INDIANAPOLIS (WISH) — From the practice squad to picking off Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, it’s been a whirlwind of a week for Indianapolis Colts linebacker Ronnie Harrison Jr.

“It’s been hectic,” Harrison said. “I got a call on Tuesday saying that they were going to sign me to the active roster, and then Wednesday that I might be playing, and then Friday or Saturday, I find out that I’m starting. It’s been a rollercoaster building up.”

That rollercoaster started with the Colts shocking release of All-Pro linebacker Shaq Leonard.

“I didn’t see the Shaq situation coming,” Harrison said. “I didn’t even know I would be up this week, but I just stuck with it. Every day, I come to practice and try to work hard. Coach is always on me. I watch extra film. I do extra stuff on my own. I just try to prepare and be a pro.”

The preparation paid off with his first interception in two years. His big play even catching the attention of Leonard, who tweeted, “So happy for Ronnie.”

“It was a blessing. All I could really do was just thank God,” Harrison said. “It felt like a sigh of relief. I was just so not nervous, but I just didn’t know what to expect today.”

“That was a hell of a play, and honestly, he popped it off,” linebacker Zaire Franklin said. “He’s the one that got the whole energy rolling on defense today.”

Harrison was originally drafted as a safety six years ago to the Jacksonville Jaguars. He only made the switch to linebacker this week for the Colts. He says he’s leaned a lot on Franklin and EJ Speed to get up to speed before his Colts debut Sunday.

“It was a transition at first, but we welcomed him into our room with open arms,” Franklin said. “He got acclimated and all that other stuff. It was just a culmination of a lot of hard work and a lot of hours. I know he put in the work after work to learn the defense and his position. It was great to see him make that moment today.”

“That’s the thing in this league, it’s tough, and it gets kind of lonely,” Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield said. “You start out somewhere and you’re doing really well and then you might get kind of lost in the mix, get bounced around, but then you pop up and have an opportunity like he had today, and he made the most of it. It’s so much fun, and I couldn’t be more happy for him.”

Certainly with more opportunities coming.