The veteran coach chuckled in delight as he recalled watching Jalen Carter's Hudl highlight video from his time at Apopka High School.
At 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, Carter curated football violence in the most unusual ways. In the opening clip of the video, he hurdles a defender as a ball carrier, then later drags would-be tacklers as they flail helplessly behind him. As a blocker, he casually swats opposing players like a cat playing with a ball of yarn.
Carter eventually settled in as a defensive tackle in college, and those skills are evidenced by his rolls through opposing offensive lines like a human Zamboni.
"That may be the best high school highlight tape I've ever seen," the veteran coach said. "He's 300 pounds and playing fullback and tight end and defensive end. ... It looks like a grown-up versus little kids."
The coach paused to chuckle: "Still looks that way."
This year, Carter inhaled Tennessee's offensive line in Knoxville, forcing two fumbles in a 27-13 rout. That kicked off a run that's seen seven tackles for loss in the past five games, thrusting Carter back into the conversation for the No. 1 pick in the upcoming NFL draft.
We spoke to more than a dozen coaches and scouts about the College Football Playoff semifinal matchup between No. 1 Georgia and No. 4 Ohio State (Saturday, 8 p.m., ESPN) as the Bulldogs attempt to become the sport's first back-to-back national champion in a decade. Ohio State, meanwhile, attempts to pull off an upset as a 6.5-point underdog.
Carter, looming over the middling interior of Ohio State's offensive line and poised to harass star OSU quarterback C.J. Stroud, could swing the game. Can he continue his run of dominance that has slingshot him to the top of draft boards? Can Ohio State play quick game, spray the ball to the perimeter and move the pocket to minimize his disruption? Here's a look at four keys to victory for each team, according to a variety of opposing coaches and trusty NFL scouts.
Keys to a Georgia win
1. Carter remains a menace to opposing game plans
Let's stick with Carter to start. If he continues to play like an all-world player, there will be limited options for Ohio State to neutralize him.
It's not lost on opposing coaches, scouts and even the UGA staff that Carter experienced bouts of injury and apathy this season. But that Tennessee game changed everything, as he rag-dolled Vols quarterback Hendon Hooker in the end zone to force a fumble. (The play was poorly officiated and should have resulted in a safety.)
Carter missed two games up to that point with an MCL injury but had been sporadic in his effort and limited in his production.
"It depends on which guy you get," an NFL scout said. "When Carter wants to play, he can do whatever he wants. I can see him wrecking them if he's on his game. That's up to him. He's very gifted. He's very good. But he'll disappear in stretches, and then he's the most dominant player on the field."
One SEC coach noted that "the difference" between Alabama and Georgia right now on defense is that Carter and sophomore linebacker Jamon Dumas-Johnson are dominant up the middle. "That's where all of a sudden they are dominating, controlling B-gap to B-gap."
Georgia's 2021 defense will be remembered as one of the sport's all-time units. The Bulldogs had five defenders picked in the first round, and one of their most productive players, linebacker Nakobe Dean, slipped out because of medical concerns.
One coach said he thinks Carter is better than all of them because he's the rare inside player on the defensive line who has the burst to double as an elite pass-rusher.
"He's more dominant than anyone that played for them last year," the coach said. "He's as dominant of a player at this level because he has a complete game."
2. The secondary flashes some ball skills
There was some skepticism about Georgia's secondary heading into the game with Tennessee. The Bulldogs answered that with alacrity, the pass rush coupling with an aggressive game plan at the line of scrimmage to maul the Vols' receivers and make Hooker look pedestrian.
Well, Ohio State's group of wide receivers are as deep and talented as any the Bulldogs will see this year, and another wave of modest skepticism arose about UGA's secondary's ability to cover them.
Kelee Ringo, Kamari Lassiter and star Javon Bullard are the primary cover guys on a defense that ranks No. 49 in pass yards allowed. Some of that, like LSU throwing for 502 yards, is because teams are playing Georgia from behind. (And freshman safety Malaki Starks has already flashed the talent to be a future first-round pick.) But the Bulldogs have some coverage issues to exploit.
"The weakness is the ball skills of the corners," an opposing coach said. "Teams have attacked them. The ball skills are lacking there, and there's an ability to hit some deep balls. Teams are going to not dink and dunk and beat Georgia. OSU could be interesting with the talent out there.
Georgia tends to leave its corners on an island. And that could mean some vulnerability on shot plays.
"Both of the corners are long and tall, but I question their ability to play the ball in the air," an opposing coach said. "They're good players, but if I were Ohio State, I'd want to get as many 50-50 balls up there, where you have a good chance at a pass interference."
3. Highway 12 (personnel) to victory
The best offensive options for Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett are his two star tight ends, Brock Bowers and Darnell Washington.
Bowers is one of the sport's most dynamic players, as there's an open joke in the SEC about him being Georgia's best wide receiver, running back and tight end. He finished the regular season with team highs in receiving yards (726) and receiving touchdowns (six).
Washington is a 6-foot-7, 270-pound tight end built like a 1990s NBA power forward. One coach noted how well they complement each other and reached back more than a decade ago for an NFL comparison.
"Remember when the Patriots had Rob Gronkowski and Aaron Hernandez at tight end?" the coach said. "Bowers is as dynamic of a playmaker as there is in college football. Washington has taken a huge step from where he was last year, and that's maybe the most underrated piece of their offense, his growth at tight end."
Georgia plays 12 personnel with two tight ends 59% of the time, the third-highest number in the FBS this season, per ESPN Stats & Information. That gives Ohio State a pick-your-poison option. If teams add a defensive back to help in the pass game, they ramrod behind Washington in the mismatch on the run game. (Think a 270-pound tight end bowling over a 195-pound nickel.)
If teams go big with an extra linebacker to slow down the run game, Georgia can spread out Bowers into a three-by-one formation and find a mismatch in the throw game.
"Are you putting an outside linebacker or a nickel out there?" a coach asked. "If it's a nickel, they run the ball down your throat. If it's a big linebacker, they'll go empty and three-by-one and dare you to cover them. You need guys who can play the run and the pass or they're going to bludgeon you.
"It lets Kirby [Smart] be a little bit like Nick [Saban] used to be. They'll run the ball down your throat, manage the clock and not turn the ball over."
4. Big Game Stetson
One of the most interesting takeaways from talking to scouts is that there's a good chance that UGA quarterback Stetson Bennett doesn't get drafted this year. In an NFL draft where height, weight and speed are premiums, Bennett lacks a lot of tangibles at 5-foot-11 and 196 pounds.
"I would never draft him," a scout said. "There's some quarterbacks that get picked because a coach or offensive coordinator like him, so you never know. But he's under 200 pounds and there's no dominant trait there. He's just not big enough. He's also on the older side [at age 25]."
Being a middling prospect, however, doesn't mean someone can't be a great college player. Another veteran scout said that in this game, he'd take Bennett over Ohio State's Stroud, who is a projected first-round pick of the upcoming NFL draft. Bennett's worst games have come against lesser competition like Missouri and Kentucky, and he's thrived in UGA's only three games against ranked teams this year -- LSU, Tennessee and Oregon.
"I'd take Georgia's quarterback in a one-game playoff," the scout said. "He handles pressure better and can make more plays with his feet. He's obviously not as skilled or big, but with the game on the line, I'd take that guy any day over Stroud to win a game."
Keys to Ohio State victory
1. Can Ohio State slow down Carter?
If Carter plays like he did during the homestretch of the season, it could be trouble for the Buckeyes.
"Ohio State has no one that can handle him in the interior," a scout said. "None of those guys. That's not a knock against Ohio State; there's not too many people in the country that can handle him."
Carter has been playing nearly 40 snaps per game down the stretch. And Ohio State needs to be strong at guard and center. Veteran Matthew Jones returns from injury at right guard, redshirt sophomore center Luke Wypler is solid up front, and redshirt freshman left guard Donovan Jackson is a talented young player. If Wypler, for example, can nullify Carter, it could dramatically impact his NFL draft stock.
One of the difficulties for the Buckeyes is that it's more difficult to direct help to a player on the interior of the line than it is to a dynamic player rushing off the edge.
"You can't chip a three-technique," said one coach who faced this conundrum this year. "He can change the entire run game. And he also creates a pass rush. If you honor a pressure away from him, the next thing you know, he's getting singled. He's so dynamic, he's also strong. He's not just a pass-rusher or run-stopper. He's really a complete player."
2. Can Ohio State counterpunch?
At halftime of Ohio State's game with Michigan, the Wolverines had 11 rushes for 10 yards, and their best player, tailback Blake Corum, had removed himself from the game because of injury.
But instead of smothering the wounded and staggering Wolverines in the second half, Ohio State's defense got gashed with big plays both on the ground and in the air. On offense, Ohio State suddenly couldn't move the ball in the second half.
The Buckeyes' offensive and defensive lines did not acquit themselves particularly well in that second half against Michigan. And that's something that has coaches who've played both of those teams this year concerned for OSU against Georgia. "Michigan was so much more violent and physical on both sides of the line of scrimmage," said one coach who studied both. "It's not close. There's a marked difference."
The Bulldogs' game plan isn't going to be complex. They want to lean on the Buckeyes until they fold. The Bulldogs don't have elite skill at wide receiver or a game-breaker at tailback. But they have a collection of physical maulers and a true dual threat at quarterback who will make plays. Does Ohio State have the mettle to stand in and counterpunch?
The biggest intangible for Ohio State will be whether the way they lost gives them an edge. Do they play angry?
"If you've watched Georgia this year," said a scout, "it's like they wear you down. There's nothing wow about them. Their quarterback is a good player, the running backs are OK and the wide receivers don't jump out. But they wear you down."
3. Can Stroud-to-Harrison hit home runs?
There's nothing methodical about Ohio State's offense. They like to score fast and often, and Day tends to favor aggression in his playcalling.
What's Ohio State's path to victory? Stroud has been one of the country's top quarterbacks (37 touchdowns and six interceptions) and should be able to use Marvin Harrison Jr. and Emeka Egbuka, who finished in the top 25 nationally in receiving yards per game.
(The loss of tailback TreVeyon Henderson to injury should be a factor, but there's optimism at OSU around tailback Miyan Williams returning healthy after limited carries against Michigan.)
Harrison's 12 receiving touchdowns were tied for third in the country, and he'll have to be outstanding for Ohio State to pull off an upset. The Buckeyes are a much better pass-blocking team than run-blocking team up front, according to opposing coaches. They have a pair of tackles -- Paris Johnson and Dawand Jones -- who will be picked on Day 1 or Day 2 of the NFL draft.
And that should give Stroud enough time to connect, as Harrison should be able to exploit some of the weaknesses in the UGA secondary. Harrison can help OSU determine one of the central tensions of this game, can the Buckeyes hit what one opposing coach calls "home runs" and force Georgia out of its preferred methodical style.
"Marvin Harrison may be the best college wide receiver I've ever seen," one opposing coach said. "He truly is the complete package -- size, speed, route running and catch radius."
4. Can Ohio State plug the middle?
Until the second half of the Michigan game, Jim Knowles had been considered a slam dunk hire at defensive coordinator for Ohio State. The Buckeyes had improved drastically statistically and become much more difficult to prepare for, as Knowles' disguises everything in his 4-2-5 look.
But the dreadful game against Michigan highlighted some vulnerabilities coaches had seen all year, as Michigan gashed Ohio State for two chunk touchdown plays off play-action passes. The first went to Cornelius Johnson down the middle for 75 yards. The other went to tight end Colston Loveland down the right sideline for 45 yards.
"They have problems with the actual depth of the defense, and at times if you catch them in a certain middle-close look, the safety responsible for the middle of the field (Ronnie Hickman) can get beat over the top in play action," said a coach who has studied them.
This looms as important against Georgia, as Ohio State will be attempting to stop the run out of 12 personnel and Georgia's personnel lends its to attempt some play-action over-the-top.