Jack Sawyer admits committing to Ohio State after offer was a no-brainer

Edge rusher Jack Sawyer is getting ready to begin his professional career with the Pittsburgh Steelers. That comes on the heels of what will be remembered as one of the great careers in the history of Ohio State Buckeyes football.

Sawyer shared some of his thoughts on Ohio State while making an appearance on Footbahlin with Ben Roethlisberger. There, he explained that going to the Buckeyes was always a no-brainer.

“For me, yeah [it was over],” Jack Sawyer said. “For my parents and my dad, they wanted me to continue to look at other schools. They didn’t want me to jump and feel like I had to go to Ohio State, growing up 15 minutes away and being a fan growing up. But, for me, I love Coach [Ryan] Day, but when I first got offered it was Coach [Urban] Meyer. It was Urban. Coach [Larry] Johnson was there and just knowing that 15 minutes from home, one of the best universities in the country, and having the best defensive line coach ever be there gave me the best shot to get in there, get developed the most I can, and prepare myself for the next level.”

Coming out of high school, Jack Sawyer was one of the biggest recruits in the country. After playing his high school football at Pickerington North in Ohio, he was a five-star recruit in the Class of 2021. He was the fourth-ranked recruit nationally and the top-ranked edge rusher in that recruiting cycle.

“Once Coach Day got the job, [I] got the chance to meet him and his family, how he does things, and it was a no-brainer. I ended up committing to him at like midnight when I was playing Xbox after like one of my first visits there to meet him and the rest of his staff that he brought. I just told him, ‘Hey, I’m coming, Coach.’ Like on Xbox at midnight. Didn’t even tell my parents,” Sawyer said.

“The next morning, I wake up, go down to breakfast. My dad is sitting there. It’s Super Bowl Sunday, and my mom went out to go get food to make and I’m sitting there, me and my dad are eating breakfast, ‘Hey, Dad. I gotta tell you something.’ He freaks out. He’s like, ‘You get in trouble? This and that.’ I’m like, ‘No, it’s nothing like that. I told Coach Day I’m committed last night.’ He was like, ‘What?’ Like you told him that without telling us? I just told him I’m coming. So, we had to jump on the phone and make it official, my parents, my family, and from there we went.”

In his time at Ohio State, Jack Sawyer played in 54 games and had 144 total tackles. That includes 29 tackles for a loss and 23 sacks. He also defended 11 passes, intercepted a pass, and forced six fumbles. He also had several iconic moments, though none will be remembered better than his scoop and score against Texas in the Cotton Bowl to clinch a key College Football Playoff win.

The Steelers selected Jack Sawyer with the 21st pick in the fourth round of the NFL Draft. After helping lead Ohio State to a national championship, they’ll hope he can help bring them back to the Super Bowl.