Sophomore defensive end Zach Harrison going through a drill at an Ohio State football practice Sept. 14. Credit: Courtesy of Ohio State Athletics
Filling Chase Young’s shoes is no easy task — especially when the player expected to do it is just a sophomore.
Second-year defensive end Zach Harrison will be among a defensive line that will have to continue on without Young’s abilities, who tallied an Ohio State single-season record 16.5 sacks in 2019. Harrison, a former five-star recruit out of central Ohio, recorded 3.5 sacks and appeared in all 14 games his freshman season, but the underclassman is looking to make a bigger impact on and off the field.
Defensive line coach Larry Johnson said that Harrison has done well with blocking out the lofty expectations set by outside perspectives.
Saying that Harrison just needed to focus on being the best version of himself, Johnson said that the sophomore defensive end has matured and showed great potential heading into the season.
“He has all the attributes, what we look for in a player,” Johnson said Wednesday in a Zoom call. “The ceiling is very high for him going into his sophomore season, so I’m really pleased where he’s at right now.”
Harrison said that he would find “anywhere with grass” during the beginning of the pandemic in order to work on his craft.
Following a freshman season in which he felt went well but left opportunity to improve, Harrison said that he is looking to become a better player for the 2020 season by working on technique, different elements of his pass rush, and “not having ups and downs and just constantly playing at a high level.”
In terms of game days, Johnson said that the defensive line will focus on a rotation in order to keep players fresh.
Harrison said that allows the unit to play as fast as they can while on the field and not fear a dropoff when someone replaces them.
In terms of learning from one another, Harrison said he feels that practice is an opportunity for the group to improve and teach one another.
“I just know if they get better, I’m going to have more success, and if I get better, they’re going to have more success,” Harrison said Wednesday in a Zoom call. “We’re all in this together. We’re all trying to improve each other as much as we can.”
Although only a sophomore, Harrison is expected to be one of the key contributors on the new-look defensive line.
Junior defensive end Tyreke Smith said that he can learn a lot from the underclassman.
“He’s one of the leaders on the D-line already,” Smith said. “You can already see the tendencies and I already know he’s going to take over. He’s going to be the one because he’s got that mindset and that mentality.”
Harrison’s offseason has not only been about making strides on the field, however.
His leadership has earned him a spot on the Big Ten’s Anti-Hate and Anti-Racism Coalition, which was announced June 15.
“That’s something that’s really important to me,” Harrison said. “Not just being more than a football player, I want to make a change. I want to do something with this platform and that gave me an opportunity to do so.”
Describing the position as an honor, Harrison said that the group has met a few times since its creation to talk about things that can be done on the different campuses.
Although not a trait desired on the football field, Johnson said that Harrison has a calming demeanor off of it. Johnson said that Harrison “is not only an outstanding football player, but he’s a great person.”
“He cares about people and he’s involved,” Johnson said. “He cares about equality. He cares about how people feel. I think that really says the compassion he has for people and for himself.”
On the field, Johnson said that he is trying to keep Harrison from going into a slump his sophomore season. Johnson said that some players have a tendency to chase accomplishments they can’t reach based on outside noise.
As far as the outside pressure for what type of player he will be on the field, Harrison said that he is not focused on the expectations placed on him by the play of previous Ohio State defensive ends.
“Every day in practice, I try to go out and get better, work on my technique,” Harrison said. “And also, it’s not just one person coming up next year — there’s a whole unit of guys who got something to prove, so we’re all going to come out and the first game show what we’ve been working on.”
