Garrett Wilson ‘Made A Statement’ With Explosive Punt Return
It doesn’t take much to get people around the Ohio State football program to talk about Garrett Wilson.
Coaches couldn’t hide their excitement when they were asked about the true freshman wide receiver after he signed with the Buckeyes last December.
He quickly started making a name for himself during spring practices, becoming the first member of the 2019 recruiting class to lose his black stripe.
Then, he caught a memorable touchdown pass in the spring game, and followed it up with an impressive fall camp.
A leaping touchdown reception in the win over Cincinnati, and a remarkable juggling catch for a touchdown against Miami just continued to build the hype.
It still isn’t easy for Wilson to get regular touches on offense with a loaded wide receiver room, but he is working his way toward a bigger role on special teams.
Early in the third quarter of the Miami game, Wilson caught a punt, cut across the field, and raced for a 52-yard gain. It was exactly the kind of explosive play the Buckeyes have been missing on special teams for much of the last half-decade.
“I think that Garrett made a statement that he wants to go become a returner,” said OSU head coach Ryan Day on Thursday. “He’ll have an opportunity to do that at certain times.”
Those certain times may not be quite as soon as many Buckeye fans would want. Demario McCall and K.J. Hill are listed as the punt returners on the depth chart for the Nebraska game. Day acknowledged that in his answer on Thursday.
“Demario will still return punts for us as well, and kickoffs. But other guys are fighting for those positions. And when they get their opportunity, it’s like any other competition. Garrett made a statement with that return the other day,” he said.
The Buckeyes have seemingly prioritized ball security over big plays on special teams for years. And with offenses that can march the ball up and down the field seemingly at will, that makes a certain amount of sense.
But it has also meant that a team loaded with more playmakers than any other in the Big Ten has not returned a punt for a touchdown since Jalin Marshall did it against Indiana in 2014.
In fact, Wilson’s return – still the only punt return of his career – is the longest any Buckeye has had since the 2014 season.
To put it another way, every other Buckeye has had a total of 126 punt returns since the start of the 2015 season, with a long of 38 yards. Wilson has one return in his career for 52.
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