Throughout his four years with the Missouri Tigers, linebacker Cale Garrett displayed exactly what a linebacker’s mindset should be.
Unafraid of contact and willing to help out in any way possible, Garrett was a three-year starter who finished in his collegiate career with 291 tackles, 26 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks and 6 interceptions in 41 games.
As he finishes up his recovery from a torn pectoral and prepares to participate in the NFL Scouting Combine, Garrett spoke exclusively with Draft Wire to discuss his collegiate career, his passion for hiking, and the mental acuity it took for him to get where he is today.
JI: Heading into your recruiting process, playing for Mizzou was your dream. How does it feel to not only have accomplished that dream, but becoming one of the program’s best defenders in recent years?
CG: I think it’s really cool just to be able to play at my state school, growing up two hours away and going to a few games in middle school. I didn’t go to games growing up – I was actually a Kansas fan at first (laughs). It was really cool, and it made the most sense, and it was awesome, being able to have the opportunity to play in the SEC that close to home, [wearing] that jersey with pride every Saturday because you knew it was for your state.
JI: You had an illustrious career there, and you started off the 2019 season on a high note before it came to a premature end due to your pectoral injury. How did you bounce back mentally from having your collegiate career ended just a few weeks into the year?
CG: It was really tough at first, but I’d say the support from everybody that I had – from my family, my teammates, the coaches – everyone around me was just really supportive and helped me see the big picture and understand the vision where I did enough to where I’ll have a chance to continue playing football if things go right. I’ll work really hard; I’ll still have the opportunity, which is really exciting. It gave me time to finish up my degree, [but] it was one of the biggest challenges I’ve ever had to overcome. It taught me a lot about myself too, in terms of resiliency and being able to try and be the same person you are when things are going smoothly.
JI: Speaking of resiliency, it was that Troy game in October when you got a pick-six after you already had gotten injured, is that right?
CG: Yeah, I got two picks. One of them was a touchdown, the other one I got tackled on the one-yard line. I was too slow (laughs).
JI: What was running through your mind when you ran that ball in for the score?
CG: It just felt funny how it all happened like that. Looking back on it, it was pretty crazy because I was raising the ball with the arm I had the torn pec on. Adrenaline’s a hell of a drug, but I felt happy being able to make that kind of play, and glad I was be resilient like that and fight through things. It can be really fruitful and rewarding sometimes.
JI: Did you suspect at first that the injury was as serious as it was, or did you kind of shrug it off?
CG: While I was playing in the game, I just thought it was something in my shoulder that was hurting pretty good, but then as I took my pads off and the doctor looked at it, he knew what it was. My heart just sunk immediately. It was right away when I got my pads off, [I knew] I wasn’t going to put them back on in a Mizzou uniform, but before that I didn’t really know.
JI: How’s your recovery coming along?
CG: It’s really good. I’m actually flying back out to Columbia soon to get cleared by the doctor that did my surgery, so I’m doing really well. I’m running around, starting to do some pressing movements and whatnot. I’m almost 100 percent; I’m probably at about 95 percent right now.
JI: What would you say is the most important trait to have for the linebacker position?
CG: I’d say instincts would be the first, and then football IQ or leadership after that, a combination of those things. Usually the linebacker [is] the quarterback of the defense. You’re helping more than just yourself get set up. Having that natural instinct, or some people develop it too, just to be able to read a play and act on it is crucial.
JI: I see a lot of that intelligence in your game through your ability to process quick, and I also see a physical player who’s not afraid of contact. What was to be done physically and mentally to obtain that hard-nosed mindset that you have?
CG: I think it’s just a decision you have to make a decide that’s who you’re going to be, to not necessarily worry about the consequences [or] think about anything else, just to understand that you have to have that kind of mindset of, ‘you’re going to do what it takes to get the job done’.
JI: Who’s the hardest player you’ve had to tackle?
CG: The one I thought of most were all the Georgia running backs [D’Andre Swift, Nick Chubb, Sony Michel], but the one I think was the toughest to tackle was Josh Jacobs from Alabama last year. He could juke you out or run you over, and it was just whichever one that beat you, whatever he chose to do.
JI: A lot of people might not know that off the field, you’re an avid hiker. What part of hiking do you find particularly appealing?
CG: I just like the natural beauty of nature, being able to be out and get away from it all.
JI: Is it true that you hiked across the Grand Canyon?
CG: Yeah, I hiked from the south rim to the north rim and back, it was like 40-something miles.
JI: How do you prepare for something like that?
CG: I guess you don’t fully know what you’re getting into until you get into it. I didn’t really know what I was [doing] all the way; I guess I wasn’t fully prepared for it. While you’re in it, you’re just putting one foot in front of the other, making sure you have enough water, enough food. It just comes down to having enough mental toughness to advance, and that was probably one of the most physical challenges I’ve ever done. I was really tough.
JI: Are there any other cool places you’ve hiked at so far?
CG: I’ve done Pike’s Peak like three times. I’ve done a couple of mountains in Colorado.
JI: Outside of hiking, how else do you like to spend your free time?
CG: I really just like to hang out. I like traveling a lot, going to a new place, just being able to be in a new environment. Mainly now it’s been a lot of family time because of all of the spare time I’ve had.
JI: It sounds like the NFL’s the perfect job then, being able to play football and get to explore the country.
CG: That is really nice, and then also a lot of the vets will have this three-month period where you can work out; your job is just to stay in shape, and you can really just do that anywhere. I’m excited about that a little bit.
JI: Let’s say I’m an NFL general manager. What would I be getting if I drafted you to my team?
CG: You’d be getting a disciplined linebacker, a really disciplined player that’s willing to find his role and execute it to the best of his abilities.
[vertical-gallery id=612871]