Ohio State football: It’s time for Zach Harrison to step up

The Ohio State football team didn’t have a dominant pass rusher last season. It’s time that changes, and Harrison is the perfect candidate for that premier guy.

When Zach Harrison entered the Ohio State football program, he did so with massive expectations. Not only was he a five-star recruit, but he is a local kid. He was the best player in the state when he decided to attend Ohio State.

Since his arrival, his numbers have been underwhelming. His freshman year, he played in 10 games and accumulated 24 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, and 3.5 sacks. Last year, he had 14 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, and 2 sacks. He recorded just 5.5 sacks in two years.

That’s not exactly what was expected from him after being a five-star recruit. He was expected to take over for Chase Young last season and have an uptick in his numbers as Young did. That didn’t really happen. This year is the season that needs to occur.

Ohio State didn’t have a dominant pass rusher in 2020. In fact, they didn’t really have many sacks at all. As a team in 8 games, they had only 21 sacks. That’s an average of 2.6 sacks a game. That needs to be higher in a full season where the Buckeyes play tougher competition.

Harrison is primed for a breakout year. Most of the defensive line is returning. Haskell Garrett will be a handful in the middle of the defensive line. Harrison just needs to focus on getting better this offseason and refining his craft. If he does that, he could crack double-digit sacks this year.

Harrison could set himself up to be a top draft pick with numbers like that this season. Most great defensive ends at Ohio State end up only staying for three years before heading to the NFL. Harrison needs the numbers before he can consider doing that.

If Harrison gets to 9 or 10 sacks this year, Ohio State may not lose a single game this season. That’s how much of an impact he can make on this team.