Countdown to Virginia Football: #26 WR Anthony Calloway is a walk-on, but he’s still fast|UV Hot Topics|Team BattleGround|College BattleGround

Position: WR

Height: 5’8”

Weight: 160

Year: RS Junior

Hometown: Lynchburg, VA

Twitter: @Hoo_ACaesar

At 5’8” and 160 pounds, a WR would need elite speed to play college football at this level. He would also need elite quickness and elusiveness. Unfortunately for Anthony Calloway, he doesn’t seem to possess any of that. If he did, he wouldn’t be a walk-on for the Hoos. If he had even one of those elite skills, he would’ve had offers. As they say, you can’t teach speed.

But don’t take that to mean Calloway isn’t fast. He ran track in high school as well, and his team won the state title in the 4×100 relay sprint. He also ran the 100m as an individual with times in the mid-11 seconds. That’s not Olympic-caliber speed, but it’s still pretty fast.

In high school, Calloway was a RB, though he also played CB and returned kicks. In fact, he was a very good RB, rushing for over 1,000 yards as a senior (and chipping in 500 yards receiving) and leading his team to a second straight state title. Of course, you can’t play RB at 160 pounds, so Calloway moved to WR. This past year, Calloway actually got onto the field on special teams against Duke.

Calloway was so off the radar, I can’t even find a recruiting video for him. Here’s the best I can find. This is Calloway scoring on a 60+ yard TD run.

This is a pretty simple trap play, with a little misdirection. Calloway takes a step to his right then comes back and takes the handoff behind his QB. This gives the right side of the OL time to get over and set up their trap blocks on the left. He has a big hole which gets him about 10 yards or so. Then he’s bottled up and manages to run over and through a couple of defenders before outrunning the rest of the defense.

Calloway certainly has some skill with the ball in his hands. Is it possible he gets a chance to show that off in a game? Certainly. But it isn’t likely. Maybe next year as a senior, if the Hoos are blowing out William and Mary, he’ll get a shot to return a kick late in the game.