Signed: Garrett Stover Brings Toughness, Tenacity and A Love for Ohio State to the Buckeyes’ Linebacker Room

The 6-foot, 195-pound linebacker attended nearly every OSU home game the past two seasons and countless other events, as the Sunbury resident grew up around 30 minutes from campus and has been a fan of the scarlet and gray all his life. 

Stover committed to the Buckeyes on Nov. 21, 2022, in a move that seemed inevitable the moment he got his offer on June 1, 2022 after impressing Ohio State at a recruiting camp. He took a visit to Notre Dame before giving his verbal, but no school really pushed Ohio State that hard to land Stover's commitment.

"I grew up watching the Buckeyes," Stover told Eleven Warriors after his commitment. "It was my dream to play there and be a Buckeye. As the recruiting process was dying down and college teams were in season, I just thought I was ready. I knew what I wanted, and Ohio State had everything that I wanted. The most important thing was I wanted to be close to home too. I love Ohio State, everything about it, and I knew I was ready now, so let’s do it and get the thing done. I’m really excited.”

Garrett Stover The Scarlet and gray runs through this guys veins. With some very strong Buckeye ties, and coming off a dominant, do it all prep career, he is ready to carry on the mantle and write his own chapter. He doesnt have to go far at all to create his legacy. pic.twitter.com/F5g6Y928Ly

— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) December 20, 2023

Stover was the first defensive commitment for the Buckeyes in the 2024 class and had a drama-free recruitment in the 13 months that followed. There was some debate as to whether he'd play safety or linebacker at Ohio State, but Stover will begin his Ohio State career as a linebacker. 

"I think it just comes down to a mindset of ‘Just put me anywhere on defense,’" Stover said about his willingness to play anywhere on the field. "Being a hybrid player that can do multiple things would be beneficial for me in the future, and I think that it could help me out a lot down the road. But whether they want me at safety or linebacker, I’ll give that 100 percent. So from here on out, I’ll focus on touching those up if I need to and working hard. If they need me to play that role, I’m certainly capable of doing that."

The in-state product is the cousin of Ohio State tight end Cade Stover, so he's seen firsthand what it takes to be successful in Columbus. 

"I think that’ll be very beneficial having Cade, somebody who has gone through everything there," Stover said. "I think anything I have questions about, I can call on him. But really, I just got to go in there, put my head down and put in the work. Everything else will take care of itself if I’m prepared. I think I’m ready to be in a big program like that. But having Cade as a resource will definitely be very helpful."

Sideline to sideline speed with Stover toughness in his veins! https://t.co/XRt44xq0g0

— Mark Pantoni (@markpantoni) December 20, 2023

Per 247Sports' composite rankings, Stover is considered the 105th-best player and the ninth-rated linebacker in the 2024 class. He's one of two linebackers in OSU's 2024 class, joining Payton Pierce. 

Stover will represent Ohio State in the All-American Bowl in San Antonio on Jan. 6, then head to Columbus to begin his Buckeye career as an early enrollee. It's a longshot he'll see the field for meaningful defensive snaps in his freshman year with Cody Simon's return and the depth of C.J. Hicks and Gabe Powers, plus any additional transfers the Buckeyes may bring in. But he has the toughness and willpower to fight his way onto the field in a special teams role his freshman year and it may not be long after that he ends up a starter for OSU.