College Note - Ohio State Jack Sawyer

Cleveland Plain Dealer

Where is Jack Sawyer? The former five-star recruit never really took that Year 2 jump some may have anticipated. His raw numbers were fine for a player who was third on the OSU defensive end hierarchy - 24 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and a team-high 4.5 sacks on 329 snaps - but there was never that big moment we saw from guys like Michael Hall Jr. and J.T. Tuimoloau. Sawyer arrived as a guy known for getting after the passer and when he's been asked to do so he's shown flashes of his upside. The problem is that his second year was spent splitting time between continuing his development as an edge rusher while also learning a new position in Jim Knowles' defense. The intrigue with the Jack and what it could be once turned into a Leo is part of what made the Knowles' hire noteworthy. The problem is we never really saw that come to fruition in 2022 and it's fair to question if that's a result of Sawyer possibly not being the best fit. "It can definitely present problems being able to show different fronts, which I think is key to what the Jack does," Sawyer said before the Sugar Bowl. "But I also feel like we can be really effective in just our base front getting after guys." Sawyer is coming into Year 3 expected to start alongside Tuimoloau. Does that mean he spends less time at the Jack, or could we see that role become a bigger part of the defense now that he's been learning it for a year? - Cleveland Plain Dealer

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