COLUMBUS – Just two months ago, senior defensive tackle Haskell Garrett’s future in football looked extremely questionable. Garrett suffered a gunshot wound to his face following a shooting near Ohio State’s campus on Aug. 30.
It came as a surprise to many people when Ohio State defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said that Garrett was in a much better position and was a lot closer to playing than what most people thought after hearing that he was shot in the face.
When Garrett’s name was not on the list of unavailable players sent out by Ohio State on Friday, there was a lot of optimism that he would be on the football field against Nebraska on Saturday.
Not only did he not miss a single game, but Garrett recorded Ohio State’s first sack of the season in Ohio State’s 52-17 win against Nebraska.
Garrett came off the bench as a rotational defensive tackle and immediately made an impact in the game as the Buckeyes began to take control near the end of the second quarter. His sack sent Adrian Martinez and the Cornhuskers into a 3rd-and-long. That stop, combined with the opening drive by the Buckeyes in the second half, is what shifted the momentum in the game for Ohio State.
Garrett also recorded a solo tackle for loss.
Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs said following the game, that he went up and hugged Garrett said that this was a miracle.
“This kid was shot in the face, not that long ago, I don’t know how many days ago, and he just never game up,” Coombs said. “He kept coming in and meeting in my office and was working with Larry Johnson with stitches in, preparing without being able to do anything physically. For him to do that and then to be able to play … having him on the field was a difference maker for the Buckeyes in every way shape and form.”
[Note that photo is from the 2018 game against Nebraska]
What a miracle! He plays like a guy that knows how lucky he is to be playing this year.