Jack Sawyer Reveals How His Role With Ohio State Has Changed

Ohio State star defensive end Jack Sawyer is taking on a new role in the 2024 season.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) celebrates his sack of Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) in the third quarter during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Robertso-USA TODAY Sports

The Ohio State Buckeyes are one of the top picks across the country to win the Big Ten and make the College Football Playoffs.

In large part, that hype surrounding the Buckeyes stems from the unprecedented amount of returning NFL talent to the roster, led by Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, and star defensive end, Jack Sawyer.

Now, Sawyer, who was one of the key figures that helped spearhead that return, will be taking on a new role as a result.

Not a new defensive role or a position change, but as he told former Buckeyes linebacker Bobby Carpenter during an appearance on The Bobby Carpenter Show, a role of leadership.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, TX, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end Jack Sawyer (33) celebrates his sack of Missouri Tigers quarterback Brady Cook (12) in the third quarter during the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Robertson-USA TODAY Sports / Kyle Robertso-USA TODAY Sports

“Now, we are the old guys. We have to carry the water," Sawyer said. "We have to be the leaders in the locker room. We have to set the standard. We have to make sure we leave the program better than when we got here. When we were all talking about coming back, I remember talking to Trey and Emeka about how our leadership would have to be to a different level. We’d have to hold the team to a different standard.”

Fortunately for the Buckeyes, Sawyer won't be the only experienced veteran that will be stepping up into a leadership role either. Egbuka and Henderson either.

Instead, as Sawyer describes, multiple veterans are being more vocal, and stepping up into those roles, including star corner Denzel Burke, as well as many others.

“We have the best leadership since I’ve been here,” Sawyer said. “You see people stepping into that mold now. You see Trey, Emeka, and Denzel being more vocal. Everybody across the board has stepped up and filled that role we all should be.”

At the end of the day, of course, leadership can only take you so far, and it will be up to the Buckeyes to answer the bell on the field as well.

That said, given the amount of talent they're returning, as well as the influx of talent the received from the transfer portal and 2024 recruiting class, they will have every chance to do that when they kick off the season against Akron on August 31.