Elite 2021 DE Jack Sawyer Set To Visit Notre Dame Saturday

There’s nothing all that unusual about a prospect prioritizing his visits to schools that have offered, but it is unusual for a prospect to be able to do that after just one year of high school football, especially with the kind of schools that Jack Sawyer‍ has offers from.

The 2021 Ohio defensive end already has scholarships from Ohio State, Michigan, Michigan State, Penn State, Kentucky, Cincinnati, Maryland, Indiana, Pitt and Georgia Tech.

The Pickerington North High School standout focused on those schools for unofficial visits this summer, but he will be in South Bend for Saturday night’s game between Notre Dame and Michigan.

“It just happened this summer,” Pickerington North head coach Nathan Hillerich said of the interest from the Irish. “I think they invited him to camp. He didn’t go to many camps this year. He only visited places he had offers from, which is pretty unusual to have offers from the Big Ten schools and a couple SEC schools as a freshman.

“He didn’t get a chance to visit (Notre Dame), but when he got invited up to a game to get up on campus, he’s excited.”

Sawyer is expected to make another round of visits to some of the top Big Ten schools again this fall, but the Irish are in the mix even before an offer.

“A school like Notre Dame is obviously going to be really high on his list,” Hillerich said.

His coach points to Sawyer’s toughness as a big reason for all of the early attention.

“Obviously, he’s physically gifted,” says Hillerich. “He’s 6-5, 220 as a sophomore, but I think it’s his toughness, how hard he plays, the things you really can’t teach and coach. He has a great motor. He’s extremely competitive. He’s going to do whatever it takes to be successful.

“We tell our kids every day that’s what separates good players from great, especially as you go up each level. As you go to college, everybody is kind of the same dimensions, height, weight. It’s those little things that separate and that’s what he does.”

Off the field, he’s also a leader.

“He’s a great kid academically,” Hillerich says. “He’s in the highest level classes at our school. He’s really bright and strong academically. He’ll have the opportunity to get recruited by all of the high-academic schools as well.”

Physically, Sawyer’s explosion helps set him apart, according to Hillerich.

“He’s got a quick-twitch to him. Coming off the ball, he’s got a great get-off. He uses his hands well. He’s a super physical kid.”