CJ Barnett, Jack Sawyer reveal their favorite Ohio State football traditions

CJ Barnett played at Ohio State and is now on staff with the Buckeyes, working in a player development role. Defensive end Jack Sawyer is entering his third season with the Buckeyes, after growing up in Ohio. Needless to say, Ohio State is a special place for both of them.

Barnett and Sawyer recently sat down for a conversation at the Ohio State football facility and spoke about their favorite OSU traditions. For Barnett, the choice was an easy one.

“My favorite tradition here is “Carmen Ohio” at the end of every game, going down, arm in arm with your brother, you’ve got Buckeye faithful right there, and singing, man,” Barnett said. “It means so much, just because you can have that sigh of relief because you just finished putting your work out there. But the most important thing is you’re with your brother. Guys can’t sing and all that stuff, they’re sounding terrible out there singing. No matter where you go, a lot of times and events and all that type of stuff, and you get the brothers around and you get together and sing that.”

Sawyer had a different answer, but his also involves singing. For Sawyer, the best tradition occurs in the postgame locker room after a win.

“That’s definitely in my top five of traditions here,” Sawyer said of “Carmen Ohio.” “I think for me, though, my favorite one is singing the fight song in the locker room after a game, after we get a W. To me, that’s my favorite part, because like you said, you just got done going to battle. We’re all in there together as a family. Singing that song, it excites me. Because you’re around your brothers you’ve been grinding with day in and day out, 365 almost. A lot of people don’t really understand how much work we really put in, day in and day out, and then the extra work we do on our own, as well. So that’s definitely my favorite.”

Sawyer also shared his second favorite Ohio State tradition. It’s no surprise that it also involves the whole team. His second favorite occurs before game days, though.

“My second favorite is the golf course, the meal the day before the game,” Sawyer said. “That’s my second favorite, because again, you’re with your family. Those are definitely two of my favorite traditions that we do here at Ohio State.”

It’s clear how much it means to Barnett and Sawyer to be Buckeyes. Barnett starred at Ohio State for three years, totaling 224 career tackles with eight interceptions, including a team-high four interceptions in 2013.

Sawyer finished with 24 tackles, including 6.5 tackles for loss last season. He is expected to be one of the top defensive ends in the country in 2023.

“Tradition here is everything, right? Ohio State is a great, historic program. Great players, great coaches. You’ve got the Archie Griffin, the Eddie Georges. All of these guys that come before all of us that leave a legacy here, man. So being a defensive guy, I remember coming here and watching the defense, man and those silver helmets flying around. Got the silver bullets. Got that tattooed on me because it meant so much, man,” Barnett said.

“Just having the opportunity to be a part of that greatness, you’re trying to uphold that standard, you’ve got guys like Malcolm Jenkins, Cam Heyward playing in front of you. When you get out there you don’t want to let them down.”