Ryan Day and the Ohio State Buckeyes had a pretty challenging road to make it to the national championship game. And to be completely frank, it didn’t seem like Ohio State was really going to get much of a shot to get to the College Football Playoffs.

After losing to both the Oregon Ducks (who seemed capable of winning a national championship this season) and then the Michigan Wolverines (who was able to build upon an unexpected rivalry win over Ohio State to salvage their season), it didn’t look like the Buckeyes would have much of a shot at competing in the postseason.

And yet, Jack Sawyer, a senior for this Ohio State team, and the Buckeyes thrived once they made it to the College Football Playoffs. The seasoned defensive end and his teammates sure seemed to find their second wind once they were tasked with taking on the toughest portion of their season up to that point.

The run that Ohio State had, beating the No. 9 Tennessee Volunteers by 25 points, the No. 1 Oregon Ducks by 20 points, the No. 5 Texas Longhorns by 14 points, and then capping things off with an 11 point win over Notre Dame? Well, that’s special.

And for Sawyer, it sure seems like that championship run was really enjoyable.

Ohio State’s national title run sure looked like a lot of fun for Jack Sawyer and the Buckeyes

“It’s been really fun and I’m just happy I was able to do it and get the job done with the group of guys that we had on this team,” Sawyer noted at a press conference at Raising Cane’s in the days following the national championship win. “We just thank God for the opportunity that we had all season and trusting His plan, even when things didn’t look good.”

To be completely honest, the Buckeyes looked pretty lost in their loss against Michigan. Things really, truly did not look good there for Ohio State. 

“And, you know, a lot of people in the city didn’t think that we could do anything,” Sawyer said. “We stayed true to Him, stayed true to what we knew we were capable of doing and we were able to come out on top.”

Among the many prizes for coming out on top? Along with the bragging rights, trophy, and all of the festivities, Sawyer and Ohio State quarterback Will Howard got to take part in a fun, championship reception at Raising Cane’s with Ohio State fans and media members nestled right in the heart of Columbus.