Nicholas Petit-Frere and Haskell Garrett have played their last games for Ohio State. Both are a part of four OSU players deciding to opt-out of the Rose Bowl to protect themselves from injury and prepare for the 2022 NFL draft. The announcement came by way of comments from Ryan Day on Monday. The two join receivers Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in sitting out the game against Utah on Saturday.
Petit-Frere came to Ohio State as a five-star prospect out of the Tampa area. It took him a little time to find his way into the starting lineup, but once he did he excelled. He took over the left tackle position this fall and was named an Outland Trophy semifinalist. The decision also means that Petit-Frere will be entering the NFL draft despite having two years of eligibility remaining as a redshirt junior and the extra year afforded to players because of the COVID-19 pandemic last season.
Garrett was already headed to the NFL, having used up his last year of eligibility by coming back this year for that extra COVID-19 season. His absence in the Rose Bowl is noteworthy though because he has been arguably OSU’s best run stopper on the inside despite a nagging injury all of 2021 that has limited his explosiveness. He is projected to be a middle-round pick in the draft this spring after earning All-Big Ten honors in 2021.
In his absence, look for Tyleik Williams and Taron Vincent to get more game action against Utah, and maybe even a shuffling of the inside combinations.
The more and more you look at the matchup on Saturday, it’s going to be an uphill battle for Ohio State.
