But there is nothing mitigating about this: TAMU coach Kevin Sumlin said Tuesday that Garrett got the best of Aggies left tackle Cedric Ogbuehi, who has been projected as a first-round pick for the 2015 NFL Draft, and the rest of the Aggies' offensive line often enough in the preseason to garner the full respect of his teammates.
"If you'd watched him practice the 20-some practices we had (in preseason), we've got two pretty good tackles in Germain Ifedi and Cedric (Ogbuehi). Our line's pretty good. And for a guy to walk in here and have the success he had during two-a-days, in fall camp. Did he win all the time? No. But against those guys, a lot of guys don't win any," Sumlin said in his weekly news conference. "He's had his moments with every guy on that offensive line. That's when you start getting respect from your teammates, and people start whispering."
While Ogbuehi is TAMU's next NFL prospect at left tackle, Ifedi moved to right tackle from the right guard position during the offseason. He has made an outstanding transition and is expected to take over for Ogbuehi on the left side for the Aggies in 2015. That Garrett gave those two players problems in the preseason -- arguably the top tackle tandem in the SEC -- says plenty about his vast potential as a pass rusher. Former South Carolina defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, now the NFL's most prized rookie as the No. 1 overall pick of the 2014 draft, holds the SEC freshman sack record with eight. Garrett needs just 2.5 more sacks to tie that mark, but Sumlin indicated Garrett is beginning to see double-team blocks, and the coach might limit his snaps, as well.
"Our challenge is to make sure we are getting him in a position to help him be successful, because he's going to start seeing some different blocking schemes, you saw it (Saturday) night, you're going to start seeing some (double-team) help. We've got to be able to move him around," Sumlin said. "We've got a rotation to allow him to not play 60 or 70 or 80 snaps a game, so that he can be fresh and do what he does at a high level. He's starting to figure out what's going on. Like everyone else who is a young player, people start figuring you out, too. We also have to help him out in the rotation, and be a little more creative than just putting him on the open side, putting his hand down and saying, 'Go sic 'em,' although, there's something to that, too."
Albeit in what might be only rotation-limited snaps, Garrett will face an SMU offensive line on Saturday that has already allowed 13 sacks in two games. But it's beating left tackles like LSU's La'el Collins and Ole Miss' Laremy Tunsil -- two NFL prospects themselves -- that will garner Garrett a lot more respect than a string of sacks in non-conference play.
And if Ogbuehi had his problems with Garrett in August, you can bet the best pass protectors Garrett will face all season will have their hands full with him, as well.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
