From Cali to Charleston

There aren't a lot of guys who have had their faith and love for the game tested like Justin McIntire. Prior to his senior year at East Jessamine High School, McIntire suffered a catastrophic leg injury which left him sidelined for the remainder of the season.

At the time, even though McIntire was optimistic about his return, the doctors felt otherwise. One of the doctors looked the then-17-year-old in the eyes and said that his football career was over and that he would be lucky if he could walk the same after surgery.

McIntire faced a career-defining choice: either listen to the doctors or battle his way through the recovery process to get back onto the field. The injury also left him with the unfortunate reality that he was not going to have a scholarship offer waiting for him when he came back.

Because of his love of the game, McIntire took a chance on himself and moved across the country to East Los Angeles College where he lined up under Head Coach Bobby Godine.

The junior college landscape in California is different from most of the country as schools don't provide housing or food. McIntire reflected on some of the hardships he faced while pursuing his love of the game.

"Rent was $2,000 a month, so it wasn't uncommon for me and seven teammates to split the rent of a two-bedroom, one-bathroom apartment with $200 worth of EBT a month," McIntire said. "At one point we had up to 15 guys living in that apartment. It taught me a number of things about myself and how to stay focused on the positives and move forward."

Coming off of the leg injury and dealing with the housing and food situations at East Los Angeles, McIntire realized that he couldn't let the bad times define him; he was in control of his own destiny.

This time "taught me how strong I am," McIntire said. "Mentally, I feel like I'm stronger than most people, and I can utilize that to my advantage throughout life."

The decision to trek back across the U.S. to walk-on at Charleston Southern came about because of this internal confidence. McIntire started out as mostly a special teams player and a rotation player in his first season with the Bucs, but his drive and work ethic led to early success.

Coach Vance realized McIntire was the real deal and would be an impact player for the Buccaneers in the 2018 season when he witnessed McIntire's first interception against Gardner-Webb to ice the game away.

"When McIntire first came on campus, I didn't know him from Adam's house cat," Vance laughed. "However, he made a beautiful drop on a perimeter route against the Runnin' Bulldogs and stepped in front of a pass and intercepted it to pretty much end and solidify a shut out for us. That kind of put on everybody's radar."

McIntire went on to earn conference recognition as the Special Teams Player of the Week in CSU's 12-7 win over Campbell after blocking and recovering a punt against the Camels. As a linebacker he added 10 tackles, a tackle for loss, a pass breakup and an interception in his first season.

In 2019, McIntire's game continued to develop as he became known as one of the Bucs' top ball-hawks. McIntire led CSU with three fumble recoveries and added two interceptions in his junior season, while starting all 12 games.

His success on the field and the leadership mentality he brings to the team shines through when he talks about the competition and teaching aspects that happen on the field and in the meeting rooms. Although teammates are often competing against each other for the same position and the same playing time, McIntire has learned that you also need to be willing to help one another become the best players you can be for the good of the team.

"When I first came in, a former teammate of mine Craig Johnson sat me down and taught me everything about the playbook," McIntire laughed. "When I came off the field, he would pull me aside and tell me what I need to improve on and what I need to do better."

McIntire, "Even though we were competing against each other for playing time, he would kind of be like an additional coach and that really helped me. It set the example of what a real leader should be."

McIntire has been through an enormous amount of obstacles throughout his football career. What has kept his confidence up through it all was knowing that it has all happened for a reason. His story isn't over until he says it is, and he strives to be a leader through his hard work and his willingness to interact with the other players, while providing a standard of excellence across the board.