A defensive end has to be athletic and nimble, able to slip past the line of scrimmage and catch the quarterback. That made Zach Harrison a shoo-in for the role, with his recorded time of 10.7 seconds for 100 meters. That’s just 1.12 seconds off the world-record, not bad for a non track-and-field specialist. Drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the 3rd round in 2023, he had a pretty decent rookie year. He managed 33 tackles across 16 games, as well as 3 sacks.

So what’s the young man’s story? How long has he wanted to be a footballer, and who helped him on his journey to the playing field? Like a great many successful professionals, he owes much to the love and support of his parents, Tracey and Jimmie Harrison. They’re a fairly private family, and we don’t know much about how the pair met, or about the rest of the family, but we do know how they helped Zach start his football journey.

Who are Tracey and Jimmie Harrison?

Tracey and Jimmie remember how massively into football Zach had been as a young kid. Starting at 6-years-old, he’d gotten into flag football, graduating on to tackle football by the age of 7. But even by that point, he’d been passionate about the NFL. Born in Ohio (Lewis Center, specifically), you’d expect he’d have supported a local team. Maybe the Cincinnati Bengals or the Cleveland Browns, pride of Ohio. Little Zach Harrison was, instead, a fan of the Seattle Seahawks and the Chicago Bears.

Though his parents weren’t as into the game as he was, they would both encourage his love. Jimmie Harrison said, “He’s always been a student of football. He knew plays and what was going on the screen. I looked at it like, just people jumping in piles, and he taught us.” He even set up a little family tradition every February in the runup to the Super Bowl. His mother Tracey Harrison recalls, “He would write 10 questions, and I had to answer the questions and I remember vividly one of the questions being ‘What’s the body type of a running back?'”

Young Zach Harrison made such a positive impression playing for Olentangy Orange High School that his family was flooded with college offers. Loaded down with free kit bags and tons of mail, it was a difficult decision to make. Ultimately, Zach decided to stay close to his parents, picking Ohio State University, okaying for them from 2019 to 2022. He was one of 6 OSU students to be drafted in 2023.

How’s 2024 looking for Zach Harrison?

Zach Harrison’s been playing for the Atlanta Falcons since 2023, having signed a 4-year $5,568,448 contract with them. Though he’s got a long time until any negotiations come up, the young man will be eager to prove himself on the field, nonetheless. The Falcons are coming into the Monday night game against the Philadelphia Eagles 1 game down.

The loss against the Justin Fields-led Pittsburgh Steelers must have stung, in part because of their history. In 19 games, the Steelers have beaten the Falcons 16 times, with 1 tie and a paltry 2 Falcons wins. The last of those wins had come in 2006. Harrison managed a respectable 1 tackle and 1 assist-on-tackle in that game, but he’ll be looking to step up his game for tonight.