Ryan Day addresses the growth from Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau

Ohio State has one of the most talented rosters in the entire country, with head coach Ryan Day consistently being one of the top recruiters. However, none may be deeper than their defensive end room, with Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau leading the way this season.

The two finished No. 4 and No. 5 overall in the 2021 On3 Consensus rankings respectively, with Tuimoloau being a late addition to the class. Now, both have grown a year in the program and have Day excited for their potential. He said with the freshman season out of the way, both Sawyer and Tuimoloau are going to have great seasons for the Buckeyes.

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“Both guys have had really good camps,” Day said. “They really practiced hard last year and for a lot of these younger guys who really had their senior years (high school) affected by COVID, you can see how important getting in here and getting all these reps are in college. And they really put it in last year. I mean, last year they played, they would go down to the scout team. They were just there and they’ve kind of carried that over into this year. Now, they’re a year stronger, a year bigger, more experienced, understand what’s going on. Been very impressed with both of those guys. Think they’re going to have great seasons.”

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Sawyer played in all 13 games last season, recording 13 tackles, three sacks, and 3.0 tackles for a loss. Twelve of the tackles came across three games, with two being Big Ten matchups vs. Maryland and Nebraska. As for Tuimoloau, he finished with 17 tackles, 3.5 sacks, and 4.5 tackles for a loss. He was one of the most used freshmen on the team and his role is only going to increase.

Ryan Day discusses Sawyer and Tuimoloau opposite of one another

When discussing Sawyer and Tuimoloau playing on different sides of one another, Day sent a message to opposing offensive lines. Taking these two one-on-one is likely a positive for Ohio State, with the head coach calling them “dominant” players. Even if not, Day will be happy with the defensive end matchup either way.

“I mean, they’re both very good defensive ends,” Day said. “I think the key to that is when you’re sliding a protection one way or another, you want to have compliments on both sides. Because it’s one thing to slide one way or chip one way but when you have really dominant players on both sides, then it’s a challenge. Eventually, you’re going to be in a one-on-one situation.

“If you’re not in a one-on-one situation, that means there are probably only two or three guys in a route because there’s extra guys helping. It’s just a numbers game but it’s great to have dominant players on the perimeter.”