Ohio State’s Jack Sawyer ‘More Than Likely Returning in 2024

The Ohio State Buckeyes could conceivably lose many of the top players on their roster to either graduation or the NFL Draft. Some of that has already started, with former starting QB Kyle McCord hitting the transfer portal, while it appears that Marvin Harrison Jr. is also likely on his way out. However, many of the other top players on the roster who could theoretically be drafted on Day 1 or Day 2, are also seriously considering returning to make a run at a Big Ten Title in 2024 – and maybe more.

Defensive end Jack Sawyer is one of those players. And though he hasn’t outright said he is going to be back in Columbus next season, he certainly seems to be leaning that way.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Sawyer said when asked if he would be taking part in the season opener vs. Akron next fall. “More than likely, yeah. Probably.” Sawyer is the latest player to hint at a return as well. Not just for himself, but for other impact players on the roster as well. Should that happen, those players know they could make some serious noise in 2024, and it is something they have talked about at length.

But perhaps more importantly, those players seem to recognize that they are capable of taking a serious jump – much like they did from 2021 to 2022 on the defensive side of the ball. Related: Ohio State WR Marvin Harrison Jr. Not Practicing For Cotton Bowl As Buckeyes Prepare For Missouri “You saw what happens when you build off the first year into the second year, how big of a jump you can take,” Sawyer said. “I still think, personally, we have another big jump to take next year if we all decide to come back.”

We are still likely some days away from finding out who exactly will and won’t be back for next year’s iteration of the Buckeyes. But based on Sawyer’s comments, and others like his, it seems that they could buck the current college football trend, and return a large number of those NFL prospects.