Ohio State Buckeyes Star Defender Gets Honest On Spurning NFL Draft

Jack Sawyer could have certainly entered the 2024 NFL Draft, but he chose to return to Ohio State for another season.

Dec 29, 2023; Arlington, Texas, 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. / Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA

Many Ohio State Buckeyes players spurned the 2024 NFL Draft in favor of an opportunity to compete for a national championship, and perhaps one of the most notable players who did just that was defensive end Jack Sawyer.

Sawyer was coming off of a fantastic junior campaign in which he racked up 48 tackles, 10 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and a couple of forced fumbles. Had he entered the draft, he surely would have been chosen in the early rounds.

However, Sawyer opted to return to Ohio State, and during a recent appearance on 97.1 The Fan, he explained his decision.

"After the year, I sat there and thought, ‘Hey, I’m from Columbus. I love Columbus. I love the fans. I love Coach (Ryan) Day, Coach (Larry) Johnson, Coach Mick (Marotti) and everybody that’s a part of Ohio State,'" Sawyer said. "We fell short of reaching the goals that we promised these guys when we signed our letters of intent to come here. That didn’t sit right with me. I knew I wasn’t gonna walk out of here on those terms — not when we have another shot to beat ‘The Team Up North,’ win a Big Ten title and win a national championship. I know for a fact that we have the team to do it this year."

It was certainly a gamble on Sawyer's part, but there is no doubt that he will certainly have a chance to win a national title this coming season.

The Buckeyes boast arguably the most talented roster in the country, thanks much in part to a plethora of guys returning for their senior seasons when they could have made the jump to the NFL this past spring.

Sawyer has steadily improved throughout his career at Ohio State, as he logged 13 tackles and three sacks during his freshman year and followed that up by posting 24 tackles and 4.5 sacks in 2022. The 22-year-old then enjoyed a breakout 2023.

However, things ended on a bitter note for Sawyer last winter, as the Buckeyes fell to Missouri in an anemic 14-3 loss in the Cotton Bowl.

If all goes according to plan, Sawyer will avenge that defeat with a championship and then potentially get selected in the first round of the NFL Draft in 2025.

Wouldn't that be a nice cherry on top of what has already been a terrific collegiate career?