that should give the Buckeyes a major presence. The fifth-year senior made eight starts in 2023 after appearing in all 13 games and had 38 tackles, 4.5 TFLs, and 2 sacks from the interior of the Buckeyes defensive trenches.
Hamilton was an honorable mention all-conference selection in 2023 and will look to improve on those totals.
Ohio State was picked as the preseason favorite to win the conference for the first time since 2020 by media members, and with the return of several veteran players and a focus on urgency and purpose, the Buckeyes will enter the new era of the Big Ten with plenty to prove.
Sounds like that’s exactly how Jack Sawyer wants it.
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