One of the big improvers in the class of ’24 has to be Clarke Central’s Garrett Hess. Over the last year, the big 6’6″ 300 lbs. offensive lineman has made a tremendous jump in his execution, fundamentals, and general power at the point of attack.

The fruits of his labor is already being seen, and for Week 2 Hess was named our top offensive lineman of the week after his dominating performance against Oconee Co.

“My senior year has been great, thankful to be able to play this great sport alongside my teammates and see hard work finally pay off,” he said.

From what we have seen of the early season, Hess has made one of the biggest jumps of any OL in this recruiting class, so we asked the lineman how he went about accomplishing that.

“Consistently showing up to work every day during the offseason and creating self-discipline was key to becoming a better player. Surrounding myself with the right people that help push me to become better was important in making strides in my game.”

Clarke Central enters Week 3 on the heels of beating their rival Oconee County, which is a pretty big statement game for the program.

“Taking down Oconee is definitely a great feeling, and being able to make plays for my teammates and seeing them succeed is a great feeling as well. But we have a long season to go, and it’s important that we move on to the next opponent.”

His squad is a consensus top-10 team in 5A this season, and they figure to be a major player in the state playoffs. Experienced linemen upfront like Hess should prove to be a huge advantage for Clarke Central as the season progresses.

In last week’s game against Oconee County, Hess was folding over defenders like a lawn chair and served up more pancakes than an IHOP. He talked about his focus for each game.

“The mindset is always to play hard and dominate the guy in front of me. It’s also to play hard for the guy next to me,” Hess said.

That exact dominating mindset is what every college coach is looking for in an offensive lineman at the next level. This brings us to recruiting, where Hess has seen good interest throughout the process.

“The recruiting process has been great and I have met great people along the way. I do have some plans for visits throughout this season but the most important thing is that I stay focused on my game and the team.”

Clarke Central has the week off before taking on 6A’s #2 ranked team Gainesville on 9/8. That will obviously be no easy task for Hess and the rest of the team, but that elite competition also creates opportunity.

Personally, we look forward to see what the Clarke Central OL can do against the Red Elephants, and if college coaches are worth their salt, they will keep an eye out for big #75 caving in his side of the line of scrimmage. So be sure to follow @RecruitGeorgia on Twitter/X to hear the latest on Hess and athletes all across the state of Georgia.

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