'He is a skilled big man': McKinley football's Dior Garner ready to be a 2-way starter
CANTON — McKinley High School junior Dior Garner had a productive 2022 season as a starting nose tackle. But now he has been called to take it up a notch.
Garner will be playing both ways when the Bulldogs open their season at Warren Harding on Friday night.
The plan is for Garner to start at left offensive tackle while continuing his duties as a starting nose on defense.
“I challenged him this offseason because we told him that our success as a team is going to be largely predicated if he could go both ways, and he has taken that challenge to heart,” McKinley head coach Antonio Hall said. “He has transformed his body. He’s in great shape, so he is all about it and he wants the team to be successful and wants to put the team on his back. I’m very excited to see what his junior campaign looks like.”
Last season, Gardner stepped in at left tackle for one game due to injuries. Hall gave Garner the opportunity despite his lack of experience in playing left tackle.
“It was really on the fly,” Garner said. “Our sixth man Braeden Earley got injured at practice. So they told me to step up and I stepped up.”
Throughout the offseason, Garner kept focusing on left tackle. It was a challenge at first for the right-handed Garner to adapt to the left side.
“It’s hard because it’s the quarterback’s blind side and I’m right-handed, and me getting my left-hand stance, you have to stay comfortable with it,” Garner said.
Garner has received a ton of interest from Division I schools. Garner is listed at 6-foot-4, 285 pounds, and is being scouted to play defensive tackle and is confident that he can play all three positions inside the defensive front. He holds a Division I offer from Bowling Green and expects to receive more as he begins his junior season.
“Dior has a tremendous gift,” Hall said. “He is a skilled big man. He has amazing feet, great hands, great football I.Q. and student of the game, and always constantly working on his crafts as an overall football player, I’m very pleased with his progression. To bring that athleticism and that physicality to the offensive line, especially at that left tackle spot, it’s really going to help us in what we are trying to accomplish.”
Garner has aspirations of playing for Ohio State. Originally born in Columbus, Garner grew up a Buckeyes fan and went to games as a young kid. After moving to Canton, he still carries Buckeyes mementos in his room.
Garner made trips to Ohio State and Michigan camps over the summer, earning MVP honors in his group at the latter.
“It feels great, learning from the guys that I looked up to that I watched play on Saturdays and getting coached by their coaches makes me feel great and getting better because I'm learning from college coaches who have been doing it for a long time,” Garner said.
More: Top 10 Stark County-area specialists to watch in the 2023 high school football season
Antonio Hall praises Kaelub Edwards O-line leadership
Hall, a former star tackle at McKinley, always has a bit of a bias towards his offensive line. This season he has his reasons. The Bulldogs lost four of their five starters from last year. While the experience is limited, the potential is there.
“It’s just like I see coming out of that room,” Hall said. “I see their bodies are starting to form a bunch of guys. Their two offensive line coaches are great people on top of being great coaches. That goes a long way. I really think our offensive line could be the biggest and brightest surprise of the season.”
The Bulldogs also have size. The projected starters weigh between 280 and 300 pounds. Leading the front is their lone senior, Kaelub Edwards, a three-year starter and two-time captain. Hall praised the senior for stepping up in the leadership role.
“I can’t be more thrilled with Kaelub’s leadership and what he has taken (on),” Hall said. “He was one of our two offseason captains and he has excelled and surpassed many expectations that I have for him in that role. He really is becoming the voice of that group and becoming one of the voices in the locker room.”
More: Stark County High School Football: What you need to know for the 2023 season
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Dior Garner eager to start two ways for Canton McKinley football
