scarletngray
Gold Pants
Hopefully, down the road, everyone will be comparing all future DE's to Zach Harrison as the gold standard.
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Ohio State Made Lasting Connection With Zach Harrison
he highest-ranked member of Ohio State’s 2019 recruiting class is Ohio defensive end Zach Harrison, who checks in as the No. 4 player in the nation overall.
Being from Lewis Center, which is just north of Columbus, Harrison was expected by most to be a Buckeye. Being on the radar as long as he was, those expectations began a few years ago, and so did the relationships.
Over the past year, however, it began looking a bit grim for Ohio State as both Penn State and Michigan fought their way into the picture, muddying Harrison’s waters a great deal.
After a visit to each respective school, the recruiting winds would shift directions.
With Urban Meyer’s retirement, that put Ohio State in a position of having to catch up in a recruitment that they had been a part of for a long time.
Ultimately, Ryan Day and Ohio State won the recruiting battle and Harrison signed with the Buckeyes. It wasn’t all just Day, however.
“Yeah, it’s been a long process,” Day said on signing day. “His head coach, Zebb Schroeder, had a lot to do with this. Larry Johnson has been recruiting Zach for a long, long time. Obviously Urban had a big part of this thing, and it’s been a long time coming.”
Following the announcement of the OSU regime change, Ryan Day immediately went to work on getting to know Harrison and his family and reassuring them of his plan for both Harrison and the program.
“We had a home visit last week,” he said. “It was really important to sit down in the home and talk to the family about the direction of the program and having some communication just on some of the leadership changes obviously that comes with the change in the head coach, and that communication stayed all the way until last night.”
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/12/ohio-state-made-lasting-connection-zach-harrison/
Re: But once Harrison arrives on campus, which will happen next month, then the work truly begins for both the player and the coaches.
Enrolling early...
he highest-ranked member of Ohio State’s 2019 recruiting class is Ohio defensive end Zach Harrison, who checks in as the No. 4 player in the nation overall.
Being from Lewis Center, which is just north of Columbus, Harrison was expected by most to be a Buckeye. Being on the radar as long as he was, those expectations began a few years ago, and so did the relationships.
Over the past year, however, it began looking a bit grim for Ohio State as both Penn State and Michigan fought their way into the picture, muddying Harrison’s waters a great deal.
After a visit to each respective school, the recruiting winds would shift directions.
With Urban Meyer’s retirement, that put Ohio State in a position of having to catch up in a recruitment that they had been a part of for a long time.
Ultimately, Ryan Day and Ohio State won the recruiting battle and Harrison signed with the Buckeyes. It wasn’t all just Day, however.
“Yeah, it’s been a long process,” Day said on signing day. “His head coach, Zebb Schroeder, had a lot to do with this. Larry Johnson has been recruiting Zach for a long, long time. Obviously Urban had a big part of this thing, and it’s been a long time coming.”
Following the announcement of the OSU regime change, Ryan Day immediately went to work on getting to know Harrison and his family and reassuring them of his plan for both Harrison and the program.
“We had a home visit last week,” he said. “It was really important to sit down in the home and talk to the family about the direction of the program and having some communication just on some of the leadership changes obviously that comes with the change in the head coach, and that communication stayed all the way until last night.”
Entire article: https://theozone.net/2018/12/ohio-state-made-lasting-connection-zach-harrison/
Re: But once Harrison arrives on campus, which will happen next month, then the work truly begins for both the player and the coaches.
Enrolling early...
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
ZACH HARRISON BEGINS COLLEGE CAREER AIMING TO BECOME “ONE OF THE GREATEST TO COME THROUGH OHIO STATE”
Zach Harrison didn’t quite realize how his unwillingness to talk to the media would affect the attention paid on him.
He didn’t do many interviews throughout the entire process, preferring to remain quiet and embark on his recruitment with a tight inner circle that didn’t publicize anything. For a five-star prospect in Big Ten country, there wasn’t much precedent. Harrison thought that would allow him more privacy. Plus, he said it would have added an “extra level of stress” that he didn’t need.
But as the process extended and he remained unsold on any single school, keeping Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in the running, the public’s interest in him picked up.
“It was kind of weird,” Harrison said on Wednesday. “I looked up on Twitter a couple times and searched my name up, and all these dudes were talking about me. It was strange.”
Three days before signing his National Letter of Intent to attend Ohio State, Harrison sat down at his family’s kitchen table with his mom and dad, and eventually came to the decision to become a Buckeye.
The next day, he called his future coaching staff to tell them of his decision, then “slept like a baby that night” with his choice official.
Harrison’s under-wraps procedure of coming to a decision about which school to attend differed from most recruits, but his reasoning for selecting Ohio State didn’t seem much different than any in-state player who grew up down the road from Ohio Stadium.
“It was close to home,” Harrison said. “That was a big thing. Being able to play for my home school and build a name for myself where I already am, those were one of the big things too. My parents played a big role. They talked me through it, helped me kind of sort my emotions and feelings for everything.”
Harrison, who attended Olentangy Orange, talked to Olentangy Liberty’s Brendon White about playing at the nearby powerhouse before signing. He didn’t want to shy away from competition or pressure, but wanted to ensure it would be the best situation for himself.
Some players thrive while playing down the road from friends and family, while others crumble under the expectations. Throughout his recruitment, Harrison did what he could to avoid any unnecessary pressure.
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ne-of-the-greatest-to-come-through-ohio-state
Zach Harrison didn’t quite realize how his unwillingness to talk to the media would affect the attention paid on him.
He didn’t do many interviews throughout the entire process, preferring to remain quiet and embark on his recruitment with a tight inner circle that didn’t publicize anything. For a five-star prospect in Big Ten country, there wasn’t much precedent. Harrison thought that would allow him more privacy. Plus, he said it would have added an “extra level of stress” that he didn’t need.
But as the process extended and he remained unsold on any single school, keeping Ohio State, Michigan and Penn State in the running, the public’s interest in him picked up.
“It was kind of weird,” Harrison said on Wednesday. “I looked up on Twitter a couple times and searched my name up, and all these dudes were talking about me. It was strange.”
Three days before signing his National Letter of Intent to attend Ohio State, Harrison sat down at his family’s kitchen table with his mom and dad, and eventually came to the decision to become a Buckeye.
The next day, he called his future coaching staff to tell them of his decision, then “slept like a baby that night” with his choice official.
Harrison’s under-wraps procedure of coming to a decision about which school to attend differed from most recruits, but his reasoning for selecting Ohio State didn’t seem much different than any in-state player who grew up down the road from Ohio Stadium.
“It was close to home,” Harrison said. “That was a big thing. Being able to play for my home school and build a name for myself where I already am, those were one of the big things too. My parents played a big role. They talked me through it, helped me kind of sort my emotions and feelings for everything.”
Harrison, who attended Olentangy Orange, talked to Olentangy Liberty’s Brendon White about playing at the nearby powerhouse before signing. He didn’t want to shy away from competition or pressure, but wanted to ensure it would be the best situation for himself.
Some players thrive while playing down the road from friends and family, while others crumble under the expectations. Throughout his recruitment, Harrison did what he could to avoid any unnecessary pressure.
Entire article: https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...ne-of-the-greatest-to-come-through-ohio-state
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ScriptOhio
Everybody is somebody else's weirdo.
Football: Zach Harrison enters Ohio State with coaching staff familiarity
Zach Harrison, the No. 1 recruit from Ohio and No. 2 defensive end in the 2019 class, had to choose where he wanted to play college football.
Instead of making his decision an extravagant one, Harrison shut people out, saying that if a person was not in his inner circle, he or she did not know in which direction he was leaning: Ohio State or Michigan.
In all honesty, Harrison said he did not know which way he was leaning until Dec. 17.
“When I called the coaches, I think it was that Monday, I sat there at the table,” Harrison said. “I was like, ‘I’m done. This is it.’ I slept like a baby that night.”
Al Washington, on the other hand, was not pleased.
The Michigan linebackers coach was one of the two main recruiters attempting to bring Harrison to Ann Arbor, working alongside defensive line coach Greg Mattison.
“When he committed to Ohio State I was bummed out,” Washington said. “I was, I guess, pretty upset, but I understood. It was one of those deals where he said, ‘I’m going’ — I said, ‘Hey, man, best of luck to you.’”
But it was not the last time Harrison would interact with Mattison and Washington.
After the five-star defensive end announced his commitment to the Buckeyes on Dec. 19, both Michigan assistant coaches were hired to be a part of head coach Ryan Day’s first staff. Mattison joined Ohio State as a co-defensive coordinator on Jan. 7 and Washington joined the staff on Jan. 8 as the linebackers coach.
“We laugh about it all the time. Zach Harrison right now is walking around with the biggest smile on his face of anybody in the whole campus. The reason for that was in the recruiting process he built relationships with Greg and Al,” Day said. “These guys are here now, he gets Larry, at Ohio State right down the street. He kind of died and went to heaven.”
Harrison said he and Mattison developed a good relationship from when he was recruited by the Wolverines, something he said kept Michigan as an option for him.
When he heard about the hiring of the former Michigan defensive line coach, the five-star defensive lineman said it felt like Christmas having Mattison team up with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“I’ve got two of the guys I love the most during the recruiting process in the same place,” Harrison said.
But Harrison is not what brought Mattison to Ohio State after 13 years at Michigan.
Knowing that his role would remain the same on head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff if he remained with the Wolverines, Mattison said he wanted the opportunity to become a coordinator again. He previously served in that role with Notre Dame, Florida, Michigan and the Baltimore Ravens.
Although there have been coaches have previously worked for both Ohio State and Michigan during their careers, including former Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler, Mattison has spent over a fourth of his coaching career in Ann Arbor.
But the former Michigan defensive line coach said he can’t control what Ohio State fans think of him.
“The only thing I’m going to tell you that they will see in watching me coach is they’re going to see me give everything I can to this program,” Mattison said. “They’re going to see that I will always try to coach the players the best they can possibly be coached, and how they perceive it and what they do, that’s up to them.”
Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2019/02/...s-ohio-state-with-coaching-staff-familiarity/
Zach Harrison, the No. 1 recruit from Ohio and No. 2 defensive end in the 2019 class, had to choose where he wanted to play college football.
Instead of making his decision an extravagant one, Harrison shut people out, saying that if a person was not in his inner circle, he or she did not know in which direction he was leaning: Ohio State or Michigan.
In all honesty, Harrison said he did not know which way he was leaning until Dec. 17.
“When I called the coaches, I think it was that Monday, I sat there at the table,” Harrison said. “I was like, ‘I’m done. This is it.’ I slept like a baby that night.”
Al Washington, on the other hand, was not pleased.
The Michigan linebackers coach was one of the two main recruiters attempting to bring Harrison to Ann Arbor, working alongside defensive line coach Greg Mattison.
“When he committed to Ohio State I was bummed out,” Washington said. “I was, I guess, pretty upset, but I understood. It was one of those deals where he said, ‘I’m going’ — I said, ‘Hey, man, best of luck to you.’”
But it was not the last time Harrison would interact with Mattison and Washington.
After the five-star defensive end announced his commitment to the Buckeyes on Dec. 19, both Michigan assistant coaches were hired to be a part of head coach Ryan Day’s first staff. Mattison joined Ohio State as a co-defensive coordinator on Jan. 7 and Washington joined the staff on Jan. 8 as the linebackers coach.
“We laugh about it all the time. Zach Harrison right now is walking around with the biggest smile on his face of anybody in the whole campus. The reason for that was in the recruiting process he built relationships with Greg and Al,” Day said. “These guys are here now, he gets Larry, at Ohio State right down the street. He kind of died and went to heaven.”
Harrison said he and Mattison developed a good relationship from when he was recruited by the Wolverines, something he said kept Michigan as an option for him.
When he heard about the hiring of the former Michigan defensive line coach, the five-star defensive lineman said it felt like Christmas having Mattison team up with Ohio State defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“I’ve got two of the guys I love the most during the recruiting process in the same place,” Harrison said.
But Harrison is not what brought Mattison to Ohio State after 13 years at Michigan.
Knowing that his role would remain the same on head coach Jim Harbaugh’s staff if he remained with the Wolverines, Mattison said he wanted the opportunity to become a coordinator again. He previously served in that role with Notre Dame, Florida, Michigan and the Baltimore Ravens.
Although there have been coaches have previously worked for both Ohio State and Michigan during their careers, including former Wolverines head coach Bo Schembechler, Mattison has spent over a fourth of his coaching career in Ann Arbor.
But the former Michigan defensive line coach said he can’t control what Ohio State fans think of him.
“The only thing I’m going to tell you that they will see in watching me coach is they’re going to see me give everything I can to this program,” Mattison said. “They’re going to see that I will always try to coach the players the best they can possibly be coached, and how they perceive it and what they do, that’s up to them.”
Entire article: https://www.thelantern.com/2019/02/...s-ohio-state-with-coaching-staff-familiarity/
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maximumblitz
Buckeye Samurai of Big League Blitzkreig
Maybe someone can talk me out of my favorite conspiracy theory?
Is it possible that, given Zach's late "flip" from the bad guys to the good guys that he got a confidential tip that is DL coach up North would be going South? How would we even know if Ryan Day was working a burner phone prior to the National signing Day?
I have paid some attention to statements by Zach, Al, and Mattison about the late "flip" but I have failed to detect anything awkward of contradictory about their statements. Yet I still wonder.
Not that there is anything wrong with a confidential tip ... to the contrary, if it happened, it would be fair to Zach.
Is it possible that, given Zach's late "flip" from the bad guys to the good guys that he got a confidential tip that is DL coach up North would be going South? How would we even know if Ryan Day was working a burner phone prior to the National signing Day?
I have paid some attention to statements by Zach, Al, and Mattison about the late "flip" but I have failed to detect anything awkward of contradictory about their statements. Yet I still wonder.
Not that there is anything wrong with a confidential tip ... to the contrary, if it happened, it would be fair to Zach.
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ZACH HARRISON ALREADY SHOWING PROGRESS, FLASHING POTENTIAL DURING OHIO STATE PRACTICES AS EARLY ENROLLEE
Colin Hass-Hill on April 9, 2019 at 8:35 am @chasshill
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As Ohio State lined up to begin its scrimmage during Friday's practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Chase Young and Tyreke Smith took their positions on each side of the line. Young, a potential All-American, and Smith, an up-and-coming edge rusher, flanked a pair of fellow defensive ends lined up as interior pass rushers in Larry Johnson's vaunted Rushmen package.
Jonathon Cooper, the only rising senior among the team's defensive ends, was one of the them. Beside him, with his hand in the turf propping himself up, lined up Zach Harrison. As an early enrollee into Ohio State, the scarily athletic 6-foot-6, 255-pounder should have spent his Friday morning in class like the rest of the classmates he grew up with at Olentangy Orange. Had he not graduated early, he might've got a workout or two in that day and thought about where he would take his high-school prom photos.
Instead, Johnson placed Harrison on a package of pass-rush specialists alongside Young, Smith and Cooper, a foursome containing the present – Young and Cooper – and future – Harrison and Smith – of edge rushers at Ohio State.
Whether Harrison will remain a fixture in the Buckeyes' Rushmen package is unknown. Tyler Friday did not practice on Friday due to a minor injury, and had he been healthy, he might've slid into the spot on the interior. But regardless of whether he has a spot on the exclusive package wrapped up or not, one thing has become clear: it will be hard for Ohio State to keep Harrison off the field, even as a freshman.
"He's doing really well," Johnson said. "I'm really pleased with him."
During Friday's scrimmage, Harrison had three sacks. Even though the majority of his impact plays came against a depleted second-team offensive line filled with walk-ons, he beat Nicholas Petit-Frere and picked up a sack. In the one-on-one pass-rush portion of practice, he had a mixed performance, winning with ease a couple times. A beautifully timed swim move allowed him to claim victory on one rep, but he also got stuffed on a rep when matched up with fellow freshman Ryan Jacoby.
No one has ever doubted Harrison's potential.
On Dec. 19, the day the Buckeyes locked him into their 2019 recruiting class, Ryan Day cited Harrison's 10.8-second 100-meter dash, saying his combination of size and athletic gifts reminded him of "the Bosas of the world" and the best defensive ends in the country. In February, Harrison said he wants the be viewed as "one of the greatest to come through Ohio State." He was a five-star recruit, ranked 12th overall in the 2019 class.
Until recently, it appeared that Harrison might need some time to develop. His natural blend of size and speed doesn't come around often, but his technique still has room to improve. It's one thing to be fast and another, entirely, to play fast.
Harrison's appearance on the Rushmen package and his production in both the scrimmage and one-on-one period, though, showed he's trending toward earning early playing time. How much? It's far too early to know. But it's hard to keep that kind of talent off the field.
"It's going really well," Johnson said. "So, we're in a slow process. We're pushing him. What we're really trying to make sure is his technique is really sound before we can push him more. Once he masters the technique, how to play fast, everything is (there). He's got the talent. Now it's just learning how to play faster."
As Johnson has made clear in recent years, he doesn't put freshman defensive linemen in the game in situations in which failure could affect long-term development.
Smith worked his way into the rotation by earning a spot on the Rushmen unit last year, averaging 13 snaps per game. But that's about as much as first-year players see the field under Johnson, and Smith's opportunity was aided by a lack of returners at the position, which won't be the case in the fall. Even Young played just 14 snaps per game as a freshman.
"Year one is a learning process, trying to figure out how to play the game fast," Johnson said.
Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper will start at defensive end this season. Smith, Friday, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Alex Williams and Noah Potter will vie for playing time behind them, along with Harrison. Smith and Friday pushed for playing time as freshmen last year and are in line for increased roles. Ohio State used a redshirt last season on Jean-Baptiste and Williams, both of whom also have flashed this spring.
In order for Harrison to wedge his way into the rotation as a freshman, he'll have to continue developing his "tool box," which is what Johnson calls each defensive lineman's repertoire of moves.
"The one thing that's really good is we had a great relationship before he got here, and that has really carried," Johnson said. "He takes to coaching really well. He's really bright, always coming in our office to watch videotape: how can I get better? That's what you want."
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...cI_8NjNG8QVsYPfI0FRhkn54VkWhP_1UpifSBvnpuoBKI
Colin Hass-Hill on April 9, 2019 at 8:35 am @chasshill
Email this ArticleShare on RedditShare on TwitterShare on Facebook351
36 COMMENTS
As Ohio State lined up to begin its scrimmage during Friday's practice at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center, Chase Young and Tyreke Smith took their positions on each side of the line. Young, a potential All-American, and Smith, an up-and-coming edge rusher, flanked a pair of fellow defensive ends lined up as interior pass rushers in Larry Johnson's vaunted Rushmen package.
Jonathon Cooper, the only rising senior among the team's defensive ends, was one of the them. Beside him, with his hand in the turf propping himself up, lined up Zach Harrison. As an early enrollee into Ohio State, the scarily athletic 6-foot-6, 255-pounder should have spent his Friday morning in class like the rest of the classmates he grew up with at Olentangy Orange. Had he not graduated early, he might've got a workout or two in that day and thought about where he would take his high-school prom photos.
Instead, Johnson placed Harrison on a package of pass-rush specialists alongside Young, Smith and Cooper, a foursome containing the present – Young and Cooper – and future – Harrison and Smith – of edge rushers at Ohio State.
Whether Harrison will remain a fixture in the Buckeyes' Rushmen package is unknown. Tyler Friday did not practice on Friday due to a minor injury, and had he been healthy, he might've slid into the spot on the interior. But regardless of whether he has a spot on the exclusive package wrapped up or not, one thing has become clear: it will be hard for Ohio State to keep Harrison off the field, even as a freshman.
"He's doing really well," Johnson said. "I'm really pleased with him."
During Friday's scrimmage, Harrison had three sacks. Even though the majority of his impact plays came against a depleted second-team offensive line filled with walk-ons, he beat Nicholas Petit-Frere and picked up a sack. In the one-on-one pass-rush portion of practice, he had a mixed performance, winning with ease a couple times. A beautifully timed swim move allowed him to claim victory on one rep, but he also got stuffed on a rep when matched up with fellow freshman Ryan Jacoby.
No one has ever doubted Harrison's potential.
On Dec. 19, the day the Buckeyes locked him into their 2019 recruiting class, Ryan Day cited Harrison's 10.8-second 100-meter dash, saying his combination of size and athletic gifts reminded him of "the Bosas of the world" and the best defensive ends in the country. In February, Harrison said he wants the be viewed as "one of the greatest to come through Ohio State." He was a five-star recruit, ranked 12th overall in the 2019 class.
Until recently, it appeared that Harrison might need some time to develop. His natural blend of size and speed doesn't come around often, but his technique still has room to improve. It's one thing to be fast and another, entirely, to play fast.
Harrison's appearance on the Rushmen package and his production in both the scrimmage and one-on-one period, though, showed he's trending toward earning early playing time. How much? It's far too early to know. But it's hard to keep that kind of talent off the field.
"It's going really well," Johnson said. "So, we're in a slow process. We're pushing him. What we're really trying to make sure is his technique is really sound before we can push him more. Once he masters the technique, how to play fast, everything is (there). He's got the talent. Now it's just learning how to play faster."
As Johnson has made clear in recent years, he doesn't put freshman defensive linemen in the game in situations in which failure could affect long-term development.
Smith worked his way into the rotation by earning a spot on the Rushmen unit last year, averaging 13 snaps per game. But that's about as much as first-year players see the field under Johnson, and Smith's opportunity was aided by a lack of returners at the position, which won't be the case in the fall. Even Young played just 14 snaps per game as a freshman.
"Year one is a learning process, trying to figure out how to play the game fast," Johnson said.
Chase Young and Jonathon Cooper will start at defensive end this season. Smith, Friday, Javontae Jean-Baptiste, Alex Williams and Noah Potter will vie for playing time behind them, along with Harrison. Smith and Friday pushed for playing time as freshmen last year and are in line for increased roles. Ohio State used a redshirt last season on Jean-Baptiste and Williams, both of whom also have flashed this spring.
In order for Harrison to wedge his way into the rotation as a freshman, he'll have to continue developing his "tool box," which is what Johnson calls each defensive lineman's repertoire of moves.
"The one thing that's really good is we had a great relationship before he got here, and that has really carried," Johnson said. "He takes to coaching really well. He's really bright, always coming in our office to watch videotape: how can I get better? That's what you want."
https://www.elevenwarriors.com/ohio...cI_8NjNG8QVsYPfI0FRhkn54VkWhP_1UpifSBvnpuoBKI
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I hope he keeps that number, so I can dust off the ol Laurinaitis jersey. 
Glad to hear he’s progressing much quicker than expected to. Quite the embarrassment of riches on that DL.
Glad to hear he’s progressing much quicker than expected to. Quite the embarrassment of riches on that DL.
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