Northwestern OT Caleb Tiernan is a college rarity — and a future pro

Offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan has played for two different head coaches, two different offensive coordinators and in two different home stadiums. He’s played in a conference with 14 teams — and one with 18 teams.

What’s unusual is that Tiernan did it all at one place.

The Northwestern offensive tackle is the rarest of modern college athletes — one that stayed at the same school for five years. He’s leaving campus having played more than 3,000 snaps and having started the last 38 games at left tackle.

Tiernan stuck around, even as Northwestern changed coaches, the Big Ten expanded and college football turned into a free-for-all. He rode a rollercoaster — the Wildcats went 3-9 and 1-11 the two years before Pat Fitzgerald was fired and then 8-5, 4-8 and 7-5 under David Braun — and didn’t ask to get off.

“Transferring is not always bad,” Braun said Tuesday. “But this illusion that transferring is always a good thing is a bunch of B.S.”

The Livonia, Michigan, native has a simple explanation for why he stayed.

“When I made a commitment as a high schooler, I didn’t just commit to the staff,” he said. “I committed to the guys in the locker room and to the school.”

Soon, he’ll get to know a new locker room. Tiernan is expected to be picked in Round 2 or 3 of next month’s NFL Draft. Scouts from 30 of 32 teams — including the Bears — watched Tiernan work out at Northwestern’s on-campus pro day Tuesday. Some asked about why he never transferred.

“Really, you just hope it shows that I’m committed and I just love those guys in the locker room,” he said.

At 6-foot-8, 323 pounds, Tiernan was the tallest tackle at the NFL Scouting Combine — and one of the best pass-blockers in the draft. Physically, he’s eerily similar to Ozzy Trapilo, another 6-8 player, who, the Bears took in Round 2 last year. Unlike Trapilo, though, Tiernan’s arms are considered short for his position. They’re 32 ¼ inches long — below the 33-inch ideal for the position.

Because of the arm length question, Tiernan has told scouts he’d be comfortable playing guard at the next level. That’s what happened to Peter Skoronski, Tiernan’s former Northwestern teammate. The Titans drafted him No. 11 overall in 2023 as a tackle, though there were concerns about his short arms. He quickly became of the league’s best guards, starting all but three games over the past three years.

The Bears don’t need a guard, but Tiernan’s versatility could be attractive. He could help fill in for the injured Trapilo this year and move inside in the future.

Skoronski has counseled Tiernan about the pre-draft process. Skoronski and Rashawn Slater, both tackles, are two of the Wildcats’ three first-round picks of the last 20 years. Tiernan could become the first Northwestern player taken in either Rounds 2 or 3 during that same span.

Braun is proud of that offensive line legacy, though quick to give Tiernan the credit for his own success. He stuck around.

“I think sometimes with college recruiting it’s so easy to say, ‘Look at all these guys we got drafted — it’s all because of us,’” Braun said. “No. … You’re not the only one responsible for that success. It’s about finding the right young men.”