Freshman Paul Garrett, running back from Goodwater, Alabama made a positive impact on and off the field. Standing at 5’9 and 193 pounds, he disrupted many defenses this season. Garrett finished this season with 187 carries rushing for 1,131 yards and 13 touchdowns. With those numbers, Garrett was rewarded with First Team All-Conference. Another accomplishment of Garrett was earning Player of the Week against Crown when he rushed for 193 yards. With all these accomplishments, it made it easy to place him at the top spot for running backs in the conference. Garrett is a very talent back who is very shifty and can also change direction on the spot. This ability makes it hard for defenders to tackle him. He looks for contacts when approaching defenders and he is not afraid to run people over to find his way to the end-zone.
When asking Garrett about the recruiting process to Greenville University, he stated that the recruiting process was amazing for him and that GU was the first college to contact him, specifically Coach Jesse Tyrrell. Garrett expresses that Coach Tyrrell was relentless with building a relationship with him which made it an easy decision for him to come be a part of the Greenville University football program. This season, Garrett has made a tremendous impact on the field, but the person who has made the biggest impact on him has being Coach Brandon Grant. “Through ups and downs, Coach Grant has been there for me even with the mistakes I made,” Garrett said.
Coming in as a freshman and winning the position battle means a lot to Garrett. He stated it was a blessing to him and he wants to continue to get better daily. The biggest thing he will focus on in the offseason is how he can make his team better, not just himself. Whether that is on or off the field, his work ethic is amazing, attacking things in the classroom just like on the field. Garrett models his game after Saquon Barkley who is a power back for the New York Giants. One thing Garrett does before games is watch Barkely’s highlights and imagine himself making big-time plays. This makes it easier for him when he has the ball in his hands. “The coaches and God are the reason I am in this position. I want to thank them,” Garret said. Before he expressed what the program has done for him, Garrett gladly expressed that this program was a God-given program. “It teaches you about football, but can also teach you about God and life skills as well,” said Garrett. In his first year here, Garrett has seen much growth in himself, making him smarter on and off the field. He also mentioned that the coaches played a big role in that because they taught him more life skills. The seniors also had an impact on him because it was easy for him to buy in to the program and game plan that was set for the year coming in at the beginning of fall camp. Garrett’s effort and work earned him 2019 First Team All-Conference honors. The future is bright for him!
Media by Eric Kranh.
