COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson has recruited and developed some of the greatest defensive linemen in Buckeyes history.
Names like Nick Bosa and Chase Young fill Johnson’s resume, but he’s hardly ever had two aces on the edge at the same time — crossing paths for three games in 2018 before an injury cut Bosa’s season short.
Now, Johnson may have his next elite edge attack in the form of former five-star freshmen J.T. Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer.
“Jack is a quick, very explosive player. J.T. is just the opposite; explosive, quick and powerful. He can play on top of the end and in the six-technique and knock the line of scrimmage back,” Johnson said Aug. 17. “Jack is a finesse guy. He’s going to find a way to beat you and he’s a highly-competitive guy.”
Although both are going through their first season in the Ohio State program, Johnson and head coach Ryan Day have shown trust in the duo, evident through the amount of time both have spent on the field.
Sawyer has played in 94 snaps to this point in the season, including a season-high 37 against Akron, while Tuimoloau has racked up 146 snaps thus far this year.
“I think that those young guys have a lot on their plate. They have had to play a lot. It’s kind of baptism by fire and they have brought it every day,” Day said. “Between Tyleik [Williams] and Jack and J.T. and those guys, I give them credit as young guys for stepping in and taking that on.”
Defensive tackle Tyleik Williams joins both freshmen ends as a first-year interior presence.
Coming in as a four-star recruit, Williams has held down the Buckeyes’ interior defensive line alongside fifth-year senior Haskell Garrett, leading the team with four sacks.
“Tyleik is going to keep playing, going to keep growing. He’s done a lot out there so far. It hasn’t always been easy for him. There’s been different things he’s had to deal with, and I have a lot of respect for him as a young man,” Day said. “All the work he’s putting in right now is going to pay huge dividends as we head to the middle part of the conference schedule. But either way, he’ll be on the field.”
As Williams surges Ohio State’s sack count from the inside, Tuimoloau and Sawyer are two of three defensive ends to record at least one sack this season — joining junior Zach Harrison.
Sawyer pointed to his finesse in his pass rush technique as a driving factor for his success for finding the quarterback.
“Being a finesse player in the pass game isn’t bad. I think pass rushing is supposed to be a little more finesse,” Sawyer said. “You’re supposed to use your athleticism and all of your pass rush moves.”
While Sawyer excels in more of a finesse pass-rush role, Tuimoloau plays with more of an aggressive style and relies heavily on his strength.
Tuimoloau collected seven tackles, including one for loss thus far on the season.
The Edgewood, Washington, native pointed to what he learned from Johnson and previous coaches as a guiding factor for him in that area.
“Trusting your coaches, trusting the technique they’re teaching you and continue to build on that,” Tuimoloau said. “That will help you in the long run.”
With a focus on the two rising stars at defensive end, Tuimoloau said the duo still has a long way to reach the level of Bosa, Young and other Ohio State greats.
“The sky’s the limit for us,” Tuimoloau said. “We just got to keep our head down, stay humbled, and keep grinding.”
With Tuimoloau and Sawyer anchoring the defensive ends for years to come, Williams serves as the third head of the Buckeyes’ freshman defensive line monster.
Looking ahead to the future, Sawyer emphasized that the freshmen up front have the potential to help create a historically great defensive line heading into the future.
“When we see defensive lines controlling the game, that’s definitely what we want to be and I think we’ve got the guys in our room to do it,” Sawyer said. “I think here in a few weeks you guys will be saying ‘Wow here’s the Buckeyes d-line that you guys have seen in year’s past.’”
