Ohio State team captains include Pickerington North graduate Jack Sawyer

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) -- Fall camp has wrapped up for the Buckeyes and so have some odds and ends, like naming the team captains.

For 2024, the Ohio State team captains are Emeka Egbuka, TreVeyon Henderson, Cody Simon and former Pickerington North stand-out Jack Sawyer. Simon is also this season’s "Block O" recipient.

Sawyer extends a streak of central Ohio natives named an Ohio State captain to six consecutive years. At the end of last season, Sawyer really began standing out as a leader for Ohio State, and he assumed even more of that role when he decided to come back for one more year of college. In the offseason, he was one of the loudest voices with regards to how much it means to him to come back to this program and leave a mark, like a national championship.

On the field, he let his play do the talking. He led Ohio State in sacks with 6.5 last season, and was the seventh overall leading tackler with 48 total, 24 of those solo. Sawyer also notched two forced fumbles on the year and became a national wrecking crew up front alongside JT Tuimoloau.

“Jack is always a really good-natured personality, but you can see like how serious he is about his craft,” Jim Knowles said during fall camp this month. “When he makes a mistake, you know, I don’t even get to yell at him because he holds up his hand and goes, ‘Yeah, I got it!’ You know that kind of thing. We are glad to have him that’s for sure.”

With Marvin Harrison Junior moving onto the NFL, Emeka Egbuka is the new natural leader of the wide receivers room. Like Sawyer, Egbuka could have gone to the NFL after last season, but chose to return to Ohio State for one more go-around.

“Him returning to us has been one of the biggest keys this offseason for us,” said fellow wide-out Bryson Rodgers.

Coming into this season, Egbuka already ranks 14th all-time at Ohio State in receptions (124), 16th all-time at OSU in yards (1,857 yards) and has found the end zone 14 times.

“I felt it last year! I was on the ‘Mek train for a long time,” fellow wide receiver Bryson Rodgers said after practice one day. “I feel ‘Mek does a lot of great things for us in the run game and in the pass game as well. He’s very versatile in all aspects, and the the energy and that type of person he is off the field -- you know he’s the glue. He’s very the glue to us as a receiver corps.”

Some players would’ve been frustrated or felt disrespected by a team bringing in a top-talent running back like Quinshon Judkins into the fold; but TreVeyon Henderson is not like some players.

In his fourth year at Ohio State, Henderson earns his captaincy for how he carries himself on the field and his clear accomplishments; but also, for how he embraces the team concept and doing what gets the team to where they want to go.

“We texted each other when we were in high school so we knew of each other,” Henderson said of Judkins. “Human nature, there’s jealousy that tries to creep up in your heart. There’s envy. So the biggest thing is just asking the Lord to guard my heart from any jealousy.”

And it’s that faith that has also resonated with a lot of this Buckeyes team, and another area where Henderson has found a leadership role.

“I give all the praise to God just having me to have an open heart towards that,” Henderson said with regards to his personal growth while at Ohio State and being able to confidently share the running back load. “That’s something the Lord helped me with, removing that selfishness from my heart, because there has definitely been times in the past that I’ve struggled with that but as I’ve grown closer to the Lord he started to transform my heart.”

The heart of this team is definitely Cody Simon. The fifth-year linebacker is the fifth recipient of the coveted "Block O" award, and now a first-time team captain as well. He was fourth on the team last season in total tackles (147) and off the field, he is working toward a master’s degree in human development and family services.

Being the team’s leader hasn’t been a pair of cleats Simon has had to step into yet, but this past offseason it kind of fell on his shoulder pads with both of Ohio State’s starting linebackers, Tommy Eichenberg and Steele Chambers, graduating from the program.

“When you have guys who are big in your culture that leave, there is a void that needs to be filled and this whole offseason has been about leadership and lifting yourself and the other leaders up as well as bringing the guys below,” Simon said. “I think I’ve gotten a lot better at coaching, encouraging, at being a better teammate and it’s gotten me better as a player as well.”

Simon will shed his traditional #30 jersey this season to don the ultimate honor on this team, #0 or “Block O.”