Who is Jack Sawyer? The Ohio State football senior defensive end became a legend in the Buckeyes' Cotton Bowl win over Texas.

Ohio State is off to the College Football Playoff National Championship game to face Notre Dame. But it wasn’t easy. Clinging to a seven-point lead, the defense was asked again to make yet another stop. Texas drove down the field fairly quickly and then two pass interference calls put the Longhorns on the one-yard line with a first and goal.

Jack Sawyer was essential to Ohio State Buckeyes reaching the top of the college football world once again, and the star defender is receiving his flowers as the dust settles on the 2024 campaign. He was one of the first players to lift the trophy after the College Football Playoff National Championship Game,

Sawyer undoubtedly had the biggest play of the game when he sealed Ohio State's 28-14 victory over the Texas Longhorns. After stripping the ball away from Texas QB Quinn Ewers during a 4th-and-goal situation with less than three minutes remaining, the star defensive end proceeded to complete the play with an 83-yard fumble return.

SportsLine's model simulated Notre Dame Fighting Irish vs. Ohio State Buckeyes in the 2025 CFP National Championship game 10,000 times

Watch: Ohio State linebacker Jack Sawyer destroys a camera after hugging Ryan Day following his fumble returned for a touchdown.

Ohio State's last win over Michigan was in 2019 when Sawyer was in high school. However, this season's loss to the rival may have hurt the most for the senior defender, as it was on the Buckeyes' senior day. Plus, the game ended in a brawl between both teams after a Michigan flag was planted in the middle of Ohio State's field.

The eighth-seeded Ohio State Buckeyes clash with the seventh-seeded Notre Dame Fighting Irish in the College Football Playoff national championship game today. This matchup is available on multiple streaming services for free.

Notre Dame became the latest team to find out what the rest of Ohio State’s opponents learned during this newly expanded College Football Playoff: It’s amazing what one can sometimes accomplish when angry,

Ohio State is back on the top of the college football world with its first national championship since 2014 after beating Notre Dame in Atlanta.

Celebrate Ohio State football's CFP championship win vs. Notre Dame with books, posters, front pages and print keepsakes from The Columbus Dispatch.