How former OSU teammates, current Steelers rookies Will Howard, Jack Sawyer overcame adversity to reach NFL
LATROBE, Pa. -- One of the biggest surprises from the Pittsburgh Steelers' first training camp practice was the two players who drew the biggest crowds during the day's first media availability.
With star pass rusher T.J. Watt having already spoken the previous day, and with Aaron Rodgers slated to speak after practice, the media instead flocked to rookies Jack Sawyer and Will Howard, former Ohio State teammates who are both hoping to carve out their own NFL legacies while first getting a chance to learn from two future Hall of Famers.
"He's a legend in the game," Howard said of Rodgers, who has quickly taken his young teammate under his wing. "Getting to work with him is -- I've said it again and again -- it's awesome. I'm humbled at the opportunity."
Howard is also appreciative of the fact that the start of his NFL journey includes being teammates with Sawyer, who developed a close bond during their one season together at Ohio State. While that season ended with a national title, it was the adversity that the Buckeyes overcame to win said title that made their connection as strong as it is.
Ohio State's national title hopes appeared to end after it was upset late in the year by archrival Michigan. While the loss could have been the beginning of the end, it instead served as a rallying cry for Howard, Sawyer and the rest of the Buckeyes, who would proceed to reel off four convincing wins in the College Football Playoffs that culminated with a national title win over Notre Dame.
While that is the most notable example, both Sawyer and Howard overcame other -- albeit much different -- obstacles in their football journeys that helped them get to where they are today.
An injury during Howard's junior season in high school led to many big-name schools (including Penn State, his favorite team growing up) ghosting him after initially showing interest. Despite coming back as a senior next year and winning the Maxwell Football Club Pennsylvania Player of the Year, Howard's only two legitimate college choices were Kansas and Kansas State.
Howard picked Kansas State, but things didn't get off to a great start. He led the Big 12 in interceptions as a freshman while completing less than 54% of his passes. And while he played considerably better the next time he got a chance to play as a junior, it didn't stop Kansas State from bringing in then-Nebraska quarterback Adrian Martinez heading into the 2023 season.
Instead of transferring, Howard stayed and had his best season at Kansas State in 2023, throwing 24 touchdowns (against 10 interceptions) and helping lead the Wildcats to a conference title. He parlayed that success into one season at perennial power Ohio State, which was gearing up for a national championship run after coming up painfully short of that goal in recent seasons.
Following the loss to Michigan, Howard played lights out during Ohio State's run through the first-ever 12-team College Football Playoffs. During that run, Howard completed 75.2% of his passes with eight touchdowns and just two picks. He capped off his college career with a brilliant performance against Notre Dame, throwing for 231 yards and two touchdowns, and running for 57 yards.
During the playoffs, Howard showed that he can win in a variety of ways. After airing it out during Ohio State's wins over Tennessee and Oregon, Howard faced a Texas defense that employed a game plan similar to the one that Michigan had used six weeks earlier.
"It was gonna be more of a methodical game," Howard said during an pre-draft interview with Jon Gruden. "They wanted to play in a simulated Cover 2. We knew we were gonna have to slice them in some zones, be able to take our checkdowns. Checkdowns were a big emphasis in this game."
Howard took on the challenge with gusto. While the Longhorns did pick him off once, Howard completed 72.7% of his passes for 289 yards. He also made one of the game's biggest plays when he hit running back TreVeyon Henderson on a screen pass that Henderson took 75 yards to the house just before halftime.
While his tangible skills have obviously helped Howard get to the NFL, he agreed when he was asked during his first day of training camp if his ability to overcome adversity is one of his greatest strengths as a football player.
"Oh, absolutely," he said. "That's something I'd like to hang my hat on my whole career, and I think it's a big reason why I've had success throughout my career. It hasn't just been handed to me all the way. It hasn't been an easy road, necessarily. I think you when you experience failure and when you go through things like that, it teaches you a lot about yourself and about life, about this game.
"Considering the things I've been through, I think one of the better parts of my game is being able to overcome adversity and stay neutral in those times. But, you know, I still haven't done anything at this level yet, so I've gotta earn my stripes. There's gonna be bumps at this level, too. I've dealt with it in high school and college, but now I ought to do it here all over again."
Compared to Howard, Sawyer's road to Pittsburgh wasn't nearly as far from both a geographical and an emotional standpoint. Sawyer grew up less than three hours from Pittsburgh, was heavily recruited in high school and was able to win a national title while playing for favorite childhood team, Ohio State.
It was definitely easier for Sawyer, but that doesn't mean that his journey didn't come without some legitimate hardships. One of those hardships occurred during his senior year at Pickerington High School North, when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to wipe out his team's season.
As uncertainty dragged on for weeks, Sawyer -- who had already committed to Ohio State -- made the difficult decision to forgo his senior season, which was ultimately reduced to a six-game regular-season schedule. Making the decision even more difficult was ESPN coming to town that season to televise Pickerington North's matchup with in-town rival Pickerington Central. ESPN came to down to specifically showcase Sawyer, who granted the network a live interview during the game, a 35-9 Central win.
"Yeah, it sucked," Sawyer acknowledged during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports. "I like to play ball. I like to get out there and compete and be with my brothers on the team, and unfortunately, I wasn't about to do that that year. But I learned a lot from it, and I'm excited I'm here right now."
Sawyer went from being part of one intense rivalry to another upon enrolling at Ohio State. But after coming up short in three games against Pickerington Central, Sawyer also sported a goose egg against Michigan, losing each of his four games against Ohio State's top rival. The last loss was the most painful, as Sawyer (a team captain as a senior) had to watch Michigan -- a 19.5-point underdog entering the game -- plant their flag on his turf.
While Sawyer's legacy at Ohio State doesn't include a win over Michigan, it does include something even greater: an iconic play that helped deliver a national title to Columbus. The play was Sawyer's 92-yard fumble return for a score that was a byproduct of his strip-sack of Texas quarterback and former OSU teammate Quinn Ewers.
"I couldn't be prouder," Ohio State coach Ryan Day said of Sawyer following OSU's win over Texas. "This guy was never stronger than when we needed him the most during difficult times."
Ironically, this article is being published a day after Howard suffered a hand injury during practice that led to an early exit. Once again, Howard is going to have to overcome adversity on the football field, something he has clearly grown accustomed to.
Hand injury aside, Howard and Sawyer have consistently displayed their potential during the Steelers' first two-plus weeks of training camp. Howard has made several impressive plays when he has had the chance to run the Steelers offense. Sawyer has also continued to turn heads with both his play on the field and his tireless worth ethic.
While both teammates are continuing to make progress, their friendship does have its limits, specifically when the two have gone against each other in practice. The two didn't get to the NFL by taking short cuts, after all, and they certainly aren't going to start doing so now.
"It's game on, man," Howard said with a laugh when asked possible taking it easy on Sawyer in practice. "We haven't talked about that, but we both know it's a business.
"That's my boy. That's one of my best friends here on the team, and was one of my best friends at Ohio State. But man, we're competing and we're playing. There's no honor system."
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