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For the past three years,
Cam Phillips has taken a
backseat to the bigger stars
on Virginia Tech’s offense,
but the receiver heads into
the upcoming season ready
for the leading role
By
Jimmy Robertson
I
t almost defies logic that a 6-foot, under 200-pound young man failed to be under the Pop Warner Football weight limit on more than
one occasion as kid.
But it’s true that Cam Phillips never played as a “tiny mite.” Instead, the same guy in midst of threatening nearly every Virginia Tech
receiving record lived a larger existence as a youth and often found himself playing up a level with each passing year, as he continuously
checked in over the limit.
Rest assured, he always had athleticism, barreling through and darting around unsuspecting older foes as a running back. Yet his
extra mass led to his coaches giving him added duties on the other side of the ball —as a defensive lineman.
“It was cool,” Phillips said, smiling as he recollected. “Even when I was 12, I was one of the taller, bigger guys, so I played
running back and defensive end. Those combinations are kind of off, but it was cool. It makes for good stories to tell.”
Obviously, the plot to Phillips’ story changed, as he became a hotshot high school standout, accepted a scholarship to Virginia
Tech, became a starter in the Hokies’ game at then-No. 8 Ohio State, and has been a starter ever since. Having now escaped the
large shadows of Isaiah Ford and Bucky Hodges, who left for NFL glory and riches, Phillips enters the 2017 season ready to be
“the man.”
Ford departed with his name fully etched all over the Tech record books, but Phillips goes into the upcoming season with
aspirations of scratching it out. He needs just 46 catches and 905 yards to become the school’s all-time leader in both categories.
“I’ve thought about it, but I don’t place as much emphasis on it as other people do,” Phillips said. “I just worry about
playing the best that I can play, and I believe that stuff will come. Just go out and treat the game the same, and don’t worry
about how many catches I need, or how many yards I’ve got to get.”
Phillips answered the question the way in which he answers nearly every question—softly, with a dose of humility.
By doing so, he cuts against the grain, both literally and figuratively. On the field, he does so naturally and gracefully,
using smooth strides and open-field awareness. Yet he belies the typical persona of a receiver—cocky, brash and
talkative.
That’s why his outfit at the ACC Football Kickoff media event held in Charlotte, North Carolina in mid-July
caught many by surprise. The soft-spoken Phillips showed up in a bronze, double-breasted, velvet blazer,
with flip glasses popularized by Dwayne Wayne of “A Different World” as an accessory.
His choice of attire had everyone talking. He received more questions about it than about Tech’s football
team. Even head coach Justin Fuente joked about it while on the stage fielding questions.
“That’s what I wanted,” Phillips said. “I wanted people to see that, ‘This is Cam coming into his own.’ It
was sort of like a business move, I guess, but I wanted to have the lights on me to show that this was my time,
and I’m ready for this.
“But that’s me. Any time I get a chance to look nice and have everybody say, ‘Oh man, where did you get this
from? Where did you get that?’ I like that. I try to do that. Guys will tell you that’s me all the time.”
Most who know Phillips do understand that he loves fashion. His teammates say that his attire in social
settings usually deviates from the norm.
This time, though, he took fashion to another level. The outfit screamed, “Me, me, me,” and that seems
counter to the mindset of a self-proclaimed introvert.
“That’s just a way that I talk—with clothing and how I express myself,” he said. “I’ve never
wanted to talk or be a loud guy.”
Phillips used to lack that sense of fashion, preferring to wear jerseys of his favorite
players as a kid. But his mom, Toelessar Nicholson, encouraged him—strongly—to look
more presentable, especially after she moved the family from Charlotte to outside of
Washington, D.C. before Phillips entered the eighth grade. Her new husband had a job
in D.C., thus necessitating the move.
She enrolled Phillips at DeMatha Catholic, an all-boys school in Hyattsville, Maryland.
School officials enforce a strict dress code there, forbidding hoodies, sweatshirts, shorts,
jerseys and even sneakers—the things young boys like to wear. That forced Phillips to
begin thinking about his sense of style.
14
Inside Hokie Sports
Continued on page 16