Here's a look back at Sawyer's Mt. Rushmore when they were donning the scarlet and gray, and how Sawyer stacks up entering a pivotal season for him and the Buckeyes
Will Backus
Of all the questions Ohio State defensive end Jack Sawyer was asked at 2024 Big Ten Media Days, one stands out among the most difficult: CBS Sports implored Sawyer to create a Mt. Rushmore consisting entirely of Ohio State defensive linemen.
For those not familiar with the thought exercise, constructing a Mt. Rushmore is essentially the same as listing the top four names in any given category. Given the Buckeyes' illustrious history of producing top-tier players along the defensive front, this was a gargantuan task for Sawyer.
Do y’all agree with @jacksawyer33’s Mt. Rushmore of @OhioStateFB defensive linemen? ? pic.twitter.com/LaBl62C9p4
— CBS Sports College Football ? (@CBSSportsCFB) July 24, 2024
It didn't take him long to conjure up an answer, though. Sawyer gave both Nick and Joey Bosa their flowers, while shining light on prolific pass-rusher Chase Young. He also went deep into Ohio State history to honor program legend Mike Vrabel, whose name still holds a prolific spot in program record books.
Given the position he players, it's no surprise that all of Sawyer's selections lined up as edge rushers during their collegiate careers. Here's a look back at Sawyer's Mt. Rushmore when they were donning the scarlet and gray, and how Sawyer stacks up entering a pivotal season for him and the Buckeyes.
Joey Bosa
The first of two heralded Bosa brothers to pass through Columbus, Joey joined the Buckeyes as a four-star, top-100 overall recruit out of Florida's St. Thomas Aquinas High School. He made an immediate impact as a freshman, starting 10 of 14 games, and earned unanimous first-team All-American honors as a sophom*ore in 2014. He was also a consensus All-American in 2015 despite missing the first three games of the season. In his three-year Ohio State career, Bosa amassed 148 total tackles, 51 for a loss, and 26 sacks.
He also forced five fumbles and notched his lone career interception as a junior. Perhaps most importantly to fans, Bosa's Buckeyes went 3-0 against Michigan and won the 2014 College Football Playoff National Championship. Bosa had two tackles, one for a loss, in the title game against Oregon He was selected by the then San Diego Chargers with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft and was named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year. He's a 4-time Pro Bowler since joining the Chargers.
Nick Bosa
Not to be outdone, the younger Bosa followed in his brother's footsteps as a top-10 overall recruit in the 2016 class. He had seven tackles for loss and five sacks as a freshman before truly breaking out and making his mark in 2017, earning first-team All-Big Ten honors and a Big Ten Defensive Lineman of the Year nod with 32 total tackles, 14.5 for a loss, and seven sacks. He also had 15 total quarterback pressures and blocked a kick.
Bosa got off to a scorching-hot start in 2018, logging four sacks in three games before a core muscle injury cut his year short. In total, he had 29 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks as a Buckeye. Like Joey, Nick decided to forgo his final year of eligibility and declared for the 2019 NFL Draft, where he was selected second overall by the San Francisco 49ers. He was the 2019 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year and 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the Year.
Chase Young
Young joined Ohio State one year after Nick Bosa signed as the No. 4 overall prospect in the 2017 class. He stepped up big-time as a sophom*ore when Bosa suffered his core muscle injury, emerging as Ohio State's top pass rusher with 14.5 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. When Bosa left for the NFL, Young stepped in as Ohio State's unquestioned defensive leader and delivered on the hype with a 16.5-sack campaign that saw him earn a spot as a Heisman Trophy finalist.
Young's 30.5 sacks through three seasons at Ohio State rank second all-time in program history, behind Mike Vrabel. His 16.5 sacks in 2019 were a single-season record for the Buckeyes. Young, who was taken off the board second overall in the 2020 NFL Draft, was the only unanimous selection to the Big Ten's 2010's All-Decade Team. He followed Nick Bosa's lead as the 2020 NFL Rookie of the Year and earned his only Pro Bowl honors as a first-year professional player.
Mike Vrabel
Before he was bouncing around the NFL as both an assistant and head coach, Vrabel was shattering records and giving offenses nightmares as a defensive end at Ohio State. After spending his 1993 freshman season as a reserve, Vrabel notched 12 sacks as a sophom*ore to earn the first first-team All-Big Ten honors of his career. He was a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year from 1995-96, becoming the first player in conference history to accomplish such a feat, and his 36 career sacks are still a Buckeye record. In 2012, he was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame.
How Sawyer stacks up
Sawyer isn't anywhere close to matching Vrabel's pace, or Young's for that matter -- his 11 career sacks don't put him on pace to come anywhere near records. But the now fourth-year senior could at least stack up against the Bosas. He would need a decent year to surpass Nick Bosa's 17.5-sack mark and a Heisman Trophy caliber campaign to to match Joey Bosa's 26 sacks. But if he gets his career totals anywhere near the latter mark, Sawyer could continue Ohio State's illustrious tradition of producing high-quality NFL pass rushers.
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