LARRY JOHNSON On the pass rush: "We have to win one-on-ones." On Tyleik Williams: "He's been a work in progress. He came in really heavy." Johnson says he had to lose a lot of weight. On his responsibilities changing since last week, Johnson says he "puts the game plan together" for the defense now. Johnson says Zach Harrison is doing well after missing the Tulsa game, and J.T. Tuimoloau is being brought along slow because he's a freshman. On why J.T. has played more than Sawyer: "J.T.'s a bigger guys, he's 270." Johnson says J.T. possesses power, while Sawyer is more of a "finesse player." Johnson says he's careful to put young players in the game in a situation where they could make a mistake that could "haunt them for a while." On not many players grading out as champions, Johnson says a lot of guys were close, but he "wanted to see more." Johnson says Tyleik Williams stands out as a player that's going to see more time moving forward. Johnson says Ty Hamilton is coming on strong as well. On getting more pressure: "We've gotta get it done and it starts with me." Larry Johnson says his linemen can't just try to bull rush a guy for the entire game and have success rushing the passer. On Haskell Garrett and Taron Vincent playing at the same time: "When you do that, you really kind of change the flavor up front." Johnson says the depth of his group is what is allowing several freshmen to get on the field and make plays despite there being a lot of veterans in the bunch as well. Johnson says Tyleik Williams was 270-280 pounds in high school, but blew up to over 300 pounds due to the pandemic. Johnson says the same level of top-end talent is still present in his group, but that it will take more time to develop. On Tyreke Smith, Johnson says he plays really hard and runs sideline-to-sideline "pretty much every play," and that he is working on figuring out why he isn't getting home for sacks right now.
In this week’s Giant Eagle Assistant Coach Spotlight, @R2X_Rushmen1 talks about how he keeps the team motivated by showing them what it takes to play at the next level.#GoBucks | @GiantEagle pic.twitter.com/EGD5KEINSo— Ohio State Buckeyes 🌰 (@OhioStAthletics) October 27, 2021
LARRY JOHNSON ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE AGAINST PURDUE Johnson wants "I think that's the key, any time you have a quarterback that throws a lot." "Our job is to affect him." Johnson notes you don't necessarily have to get a sack to affect a pass. ON THE DEFENSIVE LINE ROTATION "That's the key to this thing." "We've probably played more players since I've been here." Johnson said this defensive line is fresher than it's ever been at this point in the season. "We're not just rotating, we're rotating for a reason." Johnson says they rotate for fatigue and to take advantage of skill sets. ON THE BLEND OF VETERAN AND YOUNG TALENT "They're really close." "The older guys are rooting for the younger guys." Johnson says a lot of times the older guys get even more excited than the younger guys when the younger guys make a big play. ON THE SECONDARY AND DEFENSIVE LINE WORKING TOGETHER "People want to give credit to the d-line, but really it's the secondary." "If you've got good coverage, it gives us another half a second to get there." "I think that's the key to how you stop a great quarterback."
Another awesome day in the lab working with some great players and even better leaders! @Hercules__52 @JonathonCooper7 @JayHolmes_ @JayRock_9 @NFL #Rushmenforever #R2X pic.twitter.com/SllZkYc0hk— Larry A. Johnson (@R2X_Rushmen1) February 24, 2022
Larry Johnson on choosing not to swear: "My curse word is Santa Clause. My players know when I say Santa Clause, I’m really mad."