Buckeyes land veteran safety Tanner McCalister in transfer portal
COLUMBUS — Ohio State is going back to the same well for more defensive help: Oklahoma State safety Tanner McCalister has picked the program as his transfer destination.
After four years working under coordinator Jim Knowles with the Cowboys, McCalister elected to follow the coach to the next stop as well, giving the Buckeyes some proven depth in the secondary and intimate knowledge of the new defensive system.
Ohio State didn’t enter the offseason viewing the position as a top-priority position in the portal thanks to the talent already on hand. But McCalister’s experience made him an appealing addition once he decided to pursue an extra season in the collegiate ranks, and the fact that two Ohio State safeties will now be coming off major leg injuries could potentially make him even more valuable.
“The beginning of it was all about relationships,” McCalister told Lettermen Row. “I think with Coach Jim Knowles, the players at Ohio State are going to begin to realize that he’s a player’s coach. … And for me, I think what’s best is coming back for college for another year.
“This draft classes, it’s going to be kind of hectic with COVID happening and a lot of guys being able to come back. So I think for me personally, the best thing I could do is come back to college for one more year, continue to work on my game, continue work on my craft, maybe put some more things on tape — and hopefully bring a national championship to Columbus.”
There’s little doubt that Ohio State will have the offensive firepower to chase one again next year, but clearly the defensive side of the football wasn’t up to that standard as the program came up short of the playoff last season.
Those issues were the driving force in the Buckeyes pursuing Jim Knowles as the next defensive coordinator last month. And now he’s bringing along some company as part of the rebuilding project at Ohio State.
Tanner McCalister is leaving Stillwater and on the way to the Buckeyes, too.
