Eight days remain in spring camp.
With just a little more than a week until the 15 practices conclude with the spring game at Ohio Stadium, defensive line coach Larry Johnson and several guys in his unit – Haskell Garrett, Tyreke Smith, Zach Harrison, Taron Vincent, Antwuan Jackson, Javontae Jean-Baptiste and Jerron Cage – joined the media on a Friday morning Zoom to talk about the past several weeks.
A bullet-point rundown and video of their comments:
Larry Johnson
- On Vincent's health putting him in a position to break out: "That's the difference. He wasn't healthy last year. He couldn't play." ... "He's what we thought he would be when we brought him in and recruited him."
- Johnson says the high-level defensive line recruits in Ohio get to be around him and the Ohio State program, which helps them get used to the expectations once they arrive. "Jack (Sawyer) doesn't have to learn the technique. He has to refine it."
- On Smith's pass rushing: "He's doing a great job rushing the quarterback." He doesn't want to panic at all just because he only had one sack last season.
- Johnson says Tommy Togiai was so powerful inside that nobody could move him. He says Jackson is quicker player, which is what he adds.
- What he wants in a nose tackle: "That guy's got to be a powerful guy. He's got to be smart." ... "We want to knock the line back."
- On Jack Sawyer: "It's still early. I certainly like where he's at right now." ... "The thing I like about Jack is he's a fierce competitor." ... "He's going to be a special player down the road." Johnson says they'll find a role for him this fall, and he mentions he's never been afraid to play freshmen if they deserve it.
- Johnson says Vincent didn't sit around and pout about his injury, which is why the coaches think he's in line for "great things" from him in the fall.
Haskell Garrett
- Garrett said he’s “just being there for the guys” this spring and has taken on the role of a coach since he isn’t able to practice due to his foot injury.
- He said Taron Vincent has taken a big step forward and he thinks he “has a chance to have a great season this year.”
- On the versatility of the defensive tackles: “Everybody knows how to play both positions.” He said Taron Vincent, Antwuan Jackson, Jerron Cage and Ty Hamilton are all guys who could see playing time alongside him at nose tackle.
- Garrett said he still thinks he needs to improve his strength at the point of attack.
- He said he thinks he has a “tremendous” opportunity to be a leader this season since he returned for a fifth-year senior season.
- Garrett said he only had about four days of conditioning after he returned from being shot last year, so conditioning is something he’s working on improving this offseason.
- He said he wants to leave behind a legacy for Ohio State’s defensive linemen, and his motivation to do so has been enhanced by what he went through last year.
Tyreke Smith
- "Last year, I tried to start focusing more on my technique and more of the little things." Each week last season, he focused on the minor details of his technique.
- He found out the Monday before the national championship game that he had COVID-19 and wouldn't be able to play versus Alabama. The athletic trainer called him when he was parking his car at the Woody Hayes Athletic Center. "I didn't want to get mad. I couldn't do nothing about it." He watched the game at his apartment.
- On Jack Sawyer: "He's picking up fast. I think he's going to be a tremendous player. He came to the right program."
- If his body feels OK: "I feel great. It's the best I've ever felt."
Zach Harrison
- On Smith: "Tyreke's been balling ever since the spring started."
- On Sawyer: "I've been real impressed with Jack. Jacks's getting better every day. He's a sponge." He thinks Sawyer will be a "special player around here."
- Harrison says Vincent got "way stronger" in the offseason. "I think Taron's going to be a big factor for us on the inside."
- Asked if he has found his voice lately: "I've always talked a lot. I just talk a lot. That's how I get through practice."
Javontae Jean-Baptiste
- He says the biggest improvement he has made is that he has gotten stronger, and that has allowed him to get more powerful as a pass rusher.
- What he has to show to play as much as he wants this fall: "I would just say just showing them I could be a leader and just keep going and try to make everyone around me better."
- Jean-Baptiste says that if the defensive ends are playing to their potential, then "other teams are going to have a problem."
- His get-off of the line of scrimmage and ability to defend the run have improved this spring.
- He now weighs 253 pounds with a body fat of 12-13 percent. He says he was at 195 pounds when he came on his official visit in high school.
Taron Vincent
- His injury last year and how if affected him: "I think I wasn't able to get the full amount of treatment I possibly needed. We were shut down."
- Vincent struggled with his injuries at first, but his dad Troy Vincent told him they're just part of the game. On the benefit of his dad being who he is: "He just knows what to do to get there. He's already somewhere where I want to get to."
- "I feel stronger, faster, just more explosive off the ball." He also says the game is slowing down for him.
- He's spending some time at nose tackle because Ohio State's trying to roll between them.
Jerron Cage
- He thinks the biggest growth has been over the past year working with Kenny Parker. He believes he's gotten stronger, faster and more explosive.
- On starting in the national championship game: "I just remember the excitement. Just being able to just show what I've got. That whole situation as emotional for me." He says he had a son born during the pandemic and couldn't see him. "I had all my brothers around me, and I did it for them and I did it for my son."
- If he was frustrated when he didn't play much early in his career: "Definitely. That's anybody in my situation."
Antwuan Jackson
- On Ty Hamilton: "Ty Hamilton's doing pretty good as a young buck growing up as a Rushman." He says Hamilton has his respect. "Just got to keep working."
- He had to give some thought about whether or not to stay in college for a sixth year. "I know I could do more and come back and keep improving."
- On having a sixth year: "Very grateful. Everybody don't have a chance like this."
- Jackson says he's "really happy" playing with Vincent because they haven't been able to do so as much recently due to his injuries. "We get off the ball and we just attack."
