Jack Sawyer shares touching moment with Ryan Day, hilariously interrupts postgame interview

Jack Sawyer dreamed of this moment when he committed to Ryan Day and Ohio State four years ago. It became reality on Monday for the local kid out of Pickerington, as the Buckeyes outlasted Notre Dame by a score of 34-23 to win the national championship.

As Day joined ESPN’s Holly Rowe for a postgame interview, Sawyer could be seen in the background celebrating with his teammates. The defensive end simply couldn’t wait to do the same with his head coach, running over and interrupting the interview as he gave Day a bear hug.

“National champions, baby!” he bellowed as the two embraced.

jack sawyer & ryan day pic.twitter.com/7BRY0XspEq

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Sawyer has talked in the past about how it was his dream to play for the Buckeyes after growing up in the state. He got the chance to do so as a five-star recruit, also ranking as the top prospect from Ohio in the 2021 class.

His impact this season was a big one as he finished with 52 tackles (nine for loss) and a team-high nine sacks, three forced fumbles, one interception and seven passes defended. He ended Monday’s victory with three total tackles.

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Ohio State got off to a dominant start to the game thanks to its defense and held a 31-7 lead with 7:52 remaining in the third quarter. However, the Buckeyes would be tested as the Fighting Irish rallied back to score two straight touchdowns, making the two-point conversions on each to get it back to a one-possession game.

Ohio State took over again with less than five minutes remaining and nearly gave the ball back to Notre Dame. But just when they needed a big play, quarterback Will Howard found Jeremiah Smith for a 67-yard connection on third down just before the two-minute mark.

That allowed the Buckeyes to run down the clock and kick a field goal to seal the win.

“The story gets to get told now, and it’s a great story about a bunch of guys who have just overcome some really tough situations,” Day told Rowe postgame. “There was a lot of people that counted us out and we just kept swinging and kept fighting. It’s the reason why you get into coaching is to see guys overcome things, learn life lessons and then reach their dreams. This is what happened tonight.”

Sawyer is one of many veterans on the roster who stuck by Day in the midst of outside pressure and noise over the past few seasons. That included this year when the Buckeyes ended the year with a loss to rival Michigan, their fourth straight against the Wolverines.

Even as the doubt from the outside grew, however, Day never lost faith in his players the same way they never did in him. They were rewarded with the win Monday, marking the program’s ninth national title win overall.

“They’re my motivation,” Day said. “My family at home, my wife and kids, and then these guys. That’s why I get up in the morning every day is just to make sure these guys reach their dreams and goals. That’s all it comes down to. Then it also just shows as an example, when things get hard in life, you keep swinging as hard as you can and that’s our culture.”