Former Ohio State football player Tyvis Powell signs with CFL

Former Buckeye safety Tyvis Powell is getting another chance. According to a report by Letterman Row, Powell has signed to play for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. The deal is for a one-year contract with the team holding an option for a second season. He told Letterman Row,

"“I plan on stepping out of my shell with this opportunity and becoming a leader and making those big-time plays. Mostly I’m looking forward to having fun and winning — because winning is fun.”"

The Bedford, Ohio native left the Ohio State football team after his redshirt junior season but was not taken in the 2016 NFL Draft. He signed as a free agent with Seattle and played eight games with them before being released after the season.

After being signed and released by the Browns, Colts, and Seahawks again, Powell finally saw playing time with San Francisco for the last few games of the 2017 season. He pinballed back and forth between the 49ers’ practice squad and active roster for the first half of the next season. In the team’s ninth game of 2018, he made his first career start against the Raiders and made three tackles. He was released by the team just a few weeks later.

Powell was signed and released by five different teams over the next sixteen months; the last by Denver in March of 2020. In his NFL career, he’s played in eighteen games and made fourteen tackles.

During his time with the Buckeyes, he played in 41 games, had 195 tackles, and eight interceptions. But, he’s probably best known for nine tackles and two particular interceptions. With the Buckeyes clinging to a 42-35 lead over Alabama in the 2015 Sugar Bowl, Powell intercepted the Tide’s pass in the end zone on the game’s final play and sent OSU to the national championship game.

He was named the defensive MVP of that first-ever College Football Playoff title contest in large part due to his team-leading nine tackles as the Buckeyes claimed their first championship in twelve years with a win over Oregon.

Against Michigan in 2013, he stepped in front of an open receiver in the end zone and intercepted the pass to stop the Wolverines’ potential game-winning two-point conversion with less than a minute to play (watch that here). Powell’s play allowed the Ohio State football team to hang on for a 42-41 win and keep alive their 24-game win streak.

The Lions open training camp on July 11th at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. With 22 defensive backs on the roster, the former Buckeye has his work cut out for him. To compound the situation, CFL rules allow for only twenty U.S. players on a roster. BC’s first game is August 6th against Saskatchewan.

If you’ve never heard an interview with Tyvis Powell, you really need to. He’s funny, insightful, and intelligent. His stories about rooming with Cardale Jones will leave you doubled over with laughter. Hopefully, Powell will find a permanent roster spot with the Lions.