Ohio State national champion Jack Sawyer leaning on faith as he gears up for NFL: ‘Keep trusting His plan’

For Ohio State Buckeyes standout linebacker Jack Sawyer, the last 48 hours have been quite a “whirlwind” if you ask him. 

On Monday night, he helped the Buckeyes cap a resilient College Football Playoff run with a national championship victory over Notre Dame. And you can expect what happened when the team returned to Columbus, Ohio. 

“It’s been a lot of fun,” Sawyer told Fox News Digital before his celebratory “shift” at Raising Cane’s in Columbus alongside his star quarterback teammate Will Howard. “Obviously, it’s been a whirlwind after the game when we first got back to Columbus. Now, it’s maybe even more of a whirlwind, but we’ve had a lot of fun with it and so happy we were able to get the job done for Coach Day and the city of Columbus.”

Sawyer pulled up to Raising Cane’s early Wednesday morning with “already 100 people outside,” all of whom were waiting to praise the two Buckeyes for their contributions to a championship season. 

But while the Buckeyes’ celebrations continue, the end of the season means both Sawyer and Howard are set to become NFL Draft prospects, as they aim for their transition to pro football. 

Sawyer’s draft stock skyrocketed as he had a tremendous CFP run, including the strip-sack, scoop-and-score against his former Ohio State roommate, Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers, to seal the Buckeyes’ victory in the Cotton Bowl to cement a spot in the national title game. 

OHIO STATE FANS BREAK INTO OHIO STADIUM TO CELEBRATE 1ST NATIONAL TITLE SINCE 2014

While his motor on the field, and work ethic off it, are qualities that teams will be looking at during the scouting process, Sawyer knows that his faith will continue to play a large role in what happens next. 

“It’s everything to us,” Sawyer said about his faith, bringing Howard into the fold as well. “It’s a number in our lives when you put God first like that and truly seek to grow with him and follow his plan. He’s going to open so many doors for you that you would never think you could achieve otherwise. 

“For me and Will, and really everyone on the team, our faith’s been the biggest thing keeping us up and keeping us moving forward after a couple tough losses in the season.”

One of those losses was a massive upset by the Michigan Wolverines, the Buckeyes’ bitter rival whom Sawyer naturally refers to as the “Team Up North,” on Nov. 30. It was a loss in Columbus that led to a brawl on the field between the two teams, where Sawyer was seen ripping a Michigan flag away from midfield after the Wolverines wanted to celebrate their win even more. 

At the time, it was a disaster for head coach Ryan Day and the Buckeyes. They weren’t able to get a shot at the Big Ten title, and many questioned if they had what it took to make that CFP run. 

But Ohio State showed what resiliency looks like in the face of adversity, especially with a load of naysayers believing the Buckeyes once again wouldn’t be able to take their talented team to the title game. 

“We knew we had to get to work and fix the things we needed to fix and attack it as hard as we could,” he said. “That’s exactly what we did. No one saw the work we were putting in behind the scenes.”

For Sawyer personally, he went into his next game after losing to Michigan and racked up 1.5 sacks with two passes defended and five total tackles in the rout against Tennessee in the first round of the CFP. Then, he had two sacks and three passes defended in the Rose Bowl against Oregon, followed by his 83-yard return for a touchdown against the Longhorns.

“I think it’s just taught me a lot about life,” Sawyer said of this title run. “It’s taught me about how everything is not always going to go your way, but if you keep trusting in God and fight and keep getting up every day swinging, eventually you’re going to come out the other end. 

“I think that is something I’m going to take with me to the next level, and it’s something I hope teams see in me. No matter what, I’m going to give it my all, keep fighting and continue to grow every day.”

Again, this is time for celebration after a long, hard season for Sawyer, his teammates and his coaches. But the NFL Scouting Combine is right around the corner, and pretty soon, Sawyer will likely be hearing his name called in April when the NFL Draft kicks off.

Whichever team writes his name on their card, he knows he’ll be giving his all to make an impact like he has in Columbus. But he won’t stress any step moving forward, as his faith will remain a constant as he looks ahead to his next major life moment. 

“Anything’s possible with God, and I’m going to keep trusting his plan,” Sawyer concluded. “Like I said, he blessed us far more than we could ever thank him enough for.”

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