Ohio State Safety Tanner McCalister In Right Spot At Right Time Against Iowa
Tanner McCalister never imagined he would have two interceptions in a game, but now seven games into his only season with the Buckeyes, the fifth-year senior safety is showing exactly why he decided to follow defensive coordinator Jim Knowles from Oklahoma State to Ohio State this offseason.
“Tanner’s like a son to me,” Knowles said after the 54-10 win over Iowa on Saturday. “You become very close to these guys, so to see him take the challenge – there’s nothing easy about coming to The Ohio State – and him earning and proving himself all over again, it’s always good to see someone succeed who you care about and know who’s put himself on the line, and he’s invested a lot in me by coming here.”
McCalister intercepted Hawkeyes quarterback Spencer Petras on the first play from scrimmage, as the Buckeyes disguised their coverage and the pass went directly to him as if he was the intended receiver. He returned it 13 yards to put the Buckeyes in great field position early.
The second came on a deflection, as tight end Sam LaPorta couldn’t haul in a pass from backup quarterback Alex Padilla and it bounced right into McCallister’s hands for his second interception of the game. It marked the first multi-interception game of his career, be it high school or college.
“Anytime as a defensive player you get your hands on the ball or if you’re always around the ball, that’s kind of a tell somebody’s playing good football,” McCalister said. “They weren’t the toughest interceptions, but I’m blessed to be in the right spot at the right time.”
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McCalister now has three interceptions on the season after recording a pick on the first defensive series of the 52-21 win over Wisconsin on Sept. 24. He’s also the first Ohio State player to record multiple interceptions in the same game since former cornerback Jeff Okudah in the 48-7 win at Nebraska in 2019.
“He's always been a very heads-up player, always very coachable in terms of understanding the game plan and the scheme we’re going to face,” Knowles said. “I saw him really take off last year in terms of playing with confidence. It takes a lot of confidence to do some of the things that he does.
“The fact that he came here just showed me he wanted to elevate his game even more, so it's great to see him making plays.”
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