Ohio State Football: Jack Sawyer and Lorenzo Styles Jr’s friendship

That scenario might be rare, but it is exactly the path that current Ohio State football player Jack Sawyer and new Buckeye Lorenzo Styles Jr. have taken. Both young men grew up in Pickerington, Ohio playing on the same travel baseball and AAU basketball teams. However, they attended opposing high schools, with Sawyer being a Pickerington North Panther and Styles Jr. a Pickerington Central Tiger.

Both boys were big-time football recruits. Sawyer was a five-star top 10 national recruit who chose to stay home and play for the Buckeyes. Styles Jr. was a high four-star wide receiver who chose to go to Notre Dame despite his father, Lorenzo Styles Sr., being a legendary Buckeye from the ’90s.

Styles Jr. wanted to play receiver at the next level, but the Ohio State football team wanted to see him move to defensive back. Brian Hartline had already received commitments from Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jayden Ballard, who were all more highly ranked than Styles was.

I’m sure the decision to commit to Notre Dame wasn’t an easy one for Styles, but he had to follow his heart. He wanted to be a receiver, and Notre Dame was giving him the opportunity to do exactly that. Until they weren’t anymore.

This spring, a decision was made to move him to the defensive backfield. Before spring was over, Styles entered his name into the transfer portal. A few weeks later, he was joining his old friend and teammate, Jack Sawyer, at his father’s alma mater.

“I’m super excited to have Zo (Lorenzo Styles Jr.) back,” Sawyer said this past Friday morning on 97.1 The Fan during an interview on the Morning Juice program with former Buckeye Bobby Carpenter. “Me and him have been best friends since we were in second or third grade. He was on my travel baseball team my whole life growing up, football obviously in Picktown always playing against each other, and we always played on the same AAU basketball team growing up since about the third grade. Zo has always been one of my best friends since I was younger. I’m super excited getting him back even though he is a Tiger.”

I’m happy for both Sawyer and Styles Jr., but they aren’t the only two from Pickerington on the team. Lorenzo’s younger brother Sonny is also on the roster. I imagine while growing up, that he was also tagging along with his older brother and his friends. If he was anything like me, he was also the extra when they needed one more at his older brothers’ practices and pickup games.

No wonder Sonny was ready to reclassify and join the Ohio State football team’s roster a year early. So not only does Sawyer get his good childhood friend back as a teammate, but Sonny gets to play with his older brother once again.