JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer shared pretty similar football journeys at Ohio State over their four-year career.
The pair of defensive ends came to Ohio State together with no shortage of hype, as both were top-five prospects in the nation in the 2021 recruiting class. Sawyer grew up right down the road from OSU in Pickerington, while Tuimoloau came to Columbus all the way from Washington.
They cracked the two-deep as freshmen, eventually earned starting spots and saved their best football for the four-game College Football Playoff stretch that saw the Buckeyes hoist a national championship trophy.
Tuimoloau’s favorite moment of the entire championship season is, admittedly, the play that made Jack Sawyer an Ohio State legend, a scoop-and-Sawyer as some call it that sealed a CFP semifinal victory against Texas.
“My favorite memory, you have to say the scoop-and-score from Jack,” Tuimoloau recalled of his favorite memory from this season. “Just seeing where the game was at the time, it was a close game, and that changed the whole momentum. That’s one play I’ll remember and I’m sure everybody will remember for the rest of their lives. I was running for excitement at that point.”
Both standouts got along swimmingly off the field too, as the pair were roommates together at OSU and pushed each other on and off the field. Following their last game, Sawyer and Tuimoloau took a week off to celebrate their victory and recuperate from a 16-game season. But after that, the pair flew to California to begin training for NFL testing together.
Three weeks later, both arrived at the NFL Scouting Combine and were told they’d have a fellow defensive lineman as their roommate during their stay in Indianapolis, and it could be a random selection.
“I checked in first, and you know, the baggies didn’t have names on them, so I had no idea who it was” Sawyer said Wednesday. “And then here comes JT just walking down the hallway, so we started laughing.”
As fate would have it, they’re roommates again for one more week. Potentially for the last time in their lives.
“That’s my roommate still. You know, I think they messed up right there,” Tuimoloau said with a laugh. “That’s my brother. Having Jack there, it’s like an extended family. Having him there, we talk about everything and what going through this process means for the both of us. We dreamed about it as little kids. It’s crazy how time flies, we’re already here.”
Their teammate, linebacker Cody Simon, wasn’t assigned a roommate because there are fewer linebackers than defensive linemen at the combine this year, but he smiled when he heard the two were bunking up together again.
“They love each other, so it’s just fitting for them,” Simon said.
Both players have had busy combine experiences so far, getting their medical testing completed and meeting with multiple NFL franchises. Though each player will meet with more teams over the week, Tuimoloau confirmed he’s met with the Arizona Cardinals and New Orleans Saints, while Sawyer has spoken with the Cardinals, New York Giants and Detroit Lions.
Sawyer said he only plans to participate in defensive line drills and will wait to complete additional athletic testing until Ohio State’s Pro Day on March 26. Tuimoloau wasn’t asked about his workout plans in his media session, but if it resembles the strategy of every other OSU player who spoke Wednesday, he will follow the same pattern.
Tuimoloau and Sawyer have pushed each other to be the best versions of themselves throughout their careers, but there’s not much friendly competition going on this week. More like cheerleading for the other, even though both will likely be selected by different teams on either the first or second day of the NFL Draft in April.
“I think we just continue to pray, trust in the Lord's plan for the both of us, and just understand that wherever we go, wherever number we go, that's where God wants us to be,” Tuimoloau said. “All we can do is just control right now and control everything in our control and just root each other on.”
