Even though they’re the two highest-rated defensive ends that Ohio State has ever signed, J.T Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer probably won’t be starters this year.
They might not even be on the two-deep, at least not at the beginning of the season. Tyreke Smith, Zach Harrison, Tyler Friday and Javontae Jean-Baptiste have already been in the defensive end rotation for the past two seasons, so Larry Johnson will likely lean on those four experienced veterans – or some combination of them – to play most of the snaps on the edge early in the year.
That said, Sawyer and Tuimoloau are too talented not to be in the mix for at least some playing time right off the bat.