COLUMBUS, Ohio –– Former five-star defensive end prospect Zach Harrison didn’t exactly have the explosive breakout season that many thought he might as a sophomore.
Granted, Harrison received significantly less opportunity to flash on the field than he otherwise would have due to the COVID-shortened 2020 season, but still, the 6-foot-6 edge rusher recorded just two sacks this past year, and never solidified himself as the rightful second starter at DE next to Jonathon Cooper.
This offseason, however, it sounds like Harrison has taken the next step.
“Some guys have had great offseasons so far. One guy that sticks out so far, especially on defense, is Zach Harrison,” Ohio State head coach Ryan Day said Wednesday. “I think that the work he’s put in during this offseason, his body’s already changing.”
Sacks came by committee for an Ohio State defensive line that played just eight games in 2020, and one that had to replace Heisman Trophy finalist and NFL Rookie of the Year Chase Young at the defensive end position.
In fact, starting defensive tackles Tommy Togiai and Haskell Garrett were two of the Buckeyes’ top three sacks leaders in 2020, with a combined five in each of their first years at the top of the depth chart.
Ohio State will have to replace its top two leaders in sacks for the second-straight season in 2021, with Cooper (3.5) and Togiai (3.0) each leaving for the draft, and in Cooper’s case, that leaves the door wide open for Harrison to assume a larger role.
Harrison, who missed the College Football Playoff Semifinal matchup due to COVID-19, played 218 snaps as a sophomore, third among Buckeye DEs to only Cooper and soon-to-be senior Tyreke Smith, who could be considered DE1 for the Buckeyes to start 2021 after a stellar end to the season.
Smith missed the national championship game due to COVID-19, but his pressure on Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence in the semifinal was instrumental in the Buckeyes’ win, and he figures to be a surefire starter entering his fourth season.
Even a decent offseason may have earned Harrison the other spot due to his immense natural talent, but Day said the Lewis Center, Ohio, native has gone above and beyond, and in more ways than one.
“His work ethic’s off the chart, he’s leading, he’s in front of things, I mean he just looks different,” Day said. “Hats off to him to a great offseason, he just has a different look in his eye. There’s several guys that are like that, but he sticks out for sure.”
Those words are an encouraging sign for Larry Johnson’s defensive line in Columbus, where the Buckeyes are slated to open spring drills on Friday.
With Harrison maturing both physically and as a leader in his third year in the program, the Buckeyes could be looking at the next Scarlet and Gray superstar pass-rusher, which many have hoped he’d become for some time now.
