Ohio State Football: 6 players who will determine OSU’s success
By Alex Austin
Ohio State will rely on the big man in the middle to shut down opposing rushing
When the season starts, Ohio State will be looking to get off to a quick start. Against Minnesota, one of the biggest priorities will be to stop the run, and the Buckeyes already have one of the best players in the country on the inside of their defensive line. Haskell Garrett is going to play a huge role this season.
The Buckeye defense is retooling this year after a year where they performed under expectations. With a lot of players looking to turn 2021 into their breakout year, Garrett is going to be a key veteran for this team.
Garrett is going to be relied on in both the rushing and passing games to be a disruptive presence up front. Last year he showed that he has what it takes to be a key player, and this year he will hope to take that level of play up a notch. One of the biggest things Garrett can do is to stop the opposing team from running the ball up the middle.
This will allow the talented defensive ends and secondary to be in a great position to make huge plays. Garrett may not be the player with the biggest stats this year, but he may have the biggest impact in putting his teammates in the right position to succeed.
The next person on this list is back in the secondary and really has to be someone that can be relied on to shut down one side of the field.