President Donald Trump on Jack Sawyer: 'Sounds like the name of a legend'

President Donald Trump welcomed Jack Sawyer and the rest of the Ohio State Buckeyes to the White House to honor their national title in January. Sawyer might’ve been one of his favorite players.

Sawyer made a monumental play in the CFP semifinals, strip-sacking Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers and returning it for a touchdown nearly the length of the field. It punched the Buckeyes’ ticket to the national title game, where Ohio State beat Notre Dame.

A legendary moment for a legend of a player, according to Trump. Sawyer was quite honored at the president’s words when he described the play, recounting the team’s success.

“Texas was pretty much rated the number one team at the beginning of the season, right,” Trump said. “So that was a tough team. I know that it was neck and neck late in the fourth quarter, Texas was down a score, but marching in the red zone with two minutes left on the fourth and eight with 2:29 on the clock. Hometown legend, Jack Sawyer. Boy, that’s a good name. Jack Sawyer sounds like the name of a legend, right? A son of Columbus. We won Columbus by a lot of points. (He) gave the world an all time great Ohio State football moment. Most of you know what I’m talking about.

“In one amazing play, Jack exploded off the line, strip-sacked the quarterback, which is not easy to do, scooped the fumble recovery, scored an 83 yard touchdown return and punched Ohio State’s ticket to the championship game. That’s a hell of a thing. You mean, you took the ball out of the quarterback’s hand … That quarterback doesn’t feel good. Where is (Jack)? I want to see this guy.”

Sawyer logged a career high nine sacks as a senior for the Buckeyes this past season and has 23 for his career. He also has 29 tackles for loss and 144 total tackles in his career.

He’ll now turn his attention to the NFL after running it back one more year and winning a title with the Buckeyes. Sawyer could be quite a gem to find in the second or third round.

“Dense-framed, even-front defensive end whose game is built for power but not speed,” NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein wrote in his evaluation of Sawyer. “He has short arms and slow power to neutralize and overcome run blocks. However, he lacks a quick-win first step or twitchy stack-and-shed move. He locates the football and racks up tackles when runners near his gaps. He’s a force-based rusher using strong hands, a relentless motor and a pocket-caving charge to run up pressure totals, but his rush lacks quickness. 

“He could see more interior rush opportunities for shorter trips into the pocket. Sawyer is suited for box-based football, which could cap his pro ceiling, but his demeanor, toughness and activity level provide a higher floor.”