Tanner McCalister praises early work of true freshman Jyaire Brown: 'Not afraid to go against the best'

Tanner McCalister and the Ohio State secondary needed some new faces to step up in Week 4. Facing some absences against Wisconsin, one of the players the Buckeyes turned to was true freshman Jyaire Brown.

A 4-star member of the 2022 recruiting class, Brown was not necessarily expected to see the field a lot early in his career. However, he played a lot against the Badgers.

Though he did not pop off the stat sheet with 1 tackle and 1 pass breakup – and was even flagged for pass interference on one play – Brown’s teammates complimented his work after the game. McCalister pointed out Brown hasn’t been scared to go up against the Buckeye receivers in practice and it’s made an impression for Ohio State.

Tanner McCalister on Jyaire Brown: “Not afraid to go against the best. You see it in practice. Marvin Harrison, Jaxon, Mek, we got really good receivers and he’s not afraid to step out there even though he’s a freshman … That’s why the coaches like him, that’s why we like him.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 25, 2022

As for the penalty on Brown, head coach Ryan Day was seen vehemently protesting the call. After the game, Day admitted he wanted the young defender to know the coach’s have his back, and Day also said he did not agree with what he saw in the call.

Ryan Day said he wanted Jyaire Brown to know he coach had Brown’s back when he argued with the official after Brown’s pass interference penalty.

“Obviously, I didn’t like what I saw out there.”

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) September 25, 2022