Ohio State’s 2021 recruiting class was among the best in the country, ranked second nationally with seven five-star prospects, and by the end of the 2023 season had largely lived up to its promise, compiling a 32-4 record over three straight. the seasons.
But for many members of that class, there was still unfinished business — namely beating Michigan and winning a national championship — that became the focus of discussions about returning to Columbus.
At least eight players who were projected to be selected in the NFL draft, some of them in the early rounds, chose to stay in school, with the goal of adding a few wins to their excellent win-loss record. While the first half of their scoring spree is gone — the Buckeyes lost their fourth straight game to the Wolverines — they’re still in position to deliver the ultimate prize, facing Texas on Friday night in the College Football Playoff semifinals. Football Playoff at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (7:30 ET, ESPN).
“When you look back, you want to be able to tell your children, your family, the people you love that you won something,” said senior presenter Emeka Egbuka. “We hadn’t really won anything and that’s why we came back.
“Then you lose the last game again [against Michigan]and it hurts. It will always hurt, but just like we did earlier this season, we folded our arms and said we still have a chance to win the big prize, the national championship.
“Let’s go do it.”
Even without a win over Michigan, the 2021 class has a chance to leave a lasting legacy at Ohio State. The group, which included 17 ESPN 300 recruits, isn’t completely untouched. Quarterback Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse after the 2023 season and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who went as a junior last year, was the No. 1 selection. 4 in the NFL draft. Then there’s the quarterback Ohio State will face in the Cotton Bowl, Texas’ Quinn Ewers, who spent a semester in Columbus in 2021, played one game against Michigan State, then transferred to Texas.
But those who remain have a strong bond.
“This group, the ’21 group, has been through a lot,” treVeyon Henderson said. “This is a special moment for all of us to be in this position, to be next to each other, to remain committed to each other as we have.
“This season hasn’t been perfect. We’re not perfect, but we’ve relied on each other to keep going, to stay focused, and we’re still here fighting to play each other until there’s no game left. others to play.”
Senior defensive end Jack Sawyer grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, about 17 miles from Columbus, and committed to the Buckeyes as a sophomore in high school. He was one of the leaders this offseason in bringing back many of his teammates.
Granted, Ohio State’s willingness to broker lucrative NIL deals, putting together a $20 million roster spot, was a big part of the holdover. But there was also a sense of emptiness in that 2021 class that stemmed from not doing what all players come to Ohio State to do — beat Michigan, win Big Ten championships and win national championships.
“Jack was passionate about this offseason and what Ohio State meant to him and what we could do to make the mark we wanted on the program, especially the guys who grew up in the state,” linebacker Ty Hamilton said. fifth-year senior also from Pickerington.
Sawyer and fellow defenseman JT Tuimoloau joined in 2021, and neither missed the magnitude of this second chance to finally get the job done.
“That makes it more special,” said Sawyer, part of an Ohio State defense that racked up eight sacks in a 41-21 Rose Bowl quarterfinal victory over Oregon, which beat Ohio State 32-31 in Eugene earlier in this season. “I mean, we were just talking about it. You look back at where we were in our first year, and we’re so different as people and as players. So we’re really excited to get another chance.”
The Buckeyes have certainly made the most of it. They have yet to score in their first two playoff games, blowing a 21-0 first-quarter lead against Tennessee and a 34-0 second-quarter lead against Oregon. In those two games, they’ve racked up 12 quarterback sacks, allowed none and are giving up an average of 3.8 yards per play on defense.
But the hurt of a fourth straight loss to their hated rival when Ohio State was a three-goal favorite on its home turf still stings.
“What happened at the end is bad [of the regular season]”Nobody hates it more than we do. I hope people know that. But we know what it takes to go out there in the playoffs and win, and that’s to play to our ability.
“That’s all we’re focusing on right now and not what anybody has said about us and or anything else that’s happened in the past. The way we look at it, everybody on this team, is that our game the best is still out there.”
Senior defensive tackle Tyleik Williams added: “That game didn’t go our way and once we got into the playoffs, we came together and said, ‘We’ve got a shot at this. This is it — one .'”
Sawyer was enraged after the Michigan game when some Wolverines players placed a “Block M” flag at midfield at the Horseshoe, similar to what happened at the end of the 2022 game, and a fight ensued that had to be broken up by staff members and the police.
Sawyer removed the Michigan flag from its pole and tossed it to the ground. As he was being held by an employee, a video captured him yelling, “They’re not putting the flag back on our field, bro!”
That passion has permeated the entire team during the postseason, and the Buckeyes have used it as fuel, especially some of the younger players and portal additions, who have seen how tough it was for the veterans to face off again. Michigan and then had to hear the fallout for nearly a month before the first playoff game.
“It’s an angry team and we’ve been playing that way,” said quarterback Will Howard, who transferred this season from Kansas State. “You see guys like Jack and JT and Donovan, all those guys that came back and how much they’ve invested in this program, and you just follow their lead.”
One of the keys, according to offensive coordinator Chip Kelly, was finding the right mix with veteran quarterback acquisitions and veteran quarterbacks. It’s rare in this day and age of college football for a program of Ohio State’s caliber to have so many fourth- and fifth-year seniors.
“Their leadership has been tremendous, especially with the guys we added who had experience and had played at a high level,” said Kelly, who has been a coach in both the NFL and the college ranks. “They’ve been consistent, they haven’t let anything outside get to them. Everybody goes through ups and downs. You’re not going to win every week and then it becomes, ‘How do you react to that?’ high that has been answered in the right way.
“They came back for a reason, and they still have a chance to do it. They know what’s at stake.”
Tuimoloau, Ohio State’s leader with 17 tackles for loss and 10 sacks, admits the foundation of the program was shaken a bit after the Michigan loss. But he reminded himself and everyone around him that a single loss, even one as painful as the one at Michigan, would not destroy the season.
“One thing I will say about this team is that we have built our foundation on something that is bigger than what you see on the football field,” Tuimoloau said. “Just to go through those trials, man, I couldn’t be more thankful for that. It’s brought us closer together. It’s allowed us to look at everything from a different perspective and just keep making the choice if you want to break up and break up.” or stay close and keep working only towards the goal.”
While veterans have been the steady force for Ohio State in this postseason resurgence, dynamic freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith has provided the tension with four touchdown catches and 290 receiving yards in two playoff games.
Smith said he’s had a lot of mentors on this team, but he didn’t need to be told anything after the Michigan loss.
“Those guys weren’t going to let it end like that,” Smith said. “They had been through a lot, and their leadership just picked up the rest of the team.
“It wouldn’t happen again.”
