Nearly three months after transferring to Ohio State, Tanner McCalister is "officially" a Buckeye.
The Oklahoma State transfer safety, who committed to the Buckeye program on Jan. 5, became the first Ohio State player to have their black stripe removed this spring.
Black Stripe Alert @McCalister_Dos2 becomes the first Buckeye to lose it in the 2022 season! #GoBucks pic.twitter.com/v4XrNnjtDg
— Ohio State Football (@OhioStateFB) March 28, 2022
McCalister, who started every game for the Cowboy defense in 2021 before entering the transfer portal on Dec. 22, followed first-year Buckeye defensive coordinator Jim Knowles to Ohio State and has one year of eligibility with the Buckeyes.
“When I first got here, I'm working out with the guys and all our relationships, we instantly clicked. Just because we know we all have one goal, win a national championship, try to play in the NFL, things like that,” McCalister said in early February. “So they were kind of like, 'Hey, what's coach Knowles like? What's his defense like?’ And I was like, ‘I can show you. I can explain it.’
Knowles said McCalister earned a “high honor” from strength and conditioning coach Mickey Marotti for his work during winter workouts, and has been an asset in helping teammates adjust to their new defensive coordinator.
“He’s that guy that can talk to the players not only about scheme, but he can talk about me, too. Day one if I go from being Mr. Calm to running around and screaming, he can say, ‘Hey that’s just Knowles, chill out. He’s fine, that’s just the way he is, don’t take it personal. He just wants you to get better,’” Knowles said. “To have a guy their own age that knows me as a person, he’s gonna be able to tell the guys a lot about me, not just as a teacher and scheme – and he can teach the scheme – but he can tell them about me and how I operate and who I am.”
McCalister will play the nickel safety position in Knowles’ defense at Ohio State, and just by the rate in which he got his black stripe removed, it’s safe to say he has a good chance at making an impact on the field straight away for the Buckeyes.
