Jack Sawyer to sit senior season to prepare for mid-year enrollment
With the status of the high school football season in Ohio still seemingly up in the air, one of the top players from the state has made the decision not to play.
Jack Sawyer, a five-star defensive end out of Pickerington (Ohio) took to social media to announce his decision to skip his senior season of football in order to prepare for being a mid-year enrollee at Ohio State in the winter of 2021.
“After extensive discussion with my parents and coaches regarding the uncertainty of this high school football season and the probability of a spring collegiate season, I have decided to focus on training and preparation for my early enrollment at Ohio State,” Sawyer said in his statement.
Sawyer certainly is not the only Ohio State commit to be following this route but for most players, the decision has been made for them with state associations opting to push high school football back to spring in cases like Evan Pryor and TreVeyon Henderson.
Ohio State defensive back Jordan Hancock on the other hand is in a state where high school football will be played but with his parents each dealing with their own medical issues and recoveries, he made the decision to shut it down and practice social distancing as a family decision.
Sawyer is the nation’s No. 8 player according to the most recent Rivals.com recruiting rankings but those rankings will be updated next week with a new release of the top-250 players in the nation. The 6-foot-5, 240-pounder is not only one of the best football players in the state of Ohio but also one of the best basketball players as well.
Sawyer was on tap for a big senior season after tearing his MCL in the final game of his junior season, a year that saw him out of position and playing quarterback on the offensive side of the ball due to injuries. We had a chance to catch up with Sawyer during a local camp last month and he was optimistic with the outlook of the upcoming season.
With the Big Ten putting the brakes on fall football this year and opting for a spring model, that could allow players like Sawyer and others who enroll mid-year a chance to get two seasons over the course of one-year of eligibility, though those details are still to be worked out at a later date.
The status of high school football in the state still remains a political hot potato and Ohio’s Governor, Mike DeWine is supposed to weigh in on a decision next week, and that decision could be a decision to not weigh in at all and allow things to be determined outside of his control.
For Sawyer, there is no decision left to be made and the next time fans will see him in a football uniform, it will be at Ohio State. The hope is that it is for more than a photo day and some actual meaningful games will be quick to follow.