BYU Safety Tanner Wall, Once a Blocked Receiver, Prepares for texas Tech’s ‘Air Raid’ offense
LUBBOCK, Texas – BYU safety and teamโ captain Tanner Wall faces a significant challenge Saturdayโ at 10 a.m. MST on ABC as the Cougars (6-4) confront the high-poweredโ ‘Air Raid’ offense of Texas Tech (6-4) at Jones AT&T Stadium.The matchup carries added weight for Wall, a walk-on receiverโ from Arlington, Virginia, who remarkably transitioned toโ a full-scholarship defensive leader after a โคnear-miss prospect asโข a freshman.
Wall arrived at BYU in 2021 following โขa church โmissionโ to โMaceio, Brazil, eager โto fulfill a lifelong dream of playing receiver. That opportunity appeared โขimminent late in his freshmanโฃ seasonโข against Idahoโ State, โbut was thwartedโ when teammate Keanu Hill blocked a puntโ and recovered โขit in โthe end โzone forโฃ a touchdown,โ giving BYU a 59-14 lead.
“Iโ wasโ set to go in on theโ next possession,” Wall recalled. He never entered the game as a โคreceiver and โnever caught a pass at theโค position.
Though, Wall’s BYU career took an unexpectedโข turn โคwhen he switched to safetyโ afterโ the arrival of โdefensive โcoordinatorโ Hill in 2023. Since then, he hasโ recorded five โinterceptions – all โขas a โฃsafety – and earned a full โscholarship. Nowโ a senior captain, Wall โฃdescribes his role as a “quarterback-of-the-defense,” focusing โon reading the โoffense andโข anticipatingโข plays.
“It’s kind of โขthe quarterback-of-the-defense โคmentality, like just being back there, seeing the whole picture, seeing โคeverything, helping to get guys lined up, helping to see what the quarterback sees and try โto manipulate what he’s thinking beforeโฆ the โsnap,” Wall explained. “It’s also fun beingโฃ the guy back there (where) you don’t get โขaccountedโ for โคin the blocking scheme. So, when I’m coming up to make a play, โI’m kind of a freeโ hitter.”
Saturday’sโ game will be played in the same stadium where Keanu Hill’s father, Lloyd Hill,โค achieved All-Americaโ and Hall of Fame status as a receiver โfor Texas Tech.Fortunately for both Hills, Tanner won’t be defending against the โขelder Hill in his prime, and atโค age 53, Lloyd Hill won’t be โfacing a hit from Wall.
