from Indianapolis. Chris, is there I am home with Chris.
Now, Ohio State, receiver, Garrett Wilson Garrett. Welcome
to the program. How are you buddy?
Don't love precise while having me
fascinating story. Born in Columbus, Ohio, moved to Texas
at age 11, and then ends up back in Columbus when it's time
to play college football. Walk us through your decision making
process to go back to your hometown.
Yes, like you said, you know, I had some Roots up there. I had
some family up there and it was really important that my
parents had a good relationship to wherever I was where I was
going. So,
you know, when coach day and Coach Meyer at the time,
you know where the people that were heavily involved my
recruiting, you know, and then I saw comes from Up. It will
parents were with them.
It was a decision. I felt comfortable Megan.
A lot of great receivers that are high state in recent years
to how has
been, how has being around guys? Like that made you
a better player.
Yeah. I mean, you really have no choice, you know, it's
a competitive room at Ohio State and, you know, if you want to,
you know, get on the field and you know, maximize yourself,
you're going to
put in the work and, you know, take things from all the great
players around you that can help your own game, you know,
so you really have no choice once you get there.
All right. Yeah.
I'm from Jersey.
I went to the University of Texas.
Yeah. What? What the hell
right, but did they give you a good run for your money? Did
they were they even in the mix here? What's high school? You
go to and I went to Lake. Travis went to Lake Travis. Oh,
not too far outside. They get involved. I mean, apparently,
we don't recruit the good players in
Texas anymore. I don't know what's going on out of. They
got involved. It was just one of those things where,
you know, it wasn't, it wasn't the same. It wasn't the same
relationship that we had at that level with my parents. And
I'm, you know, the what I said when I saw with Coach day was
doing with the offense on at Ohio, State, throwing the ball
around, like they
were. Yeah, you know, his oboro and Dwayne Haskins competing
for a starting job at the time, you know, so it was something
I wanted to be a part of, you know,
you don't want to be a partner. I get you there. I totally get
you there. I've asked like some of the Alabama guys. This I'm
interested to hear like, you know,
you're a competitor. I know you want to be great at Ohio,
State's great. But you know, like Mike said, you look at all
those receivers there and stuff at times, you know, did is
there a point or was there a point early on in your career?
We were like, man, maybe I made the wrong decision
here. Maybe I'm not going to get on the field. I know you
play The Freshman but was do you worry about that aspect
when you were coming out, you know, like I said, I felt like,
you know. Really confident in my ability and you know, I felt
like if I did
what I was supposed to do, you know, was able to
learn the Playbook fast and
you know, have my coaches, trust me that I could I could
get on the field early and you know, you can't run from
competition. You know, I think today I feel like that made me,
you know, the player I am today, you know, because of
what I went through. What I had to play with who I got
the opportunity to play, right?
Right. Did Mike asked that question first? The he asked
that question? Yes. I'm similar similar. So well, I'm sorry.
I was writing down a note about it. My bad. Sorry. All right.
I'm an alias. He's not eating Donuts. Like he was earlier
guarantees eating donuts earlier, so
he's hanging out.
A possum, in the staff room. I saw
how close did you come to coming back for one more year
to Ohio State? And but, you know, maybe
pumping yourself up a little bit,
having a huge season and, and getting up higher on the draft
order for next season.
Yeah, you know, coming into my junior season. It was something
I knew I wanted to do. I knew I was maybe going to have this
opportunity,
you know to take that next step and finally, you know,
Chase my dreams and then fo
and you know, once I put myself in
a good spot, you know playing Watch throughout the season
stayed healthy for the majority of the Season, you know, I feel
like I felt like I had
done what it took to, you know, could take that step and
I talked with my teammates about it first and you know, it's one
of those things where I felt like it was right, so I can't
say I, you know, thought about it too much. It was one of
those things I I can't lie out came in
Ohio State expecting to do three years. And you know,
that's what that's one of those things where you know, luckily
I was blessed to have it actually go that way.
What part of you game? Do you know you need to step up
the most in order to thrive at the NFL level of wages at
the college level?
Yeah, just to consistency on, you know, getting off
the press,
you know, seeing longer corners. And like I said,
I played a year slot. And, you know, I feel like that was good
for my development going back outside. This passed this past
season and, you know, having less space to work with and
having to get off a longer dbe's, you know, so,
that's something. I don't want to continue to work on. As
I get in the NFL,
you got combine. Now, you've been doing all this crap,
right? As far as like go, all the drills, all that you do and
everything. Tomorrow. I'm doing everything said bench, press
exact bench, press. OK, nobody cares. How much of receiver
bench presses, okay.
All right. So, you know, like what do we expect and I give
me, give me some.
What do you mean? You're a burner
you can go by people, you'd be between doing that 40 times and
like what's like the hardest event for you that you feel
like Dan that one's a challenge for me. That I'm not the best
or most natural app.
You know, I feel like when you're,
you know, you train for all this for two months, you know,
this definitely is definitely a lot to it and writes one of
those things. But, you know, I feel like I'm ready for every
girl, you know, I would be,
you know, if I trained for as long as I did for Just for
this, you know, these before drills not feel like I was
super detailed in my training. Exactly, you know, so I feel
good about all these girls coming up. All right, so I can
show off,
you know what? I'm gonna be able to do it. But like you
want to throw out some numbers, 40 wise, like what you what you
think you're gonna go there. Yeah, you know, I've been
seeing a lot of people say, you know, 455 so imma just say sub
for 45 or so 455. Yeah, you're gonna crap on all that silly.
You know, that's
just not the case. So, okay. I mean, I can't wait to see.
I can't wait to run and you know, so
put some people wrong for sure. I could tell you're excited
about that. Alright, so what?
Ready to prove people wrong in the 40. Maggie thinks
everybody's wrong and they could tell by the smirk on his
face. What about your wide receiver coach at Ohio State?
Brian Hartline? Yeah, you know, talk about Mike talked about
like the atmosphere there with Ohio State. I've heard so many
times when I would tune into games, this year about Brian
Hartline, what he does to the receivers. Yeah, you know what
the rooms like kind of talk about what? It's like to have
an ex-nfl. Good receiver coach any in college. Yeah. I mean,
he makes it easy
to learn, you know, like you said you'd play in the NFL,
he's done everything. That, you know, we want to accomplish in
life playing at, Ohio. As well, you know, having that
connection. So,
you know, when you look at coach Hardline, you know, you
see someone that's done all the steps you're about to take and
you got to listen, you know, there's no way you'd be stupid
not to listen and then, you know, the way you can teach and
actually show you was probably three or four years removed
from the league when I
when he first took over the job. So, you know, it made it
easy to you could you could run around you know, you would
always have cleats on it like some type of turf shoes on it
practice and right, you know, be running around telling us.
What.
Exactly, you know, you don't. You don't get lucky like that. So,
you know, all those things really helped me learn and feel
like the whole room for sure.
We talked to a lot of receivers, they guarantee. One
of the questions we've asked most of them. Who's that
defensive back. He can't wait to line up across from and show
what you can do against him.
You know, there's a lot of great ones. I mean
this past season, you know, Jalen Ramsey's, you know,
the best corner in the league. I feel like and
you know, you gotta, you gotta pay your respects to the best
in the league. You know, I've just those dudes are
technicians, you know, that's a tough position to play. It's
a lot on mindset, a lot on your mental.
And, you know, like, I feel like there's a lot of great
ones. Do, you know, I don't want to single out any one, but
I feel like Dan Ramsey knows the best corner in the league
and,
you know, it's going up against him. I feel like it's gonna be
like surreal moment for me realizing that you notice. It's
that time. Like you Is this in my rivals? Now? You know, that
type of thing.
When you spend the first 11 years of your life in Ohio, and
then go to Texas, which NFL team D end up rooting for.
I can't say I rooted for any of them. You know, I like I said
you
grew up in Columbus from 6 to 12. And you know, when you're
that age you kind of just have like the nostalgic memories of
this tradition. I'll have a higher state, you know being in
that area. So
everyone was a huge fan I wasn't but you know, it was definitely
I would say that it didn't it didn't go away. You know, I had
a little bit of love in there for Ohio. State always, who's
your guy receiver in the NFL like, you know, we asked you
about the corner but who's like the receiver you look at
and go man. That's my guy. I want to be like him.
Yeah. After this past.
That means got to be cup, you know, he's on top of the world.
He's got a Super Bowl championship, you know, 2,000
yards. I mean Super Bowl MVP like, you know, he's got it.
He's the, you know, the best best receiving to leave right
now, my opinion, Davante Adams. So, you know, those are two
things I like to
watch, but your second guy in a row, the kind of said, those
two names right there. Well, then, you know, they got
a similar game to you really a lot of ways we can play outside
shape. That looks like you're going to be a pretty good.
I haven't like, really broken down film.
But damn. You're going to be able to do slot and do all that
stuff, right? You're comfortable in all those areas.
Yes, sir. Yeah.
Yeah. I mean do you you prefer one of the other?
No, I wouldn't buy once I prefer anyone. So I feel like
slots a little easier, you know, just just the way
the ball low. We got exactly got to wait goes more field to work
with
not getting this much press in college at least so,
you know slots a little easier but I like playing both like
being able to do both. Yeah, cool. Yeah.
Well, Gary wish you all the best. Congratulations on your
success so far, and it's an exciting time waiting to find
out where you're going to start your NFL career, and we can't
wait to see how it goes for you. Enjoy the rest of
the combine and we hope to talk to you again down the road
at me as well. Thank you all so much for having me here, g,
double crochets. You see what?