In a day and age when the nation’s top prospects are all over social media — touting their top schools and making extravagant commitment announcements — Olentangy Orange five-star defensive end Zach Harrison would much rather remain under the radar.
“I just don’t talk to people unless they’re in my face with cameras and cell phones,” Harrison told reporters gathered at Nike Football’s The Opening Canton Regional on Saturday afternoon while grinning from ear to ear. “I’m private. I keep my circle small.”
The 6-foot-6, 240-pound Harrison didn’t foresee his recruitment playing out this way, though.
Though he’s widely regarded as the nation’s best defensive end right now, Harrison was lanky and about 40 pounds lighter when he picked up his first offer from Cincinnati at the start of his sophomore season. He started to fill out physically that fall, though, and the combination of elite track speed with the size and strength of a dominant defensive end caught the attention of big-time schools like Alabama, Clemson, Florida, Georgia, Michigan, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Penn State, Stanford and USC.
Though each new offer was exciting, the attention Harrison received from coaches and fans was something he learned he didn’t like. So, he altered his recruitment in order to feel more comfortable with the process. And though that’s made it a bit of a challenge for the coaches recruiting Harrison, it’s also allowed him to see who is willing to adapt to his style and find new ways to pitch their program to him.
“It’s just different for them and they have to change their approach,” he said. “I’m not one who’s going to get hyped up over pictures of me in their jersey or anything. They just have to change their approach to what I find important.”
The Buckeyes, Nittany Lions, Tigers and Wolverines have all done a great job with that and currently occupy Harrison’s Top 4.
That said, it’s long been assumed that Harrison will end up at Ohio State — after all, he grew up just 20 minutes north of campus and has been to so many games, camps and practices he’s lost count. But given his status as the top-rated player in the state, slower timeline and overall reserved nature, there’s been plenty of unjust speculation surrounding his recruitment in recent months.
“My family knows what I like the best and what I don’t like, so I don’t really pay it any attention,” Harrison said. “You just get used to it.”
Harrison instead focuses his attention on refining his craft while taking visits whenever he can. He traveled to Clemson for the first time in late March and took an official visit to Penn State in late April for the Nittany Lions’ Spring Game. He also dropped by Ohio State unannounced a few weeks back in order to spend time with defensive line coach Larry Johnson.
“He's probably the highlight of ohio state. he's great and the best at what he does.”– Zach Harrison on defensive line coach larry johnson
“He’s probably the highlight of Ohio State,” Harrison said. “He’s great and the best at what he does. It’s not really even about the NFL pedigree and everything, he’s just real. He cares, too. He’s one of those guys who really cares about his players and puts their best interest at heart. He’s going to push you, which I like. He’s not going to get in your face and scream at you. He’s just going to tell you what to do and expect you to do it.”
Despite that, Harrison understands that the 65-year-old Johnson — who was forced to shoot down retirement rumors last cycle — may not be in Columbus for the entirety of his college career. He’s not going to base his decision solely on a single position coach, either.
“With recruiting, coaches come and go,” Harrison said. “As important as coaches are, you’ve gotta put that aside sometimes and look at the schools without the coaching staffs there.”
Harrison has tentative plans to take official visits to Michigan and Ohio State in June, with a decision likely to come on his birthday, Aug. 14.
“That’s not set in stone, though,” Harrison said. “If I know by then, great. If not, I’m not deciding.”
So, for a 16-year-old kid who is not interested in alternate uniforms, flashy edits and media exposure, what will be the deciding factors for Harrison?
“The atmosphere. I’m a big family guy, so I’d like to go somewhere where the players care about each other, the coaches care about the players and the community cares [about the team],” he said. “[Also] how they’re going to help me after football and just the connections I can get.”
