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Chris Low, ESPN senior writer
Ohio StateThe 2021 recruiting class was among the best in the country, ranked No. 2 nationally with seven five-star prospects, and by the end of the 2023 season it had largely delivered on its promises, compiling a 32-4 record over three regular matches. seasons.
But for many members of this class, there was still one task ahead: beating Michigan and winning a national championship — that became the focus of talk about returning to Columbus.
At least eight players expected to be selected in the NFL draft, some in the early rounds, have opted to stay in school in an effort to add some bling to their gaudy win-loss record. Even though the first part of their goals came up short – the Buckeyes lost their fourth straight rivalry game to the Wolverines – they are still in position to win the ultimate prize, facing Texas Friday evening in the College Football Playoff Semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl (7:30 a.m. ET, ESPN).
“When you look back, you want to be able to tell your kids, your family, the people you love that you won something,” the senior receiver said. Emeka Egbuka said. “We didn’t really win anything, and that’s the reason we came back.
“Then you lose the last game (against Michigan) again, and that hurts. It’ll still hurt, but just like we did before this season, we held our arms together and said we still have one chance to win the grand prize, the national championship.
“Let’s go.”
Even without a win against Michigan, the 2021 class has a chance to leave a lasting legacy at Ohio State. The group, which included 17 ESPN 300 rookies, is not completely intact. Strategist Kyle McCord transferred to Syracuse after the 2023 season and receiver Marvin Harrison Jr., who left as a junior last year, was the No. 4 selection in the NFL draft. Then there’s the quarterback Ohio State will face in the Cotton Bowl in Texas. Quinn Ewerswho spent a semester in Columbus in 2021, played in one game against Michigan State, then transferred to Texas.
But those who remain have a strong bond.
“This group, Group 21, has been through a lot,” says senior running back TreVeyon Henderson said. “It’s a special moment for all of us to be in this position, to be there for each other, to stay committed to each other the way 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 against each other until until there are no more matches to be played.
Senior defensive end Jack Sawyer grew up in Pickerington, Ohio, about 17 miles from Columbus, and committed to the Buckeyes when he was a sophomore in high school. He has been one of the leaders this offseason in bringing back so many of his teammates.
Certainly, Ohio State’s willingness to negotiate lucrative NIL deals, setting up a $20 Million Listhas been a big part of the retention. But there was also a feeling of emptiness in this 2021 class due to not having done what all players come to Ohio State to do: beat Michigan, win the Big Ten championships and win the national championships.
“Jack was passionate about this offseason and what Ohio State meant to him and what we could do to leave the kind of mark we wanted on the program, especially the guys who grew up in the state ” the defensive tackle said. Ty Hamiltona fifth-year senior also from Pickerington.
Sawyer and his fellow defensive end JT Tuimoloau came together in 2021, and none of them lost sight of the magnitude of this second chance to finally get the job done.
“It makes it more special,” said Sawyer, part of an Ohio State defense that had eight sacks in the 41-21 Rose Bowl quarterfinal victory over Oregonwho beat Ohio State 32-31 in Eugene earlier this season. “I mean, we were just talking about it. If you look at where we were our first year, we’re so different as people and as players. So we’re really excited to get another chance.”
The Buckeyes certainly made the most of it. They have yet to trail in their first two playoff games, taking a 21-0 first quarter lead against Tennessee and a 34-0 second-quarter lead against Oregon. In those two games, they racked up 12 quarterback sacks, allowed none and are allowing 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-touchdown favorite on its home field, still stings.
“It sucks what happened at the end (of the regular season),” senior offensive tackle Donovan Jackson said. “Nobody hates it more than us. I hope people know that. But we know what it takes to make the playoffs and win, and that plays to our abilities.
“That’s all we’re focused on right now and not what anyone has said about us or anything else that’s happened in the past. The way we see things, everything world in this team, is that our best game is still there.
Senior defensive tackle Tyler Williams added: “This game didn’t go the way we wanted, and as soon as we got into the playoffs, we came together and said, ‘We only have one chance. This is all, one.'”
Sawyer was furious after the Michigan game when some of the Wolverines’ players planted a “Block M” flag at midfield at the Horseshoe, similar to what happened at the end of the 2022 game, and a fight broke out. followed which had to be interrupted by staff and police.
Sawyer ripped the Michigan flag from its flagpole and threw it to the ground. As he was restrained by a staff member, video captured him shouting: “They’re not going to plant the flag on our property yet, bro!”
That passion permeated the entire team during the playoffs, and the Buckeyes used it as fuel, especially some of the younger players and portal additions who saw how agonizing it was for veterans to fail again against Michigan, then having to listen to the fallout for nearly a month before the first game of the playoffs.
“It’s an angry team and we played that way,” the quarterback said Will Howardtransferred this season from Kansas State. “You see guys like Jack, JT and Donovan, all these guys that came back, and how much they 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 of veteran portal acquisitions and veteran holdovers. It’s rare in college football today that a program of Ohio State’s caliber has so many fourth- and fifth-year seniors.
“Their leadership has been great, especially with the guys we added that had experience and had played at a high level,” said Kelly, who has been a head coach in the NFL and collegiate ranks. “They’ve been steady, haven’t let anything from the outside get to them. Everyone faces ups and downs. You’re not going to win every week, and then it becomes, ‘How do you react to that ?’ We have a group of seniors who reacted 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 program’s foundation was shaken a bit after Michigan’s loss. But he reminded himself and everyone around him that a single loss, even one as painful as the one to Michigan, wasn’t going to destroy the season.
“One thing I will say about this team is that we built our foundation on something that goes beyond what you see on the football field,” Tuimoloau said. “Just going through it, man, I can’t be more grateful for it. It’s brought us closer together. It’s allowed us to really look at everything from a different perspective and continue to make the choice if we want to separate and disperse- you or stay close and just keep working towards the goal.
While veterans have been Ohio State’s stabilizing force in this playoff revival, dynamic freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith provided the tension with four touchdowns and 290 receiving yards in the two playoff games.
Smith said he had many mentors on that team, but he didn’t need to be told anything after the Michigan loss.
“These guys weren’t going to let it end like that,” Smith said. “They’ve been through too much and their leadership has kind of taken over the rest of the team.
“This was not going to happen again.”