Ryan Day: Jack Sawyer, JT Tuimoloau have chance to be force come fall

The Ohio State Buckeyes wrapped up their 2022 spring game on Saturday afternoon. Buckeye fans got another good look at two of their former five-star prospects, defensive ends Jack Sawyer and J.T. Tuimoloau. Both players made some nice plays in the game on Saturday. Following the game, Buckeyes’ head coach Ryan Day talked about both defensive ends and said they have both shined this spring.

“I think JT [Tuimoloau] and Jack [Sawyer], you both asked about that, have had very good offseasons. They’ve gotten stronger. They’ve been faster. Technique’s been better. You saw that today. And so, if they continue to build this summer, then they’re gonna be a force in the fall. I think that they’ve really taken to Coach [Larry] Johnson and his system, too. Jim [Knowles] has a great way of changing up the looks, too to kinda keep the offense guessing. And the minute you think they’re moving, they might come at you with a bull rush,” Day said.

“So that combination of really good technique with Coach Johnson with the style and scheme that Coach Knowles has put together–really fits those guys and a lot of guys on defense. There’s a bunch of guys today that showed up, but those guys have been strong,” Day said.

Spring game stats for Sawyer and Tuimoloau

Tuimoloau racked up four tackles, including two tackles for loss, two sacks, and one quarterback hurry. Sawyer racked up two tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss in the game. As far as the offense in the spring game, Evan Pryor looked really impressive and really showed great initial burst and acceleration. He had nine rushes for 62 yards and one rushing touchdown. Through the air, he also hauled in four catches for 44 receiving yards. According to the On3 Consensus Rankings, Pryor was rated as the No. 95 overall prospect in America for the 2021 class.

Last season, Sawyer tallied 13 tackles, three sacks, and three tackles for loss for the Buckeyes. Tuimoloau racked up 4.5 tackles for loss and 2.5 sacks, while stuffing the stat sheet with 17 total tackles last year. Earlier in the spring, Ohio State’s new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles worked out Sawyer at the LEO position–a hybrid defensive lineman and linebacker role in the Buckeyes’ defense.

Ohio State will kick off their 2022-2023 campaign against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish on Saturday, Sept. 3. The game will be played in Ohio Stadium.