Ohio State football's Jack Sawyer excited by return to defensive end full-time

Jack Sawyer crouched down in a familiar stance during spring practice at Ohio State, set up along the edges of the line of scrimmage. With a hand on the ground, he could feel the small rubber pellets within the artificial turf on the Woody Hayes Athletic Center’s indoor field.

“They feel the same,” Sawyer said. “I missed them.”

Sawyer has returned to defensive end on a full-time basis after splitting time between that and a hybrid position in Jim Knowles’ scheme last season.

Known as the “Jack" and introduced upon Knowles' arrival from Oklahoma State last offseason, Sawyer would also line up as a stand-up pass rusher or drop into pass coverage, responsibilities that mirrored those for a linebacker as much as a traditional end.

It left Sawyer, a former five-star high school recruit from Pickerington North, with more to juggle as a sophomore.

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“It was kind of a lot with the plays,” Sawyer said, “but it was what it was. I’m just excited to get back to defensive end.”

In last year’s practices, he divided time between the spots, describing it as “a mixture of both.”

“So it was never just one thing,” Sawyer added. “I was just going back and forth. But the coaches did a great job helping me out.”

Knowles mentioned earlier this month that the full plate for Sawyer kept him from taking a bigger leap forward in his development, leading him and defensive line coach Larry Johnson to position Sawyer back at defensive end.

They adopted the plan when they met ahead of spring practice.

“We just kind of came to an agreement,” Sawyer said. “We felt the same way with what we wanted to do. It was a mutual thing.”

Johnson sees the move as one that could help Sawyer realize his potential, someone who can be most disruptive while bolting out of a three-point stance.

“His best trait is to put his hand on the ground and go rush as a defensive end,” Johnson said. “He’s a 6-5, 265-pound guy coming off the edge. We just got to go back, refine his technique and continue to make him better. You can drop him, but at the end of the day, you want him at the line of scrimmage.”

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While he handled the dual roles, Sawyer was still productive in 2022. His 4.5 sacks were tied with defensive tackle Mike Hall for the most among the Buckeyes.

But Sawyer also saw missed opportunities for a bigger impact.

“A lot of us can say that, really,” he said. “When you look at how many plays we missed and how many opportunities we had to get a sack or get a tackle for a loss, we’re looking forward to finishing those plays off this year and getting that stat number up as a whole, way through the roof.”

Sawyer expressed no frustration over playing multiple spots. His move to the “Jack” allowed him to nearly double his snaps from his freshman season, giving him more time on the field with Zach Harrison and J.T. Tuimoloau starting at defensive end. He was a bigger contributor as a result.

“I was just playing my role, and I was happy with that,” he said. “I had fun with it. Anything that I can help the team. Looking back on it, I don’t have any regrets about playing the position at all.”

But with Harrison having left for the NFL, there’s an opportunity for Sawyer to move into the starting role on one end of the Buckeyes’ defensive line.

As he prepares for the possibility, Sawyer is focused on the fundamentals of the position. Johnson identified a handful of little things for him to fine-tune, including his hand placement, hip movement and acceleration out of his stance.

That effort this offseason could put him in position to shine alongside Tuimoloau, who was also one of the top defensive line recruits in the 2021 recruiting class.

After a run as the “Jack,” a new stage awaits as a dedicated end.

“It was a good experiment,” Johnson said. “But now let’s go play football. I think that’s his best position. He feels happy with where he’s at, and that’s important, too.”

Joey Kaufman covers Ohio State football for The Columbus Dispatch. Contact him at jkaufman@dispatch.com or on Twitter @joeyrkaufman.

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This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Ohio State football's Jack Sawyer excited to focus on defensive end