Garrett more than defensive force
Interests range from paleontology to poetry
COLLEGE STATION, TEXAS He was 4, or maybe a little younger. Someone popped in Jurassic Park. Myles Garrett watched, not so much horrified as enthralled, as the Tyrannosaurus rex rampaged across the screen.
“He ate that man on the toilet, when he ran into that little shed,” says Audrey Garrett, Myles’ mother, describing the beast’s actions. “He bit that man in half.”
That was all it took. Next thing anyone knew, young Myles was crazy for dinosaurs. And if you’ve seen Garrett, all grown up now, shed an offensive lineman and devour a quarterback, it’s clear the 6- 5, 270pound junior is probably more velociraptor than T. rex.
No, check that. The velociraptor, as popularized in the movie, might not be historically accurate. Garrett knows this, which is why he’s told people if he was a dinosaur it would be Deinonychus. Either way, it’s an awesome, maybe even terrifying talent.
But that’s on the field. Garrett retains that fascination for dinosaurs — never mind football, he seriously considered several schools other than Texas A& M because of their paleontology programs — but a portrait of the Aggies’ best player ( one of the very best anywhere) defies easy painting. That’s even if he’s the one painting. Or composing a poem. Or ... well, put it this way:
“I just call him an old soul,” his mom says.
‘ DIFFERENT CAT’
As No. 6 Texas A& M visits No. 1 Alabama on Saturday, the Aggies’ chances of upsetting the Crimson Tide reside in large part with a fast, talented defense. A& M’s defensive ends, Garrett and senior Daeshon Hall, are the chief catalysts. And Garrett — who is projected as a potential top- five pick in the NFL draft if he decides to leave school a year early — might be college football’s chief non- conformist.
“He’s just an unusual, different cat, as they say, across the board,” Texas A& M coach Kevin Sumlin says — and when Sumlin says he’d like to have, oh, 80 more players just like Garrett, he means more than talent ( though he’d love that, sure). He’s referring to Garrett’s low- maintenance demeanor, even as he shakes his head over Garrett’s varied personality.
Garrett writes poetry. He reads voraciously; on his nightstand recently: Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz and Freaky Deaky by Elmore Leonard. He sketches people, places, animals. “Anything that pops into my mind,” he says.
Garrett’s eclectic playlist — “Just anything,” he says, but not much country — causes many teammates to shrug and shake their heads. Elvis Presley. Marvin Gaye. Genesis. Queen. Stevie Wonder. It’s what he heard while growing up. His father, Lawrence Garrett, listened to Gaye, Teddy Pendergrass, old school soul. With his mom, it was everything from gospel to Garth Brooks.
“He didn’t know what he was listening to, but he knew what he liked when he heard it,” Audrey Garrett says. “He’s always heard eclectic music — but Dean Martin, he stepped outside the zone with Dean Martin.”
Before games, when the locker room standard is something with a huge bass beat, Garrett’s headphones routinely pour out jazz from Duke Ellington or John Coltrane.
“It’s all smooth, just throwbacks,” Aggies wide receiver Christian Kirk says. “He’s just kind of sitting there happy- go- lucky;