When freshman linebacker Garrett Stover first stepped on campus for spring football, he was a bit undersized at 205 pounds.
Getting spring reps, Stover said it was his first time realizing he wasn’t in high school anymore and was now playing against “grown men,” a new but welcoming challenge. Early in his Ohio State tenure, he leaned on veterans such as Cody Simon, Sonny Styles and Arvell Reese for guidance.
“Those guys have been nothing but great,” Stover told Eleven Warriors at the national championship game. “Having guys like Cody, Arvell, Sonny, guys you can look up to and see how they work and take coaching, I’m doing anything I can to pick their brain and learn from that.”
Eventually, the 6-foot-1 Stover bulked up to 220 pounds and turned some heads early in fall camp. The common opinion around the OSU staff was he wasn’t ready to contribute in a significant way in year one, but also wasn’t too far away from meaningful snaps. Stover played in five games this season, primarily on special teams, and preserved his redshirt since one of those contests came in the College Football Playoff against Tennessee.
“I would say the first year was full of ups and downs,” Stover said. “I think it’s a whole learning process. When you first step on campus, you’re seeing how everything runs and look up to the older guys to see how they do things at Ohio State. Even someone like me who grew up an Ohio State fan their whole life, there’s still so much to learn.
“The biggest thing I can improve on football-wise is playing more with my hands and learning the insides and outs of the defense. I hope to play more confident.”
Despite the early praise from the Ohio State staff in fall camp, he’s still going to have stiff competition for playing time both next season and in future seasons, with the likes of Styles, Reese, Payton Pierce and star freshmen Riley Pettijohn and Tarvos Alford in the linebacker room. Still, Stover has the confidence of the OSU staff and is confident he can build on what he started in year one.
“Every day brings something new. Especially at Ohio State, every day’s hard, you have to come ready to work. I want to keep learning the defense and work with coach Mick to get bigger, faster and stronger,” Stover said of his offseason plans. “I’m looking forward to seeing how the offseason goes.”
Stover also had a bit of a built-in preview of what life as a football player at Ohio State looks like since he watched his cousin Cade Stover go through all kinds of challenges throughout his five-year career with the Buckeyes.
Though Garrett isn’t likely to change positions several times like his older cousin did in college, he’s grateful to Cade for serving as a mentor to him throughout the process. He also made it a point of emphasis to watch as many Texans games as he could during his cousin’s rookie year, in which he finished with 15 catches for 135 yards and a touchdown.
“It’s been great, we have practice every Sunday, so my family records it and I get to go home and watch it and everything,” Stover said of supporting Cade’s NFL career. “It’s been good, though he got over a collarbone injury, so he really hasn’t been able to catch a break. But he’s doing well, I’m happy for him. As soon as he found out he’d get to play with (C.J. Stroud again), he knew he was in a good spot. I know C.J. was happy to be back with him and I’m looking forward to what those two do together in the future.”
Cade is looking to build on the foundation he set for himself heading into his second year in the pros, and Garrett plans on following the same model in Columbus following a national championship season.
