The Ohio State Buckeyes finally did it. They got over the hump, and did so in commanding fashion. After a hard-fought game against Notre Dame, Will Howard and the Buckeyes crowned themselves as national champions. After the game, Ohio State’s QB issued a very powerful message to his teammates, including defensive leader Jack Sawyer, and his coach Ryan Day.
The Buckeyes became the best program in the NCAA for the first time since 2014. It felt like eternity in Columbus, but the Ohio State University is back where it belongs.
Just one year after their eternal rivals, Michigan, were crowned, Ohio State proved that whatever the school from up north does, they can do better. Will Howard had a night to remember as he and Ryan Day etched their names into immortality in Columbus.
Right after the game, Howard made sure to deliver a very special message to Jack Sawyer and the rest of his teammates, as well as to Day and the coaching staff.
“I don’t have words they changed my life in more ways that I can say,” Howard admitted after the game, via ESPN. “Coach Day and these guys here completely changed my life. I can’t believe God gave me the chance to be a Buckeye, there’s nothing like.”
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Post-Michigan adversity
Not many gave Ohio State a chance at the national title after their embarrassing loss at home against Michigan. The program was impacted thoroughly by that defeat, and were given two options: sink or swim.
The Buckeyes chose the latter, and almost two months later, Ohio State crowned itself as the best college football program in the nation. Howard admitted that the loss to their historic rivals sent the team down a dark path, one they could only escape by staying united.
“It made us come together, and it really challenged us, man,” Howard stated postgame. “We were in a rough spot and I just gotta give all the credit to the guys in that locker room for coming together, and not letting that separate us, but letting it make us come closer.
Will Howard #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes reacts after throwing a pass for a first down against the Notre Dame Fighting Irish during the fourth quarter in the 2025 CFP National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“I really don’t think we’d be here if it wasn’t for some of the adversity that we faced this year, and it makes it that much sweeter.”
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Sawyer speaks about Day
Jack Sawyer has become the heart and soul of the Buckeyes’ defense, often embodying everything Day desires in his defensive players. After the national title victory, Sawyer and Day shared a very special moment together—one that Sawyer couldn’t wait to have until Day’s interview was over.
When Sawyer’s moment came to be under the spotlight and in front of the cameras, the linebacker sent a very deep message to his coach.
Jack Sawyer #33 and Will Howard #18 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrate after defeating the Notre Dame Fighting Irish 34-23 in the 2025 CFP National Championship at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 20, 2025 in Atlanta, Georgia.
“Damn right [Ryan Day] is [a National Champion]. He is the best coach in college football,” Sawyer emphatically stated. “He’s gonna win a couple more of these things real soon. He deserves this win so much, I’m so happy for him and his family. This is something you only dream about and here I am able to be a part of this.”
