Ohio State's two five-star defensive ends in the 2021 recruiting class became arguably the two best defensive ends in college football, even if it took four years for them to reach production worthy of that claim.
It's not that Jack Sawyer and JT Tuimoloau didn't have good college careers before the 2024 College Football Playoff. Far from it. Both had moments of greatness at Ohio State in their first three seasons. Tuimoloau had perhaps the greatest individual defensive game in team history at Penn State in 2022. Sawyer emerged as perhaps the Buckeyes' best defender in the final three games of 2023, with 7.5 tackles for loss and three sacks in that span.
But Sawyer and Tuimoloau were never before as dominant at the same time as they were in Ohio State's national championship run. Their final combined stat line across four College Football Playoff games: 36 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 10 pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery that went for a touchdown.
"I think their love for each other," defensive line coach Larry Johnson said when asked why the duo was playing so well together ahead of the CFP national championship game. "Their love for the front four, the guys in the room. I think the word brotherhood is real. And I think those guys love each other. That's why they play hard for each other."
Of all the players whose hearts ached after a fourth consecutive rivalry loss to Michigan, perhaps none hurt more than Sawyer's.
By now, if you're reading this, you've heard the tale of No. 33. The Central Ohio native and lifelong Buckeye fan committed to Ryan Day just a month after he was named the Buckeyes' head coach in early 2019 and almost two years before he signed his National Letter of Intent in December 2020 despite plenty of suitors as a five-star prospect. When the 2023 season ended with back-to-back losses for Ohio State in spite of Sawyer's best efforts, he spearheaded the return of its seniors to capture some hardware in 2024.
Tuimoloau, in turn, couldn't pass up the opportunity at one more ride with one of his best friends.
"I was pretty (firmly) on the side of coming back," Tuimoloau said of his draft decision last year. "Felt like there was a lot of meat left on the bone. There's things that I wanted to clean up, both physically and more so on the football side, too. I just felt I needed to critique some things, because the league is grown men."
One year later, Sawyer and Tuimoloau hoisted above their heads the ultimate piece of college football hardware, a CFP national championship trophy.
"Feels great," Sawyer said after Ohio State's 34-23 win over Notre Dame in the championship game Monday. "It hasn't really even sunk in for me yet, what we've done. But God is so great and the journey he took us on – no one thought we could do this. I remember going into that Tennessee game, a lot of doubters, maybe rightfully so. But we persevered and trusted in God's plan and we were able to come out as national champs."
Tuimoloau and Sawyer made an instant impact on Ohio State's title ambitions. Tuimoloau collected eight tackles, two sacks and a PBU against Tennessee in the first round while Sawyer grabbed 1.5 sacks and two PBUs, both constantly harassing Volunteer quarterback Nico Iamaleava.
“Unmatched,” Tuimoloau said afterward about what it’s like when they’re both playing at such a level. “In previous games, we always matched each other's energy, and whenever he makes a play, I want to make a play, and vice versa. But just seeing him, man, it makes me happy. I'm blessed to play alongside him, and I couldn't be thankful enough to have another edge like him alongside of me.”
Sawyer made a statement into an ESPN camera following the victory that proved prophetic.
"They counted us out, but we're right here baby" - Jack Sawyer pic.twitter.com/cTUOJIRk20
— Adam King (@AdamKing10TV) December 22, 2024
Each man collected two sacks in a blowout win over No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl as Sawyer swatted away three more passes, but the greatest moment of either of their careers came in the CFP semifinals at the Cotton Bowl against No. 5 Texas.
On 4th-and-goal at Ohio State's 8-yard line in the waning minutes of the game, Sawyer stripped Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, his former roommate, and returned the ball 83 yards for a touchdown to seal a 28-14 win and national championship game berth for the Buckeyes.
“The guy over there, I don't know if there's – I mean, sure, we can argue about it, I'm sure, who loves being a Buckeye more," Ryan Day said of Sawyer after the Texas game. "But this is somebody who grew up in Columbus, who has always wanted to be a Buckeye, who has always waited for a moment like this. So to see him get the moment that he had today, I mean, he's become like family to me. He has, to me and my wife and my kids.”
JACK SAWYER SCOOP-AND-SCORE
— ESPN (@espn) January 11, 2025
Ohio State is one step closer to advancing to the national championship! pic.twitter.com/BPoV5FBRGZ
Tuimoloau had his own fantastic outing against Texas, playing through an ankle injury to record seven tackles, 2.5 TFLs and 1.5 sacks. With a heavy dose of tape on his boot, he pushed through that ailment to record five tackles with two tackles for loss and a sack in the national title game against Notre Dame.
"It was my last time playing with my boys. There was no way I was going to watch them on the sidelines," Tuimoloau said. "Last 60 minutes with them, I put everything on the line."
Tuimoloau closed the CFP as arguably Ohio State's most productive player relative to position with 23 tackles, 10 TFLs and 6.5 sacks. Sawyer's numbers were still gaudy in those categories with 13 tackles and 4.5 sacks, plus he added seven PBUs, the most of any defender in the playoff.
They stood side-by-side one last time on stage as CFP executive director Rich Clark declared Ohio State national champions.
"Just to see the confetti fall really shows us how all the work we put in paid off," Tuimoloau said. "All the blood, sweat and tears, the injuries, whatever it may be, it all paid off. To celebrate with one another, the dudes that you went to war with, that's who I love celebrating with all the time."
