SAN JOSE — Now you see it, now you don’t.
Cal Poly San Luis Obispo receiver Tayvion McCoy was locked into quarterback Anthony Grigsby Jr.’s hurried, arching spiral to the front, right corner of the end zone as he streaked down the sideline toward the goal line, leaving San Jose State safety Brian Dukes, Jr. eating his dust.
However, Spartans cornerback Caleb Womack was at the 1-yard, waiting, licking his chops. He closed in, timed his jump, and sprung in front of McCoy to snatch the ball.
When Womack landed on the ground, ball in hand, he was sans helmet. He twirled the ball to ground, making it spin like a top, and yelled in jubilation. His curly, brown locks bounced as he trotted back to the Spartans’ sideline, where he received adulation from his teammates and coaches alike. Fans, too.
San Jose State cornerback Caleb Womack intercepts a pass intended for Cal Poly-SLO receiver Tayvion McCoy during the fourth quarter at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose on Saturday. (Shae Hammond – Bay Area News Group)
“You pull for guys like that because he’s awesome,” Spartans head coach Ken Niumatalolo said.
The fourth-quarter turnover — Womack’s first career interception — not only prevented a touchdown, it provided a spark for the Spartans’ offense, which stormed downfield for an insurance touchdown in its 30-20 victory.
“It was great,” said Womack, of celebrating with his teammates after the turnover. “It’s a moment I’m gonna remember for the rest of my life, that’s for sure.”
Now a redshirt senior, Womack is starting for the first time in his collegiate career. His immense impact has been surprising considering his only previous action in college came on special teams. He didn’t see any game action either of his first two seasons with the program.
“It’s definitely been a long journey,” Womack said. “It’s been a lot of ups and downs. It’s just a blessing.”
There were some downs as recently as the first quarter. Womack, who is battling a cold, was sub-par on a few coverages and Grigsby did his best to challenge and exploit him.
Womack rose to the occasion — quite literally — on his pick.
San Jose State cornerback Caleb Womack, a Santa Cruz native, intercepts a pass intended for Cal Poly-SLO receiver Tayvion McCoy during the fourth quarter at CEFCU Stadium in San Jose on Saturday. (Shae Hammond – Bay Area News Group)
He also finished with a team-high nine tackles to take over the team lead with 25 for the Spartans (2-1 overall). Moreover, he now leads the Mountain West Conference in tackles.
“His mentality is he’s a grinder,” Niumatalolo said. “He’s a kid that has a great process. He comes to work the same every day. That’s what I love about him.”
A walk-on out of Santa Cruz High four years ago, Womack earned a scholarship ahead of this season, based on his special teams performance in 2025. He previous contributed in practice playing defense on the scout team.
One doesn’t earn a starting role without putting in the work, and Womack is said to be one of the hardest workers on the team. The player who is first to practice and last to leave. The one spending extra hours in the weight room and film room.
Womack seems dismissive of the “hardest working” label he has earned, but that’s only because he doesn’t want to take anything from his teammates, whom he believes are equally dedicated.
That said, he explained his approach.
“My mentality is, if you’re going to do anything, you might as well do it to the best of your ability,” said Womack, a four-time Mountain West Scholar-Athlete. “So, when that comes to football or even academics, I just try to do it the best I can because, why not.”
The coaching staff took notice, especially first-year cornerbacks coach Brian Norwood.
San Jose State University senior cornerback Caleb Womack celebrates his first career interception in the fourth quarter on Saturday. His pick in the end zone helped the Spartans topple visiting Cal Poly-San Luis Obispo 30-20. (Aubrey Tibblis – San José State)
“He’s one of the best human beings on our football team” Niumatalolo said. “He comes to work every day. He was on the scout team last year. I think having a new coach come in here, Brian Norwood, who, I believe, is one of the best secondary coaches in the country, just was able to judge him for what he saw. He saw this kid can help us. But what a great testament to him.”
Womack remains humble despite his early season successes. He attributes his high tackle total to the play of the defensive line.
And he credited defensive coordinator Bojay Filimoeatu for being able to make the game-saving interception. Filimoeatu put Womack in the right place at the right time, the cornerback said.
“It was really just a great overall call by our coordinator,” Womack said. “He got me to drop back to the deep half. We had the d-line pressuring the quarterback, made him throw the ball up. At that point, I just got back to the receiver days and had to just go up and get the ball.”
Now you see it, now you don’t.