Ohio State senior cornerback Demario McCall (1) works on his skills during a drill during preseason practice on Aug. 6. Credit: Mackenzie Shanklin | Photo Editor
Demario McCall’s sixth season in scarlet and gray is on the horizon, and he has filled a lot of roles throughout his time at Ohio State so far.
He’s rushed for over 500 yards and six touchdowns. He’s caught 300 yards and two scores — one each from first-round picks Joe Burrow and Dwayne Haskins. He’s even returned kicks on special teams.
Now, McCall is switching sides of the ball by his own choice — he wants to play cornerback.
“Whatever the team needs, I’mma do it. Just go get it and do it to my best ability,” McCall said. “I feel like my last go round, I wanted to try something different and go for it and give it my all.”
The decision to switch sides of the ball didn’t come easily for McCall, though.
He said there were times he felt challenged during his career and talked with his parents and teammates. The thought of transferring out of Ohio State even crossed his mind at times.
But McCall stood firm and emphasized the one thing that made him confident in his decision to remain a Buckeye: the brotherhood.
“I feel like a lot of people who would’ve been in my shoes right now would’ve transferred or left. That’s the easy way,” McCall said. “I just feel like me being me, and just coming from where I’ve come from, the transition from receiver to corner was almost the easy part for me.”
The North Ridgeville, Ohio, native — who graduated in May with a degree in sports industry — said he’s gone through difficult situations before. But, he said he was raised to not give up easily when the going gets tough, and he’s worked on carrying a constructive mindset.
“One thing about me: I’m going to stay positive,” McCall said. “I see all the comments, I hear it all. But one thing I will never let you do is see me down. Everytime you see me, I’m going to be smiling, positive, chest up, head high. That’s just how I was brought up.”
The former 4-star recruit joined Ohio State in 2016 as a wide receiver that could also carry the football. In addition, McCall said he played defense growing up, and he’s more so remembering how to play cornerback than learning the position.
But because he played mostly on offense while a Buckeye, McCall said he has an advantage against opponents now that he’s on the defensive side of the ball.
Defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs and secondary coach Matt Barnes have reviewed practice film with the group during team meetings, and Coombs said they’ve pointed out plays where “No. 1” stood out over the other cornerbacks.
That’s McCall.
“Matt had a great description of Demario: He’s a piece of clay,” Coombs said. “He just does everything the way we tell him to do it because he’s never done it before. Whereas, other guys do things the way they want to do it because they’ve done it before. Not Demario. He is doing things exactly the way because he doesn’t know any better and you love that about Demario.”
The rest of the Buckeyes’ cornerbacks are noticing McCall’s work ethic. Redshirt freshman Ryan Watts said McCall takes everything from drills and film room to the field.
Since his move from the wide receiver group to the cornerbacks room, McCall said he feels like he belongs. He isn’t alone in that sentiment.
“At first, when somebody switches over, it catches you off guard,” junior cornerback Cameron Brown said. “We realized this is going to work. He’s a part of us now.”
McCall said he understands the position switch may be new to Buckeye Nation and everyone looking on from the outside. Still, he said he thinks he can have a big role as long as he continues doing what he does best: just playing football.
With the true first test to his transition just over three weeks away at Minnesota Sept. 2, McCall reflected on his time at Ohio State. He said the one word he’d used to describe his five years so far is “opportunity,” and that’s exactly what the switch from wide receiver to cornerback presents.
“To be honest, nobody wants to be here for six years,” McCall said. “But we all got different routes. God got a plan for all of us. This is his plan. He’s driving and I’m with it.”
