The final regular-season games were played a few weekends back, and Tanner Nance of Heritage-Catoosa ran away with the vote for the Top Play for Week 12. The athletic junior defensive tackle made news on Recruit Georgia by showing off his athleticism on a touchdown run late in his game.

The 6′, 270-pound Nance lined up in the backfield and was given the ball in the red zone. He broke through the middle, made a cut, then bulldozed his way over the remaining defenders for an important score.

We spoke with Tanner a little about his recruitment and his season this fall.

“Overall I couldn’t have asked for a better season. On and off the field I was very successful.”

The versatile athlete totaled 55 tackles, 18 tackles for loss and three sacks on the season. In the final game of the regular season, he ran the ball five times for 35 yards and two touchdowns. An impressive line for a player whose job usually is to stop the run.

His last game was the first in which he ran the ball this season, but Nance said that he has run plenty in the past. “My freshman year I was the starting running back and I had 100 carries for 495 yards and three touchdowns. Also as a freshman I made honorable mention for the region.”

It wasn’t until his sophomore year that Nance was switched to defense because his coaches thought that is where he would have the most impact.

Even though he toted the rock in his last game, Tanner is most impressive in the trenches. He tailors his game after Ohio State star Joey Bosa, and his favorite positions are defensive end and tackle.

“My offseason goals are to become stronger, quicker, and lose about 25 pounds,” Nance said.

The two schools that the fleet-footed interior lineman has heard from so far are Shorter (visited this fall) and Middle Tennessee. Nance has good size and shows good versatility as a football player—his offseason goals could mean a completely different player come next fall, and coaches and fans alike should keep tabs on him.

 

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