Now, as a two-time drum major, another moment he won’t soon forget is leading OSU football legend Archie Griffin to dot the “i” during The Best Damn Band in the Land’s performance of Script Ohio at the Buckeye’s home opener against Akron.
“I can’t believe I get to dot the ‘i’ with Archie Griffin,” Callender told The Dispatch before Saturday’s game. “It’s an unbelievable honor I will not take lightly.”
Ohio State football gallery: Ohio State Buckeyes take on Akron Zips in football season opener
Callender, a third-year student majoring in accounting, will lead TBDBITL for a second year as drum major. It’s a goal he’d worked toward since he first saw the band perform in person as a high school freshman.In 2018, Callender sat in the stands at Ohio Stadium to cheer on his stepbrother, Noah Thomas, who played mellophone in TBDBITL. Callender watched in awe when then-head drum major Konner Barr performed on the field.
“I knew in that moment that I wanted to do that,” Callender said.
Callender already had the gymnastics background, so he figured if he could get the hang of baton twirling, then he could be a drum major, too.
A look back at OSU drum major: Ohio State drum major Austin Bowman leads the way — on and off the field
So Callender started attending summer and winter sessions, two off-season workshops hosted by Ohio State’s drum majors where aspiring twirlers can learn from the pros. He led the Dover High School Marching Tornadoes his junior and senior year of high school.
Now, in his final season as Ohio State’s head drum major, Callender is cherishing every game and halftime show this year.
And there are plenty of performances to take in.Frederique had 30 tackles, 1.0 tackles for loss, 7.0 pass breakups, one interception, and 8.0 passes defended in 2024. Pro Football Focus gave Frederique a 72.8 defensive grade and a 71.8 coverage grade in 2024. Frederique was named honorable mention All-ACC.
Poyser finished the season with 75 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, three interceptions, 11 passes defended, and two fumble recoveries for Jacksonville State as a redshirt freshman in 2024. Poyser was among the most sought-after transfers, ranked the No. 2 safety in the portal, and the No. 83 player overall.
Frederique was one of eight ACC players named to the FWAA Freshman All-America Team while Poyser was one of seven Freshman All-Americans named from a Group of Five program and the only one from Conference USA.
Frederique is the 12th Miami player to be named to the FWAA Freshman All-America team since its inception. Defensive lineman Rueben Bain and right tackle Francis Mauigoa were the most recent in 2023. Poyser is the first player from Jacksonville State to earn FWAA Freshman All-America honors after it joined the FBS in
2023.
