Ohio State Recruiting Round-Up: Haskell Garrett
By Josh Keatley
A look at Ohio State defensive tackle Haskell Garrett.
After going over some of the excitement on the offensive side of the ball for Ohio State, we bounce back to the defensive side and look at one of the promising interior defenders in the class, Haskell Garrett. With Michael Hill, Sam Hubbard, Dre’Mont Jones, and Tyquan Lewis returning, the defensive line looks extremely strong and may remain a strength for a few years.
At the beginning of last season, the interior of the defensive line wasn’t seen as a strength and some even viewed it as a major weakness. Hopefully with the talented players returning, and the depth coming in from this recruiting class, it will continue to be strong.
Player: Haskell Garrett
Hometown: Las Vegas, Nevada
Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6-2
Weight: 298 lbs.
Ranking: 4 Star
Chose Ohio State Over: Texas A&M & Notre Dame
We already went over the most likely returning starters on the defensive line and we haven’t even mentioned the depth yet. Rashod Berry, Davon Hamilton, Jalyn Holmes, & Robert Landers are all prepping to see playing time in 2017.
Cracking this two deep would be a tough task for any incoming freshman, but it is not impossible. Garrett will be playing on the interior and can use his time on the sideline to learn a lot.
Strengths: For a young player fighting to see the field, there is no trait more important than versatility and Garrett has the ability to see time either on the interior or on the end. His true spot will be at defensive tackle, but watch for him to possibly see time in a rotation from the edge.
There has been talk about Ohio State potentially showing more 3-4 fronts, and an addition like Garrett might make that more possible. He has the agility and quickness to play from the end, but the size and strength to anchor the interior.
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Weaknesses: It is a good thing to be versatile, but to be labeled a tweener is seen as a negative. Garrett has the physical ability to be versatile, but the size to be labeled as a tweener.
He lacks the length and height that scouts like to see on the defensive line and that is especially true on the edge. Another red flag may be the fact that Garrett is close to 300 pounds and his frame and athleticism maybe better suited for a lighter weight.
Comparison: Kenny Peterson, 2002: During his time as a Buckeye, Peterson developed into an intimidating force and was eventually drafted in the third round of the NFL Draft. Like Peterson, Garrett has the size and motor to develop into a key piece on the defensive line.
During Peterson’s collegiate career, our beloved Buckeyes won the National Championship in 2002. Hopefully Garrett can bring the same kind of success.
Overall: As we previously discussed in this article, the depth on the defensive line should be a strength and a lot of the players involved are still fairly young. That could result in a tougher time for Garrett to see the field.
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The coaching staff will have to figure how to use Garrett going forward and he will have to learn to adjust to the college game. Due to the depth on the roster and his raw ability, it could be some time before Garrett sees the field. However, by the time his third year comes around he should see significant playing time.