Two years ago, Jarrel Comer was a freshman at Tallahassee Community College and hadn’t played competitive football since middle school. Now? This dude is a starting outside linebacker for Oregon State, and he’s absolutely making college football take notice. Talk about a glow-up!
From Hardwood Dreams to Gridiron Dominance
Comer’s journey to the Pac-12 gridiron is wild. He played basketball at Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida, and initially enrolled in college as a regular student. He wasn’t even thinking football until he found an opportunity to play at Citrus College in California. Imagine that: he boarded a plane for the first time ever for a cross-country flight just to play football, a sport he hadn’t touched in over four years. That’s pure dedication right there. Comer himself said, “I was willing to take that chance to get to where I am today.” And it paid off big time! In junior college, he racked up 58 tackles, including 8.5 for loss, and six sacks. Linebackers coach Cort Dennison, who was then at Idaho, saw something special and kept pursuing Comer when he moved to OSU. Comer signed in January and got to Corvallis in the spring.
Pure Athleticism Running Wild
At 6-foot-4 and 245 pounds, Comer was an athletic freak dominating junior college on pure raw talent. He didn’t even know the technical stuff: hand placement, setting the edge in the run game, pass coverage? Not in his toolkit. His job was simple: pin his ears back and attack the quarterback, no matter the down or distance. He said it himself: “They didn’t ask much of me. They told me just do what I do, use my athleticism, get to the quarterback.” What he lacks in experience, he absolutely makes up for in sheer ability. Comer consistently ranks among OSU’s fastest players in practice, and that speed is invaluable for a team hungry for more pass rush. Defensive coordinator Mike MacIntyre gets it: “His athleticism is off the charts. We see him grow leaps and bounds.” Comer has already logged 10 tackles this season, with four in each of the last two games. He’s way more than just a situational pass rusher now, crediting MacIntyre and edge coaches Joe Seumalo and George Frazier for helping him master pass coverage.
The Beavers’ New Dynamic Threat
The vision is for Comer to team up with Takari Hickle, creating a nightmare scenario for opposing offensive lines. They won’t be able to just focus all their protection on one side. Hickle knows what’s up: “Teams have to respect his speed. If they don’t, then he’ll run right by them. He is definitely a threat in coverage and in the pass game.” You love to hear that kind of praise from a teammate! This Saturday, Oregon State (1-2) takes on UTEP (1-2) at 6 p.m. PT at the Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. The Beavers are favored by 10.5 points. If you want to catch Comer and the Beavers in action, the game is streaming exclusively on Mountain West Plus. You can snag a subscription for $10.99 a month or $79.99 for the year. Get ready to watch this dude continue to grow!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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