Watch: Buckeyes Star Jack Sawyer Returning to Ohio State

Sawyer first came to the Buckeyes as a five-star recruit, ranking as the No. 1 edge prospect, No. 1 player in Ohio and No. 4 player nationally in the 2021 class.

And after coming out of his career-best season in 2023 in which he set new career-highs in tackles (48), sacks (6.5), tackles for loss (10), and forced fumbles (2), and being projected as a Day 2 pick this spring, many expected Sawyer to enter the 2024 Draft.

However, Sawyer now becomes the third major Buckeyes defender to announce his return to Columbus for next season, joining defensive end Tyleik Williams and safety Lathan Ransom.

Sawyer did hint at the likelihood of his return ahead of the Cotton Bowl, telling reports that he was 'more than likely' coming back.

“I don’t know, we’ll see,” Sawyer said when asked if he was coming back in December. “More than likely, yeah. Probably.”  

And as he noted in that very same media session, he might not be the last to return.

“I think that when you’ve got a bunch of guys that could have gone to the NFL and they all come back and they’ve got 50-some seniors on their roster and everybody’s experienced and all their top players are coming back I think it helps the team win,” Sawyer said. “So it’s definitely something we’ve talked about.”

“You saw what happens when you build off the first year into the second year, how big of a jump you can take. I still think, personally, we have another big jump to take next year if we all decide to come back.”