Ohio State beating Notre Dame to win historic CFP National Championship draws special message from JJ Wolf

JJ Wolf expressed his delight at Ohio State's historic victory over Notre Dame in the inaugural edition of the new format College Football Playoff National Championship with a special message.

Ohio State ousted Notre Dame 34-23 to lift the coveted trophy on Tuesday, January 21 at the Mercedez Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The win marked the team's first national championship in 10 years. They had previously won the title in 2014.

Cincinnati-native JJ Wolf took to Instagram to show his support for the team by posting a picture of a flag bearing the Ohio State's mantra - "Ohio against the world".

Screengrab from JJ Wolf's Instagram @jjwolf5

Ohio State opened with a victory over No. 9 Tennessee at home in the first round of the 2025 College Football Playoff. They next defeated No. 1 Oregon in the Rose Bowl quarterfinal before overcoming No. 5 Texas in the CFP Cotton Bowl semifinal.

After the team's Cotton Bowl victory, Jack Sawyer and quarterback Will Howard had also held up a red flag, with the team's battle-cry written in white, onstage during the trophy presentation.

Wolf has close ties with the university, having played collegiate tennis for the Ohio State Buckeyes in 2016. His sister, Danielle, has also played collegiate tennis for the Ohio State University.

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A brief look at JJ Wolf's journey from collegiate tennis to turning pro

In Picture: JJ Wolf at the 2025 Challenger Oeiras. Image: Getty

JJ Wolf had a successful collegiate run before turning pro in 2019. He was the 2017 Big Ten Freshman of the Year and First-Team All Big Ten. He was ranked the No. 1 college player in the US and was honored as the College Player of the Year in 2019.

In a 2022 interview with the Herald-Tribune, Wolf spoke about the transition from being a college-level player to a professional player.

“It’s definitely a big transition,” Wolf said. “Guys are out here trying to put food on the table. It’s their livelihood.”

He reflected on his time at his alma-mater and believed that players at the collegiate level were tougher opponents than pros.

“I think that guys who go to college are harder to play against because they never give up,” Wolf said. “They are used to that team mentality. I loved playing at Ohio State. They were the best years of my life.”

On the ATP Tour, some of the highlights of Wolf's career so far has been reaching the third round of the 2020 and 2022 editions of the US Open as a wildcard entry.

Wold was sidelined in 2021 with two hernia operations. He was later back on tour and one of his best results was reaching the fourth round of the 2023 Australian Open. He was last seen on-court at the 2025 Challenger Oeiras where he made it to the Round of 16 before falling to compatriot Mackenzie McDonald.