Inside HOKIE SPORTS | Vol. 10 No. 1 | August 2017

18 / 48

16 Inside Hokie Sports
Fuente is expecting more big performances
from Phillips this upcoming season. After all,
only three other returning receivers caught a
pass last season, and those three—C.J. Carroll,
Henri Murphy and Sean Daniel—combined
for one start. The lack of experience worries
Fuente.
But he also admits it’s nice to feature a
player with the ability and intelligence to play
more than one spot. He also likes Phillips’
willingness to help the younger crowd. For the
Hokies to get where they want to go, they need
to follow his lead.
“I think Cam has grown in the past year and
a half—and I’m not taking credit for that,”
Fuente said. “I just think he’s matured. He
likes to have fun … but he’s also earned that
opportunity by working his tail off every single
day. That’s what I appreciate most about him.”
Phillips figures to have options once his
collegiate career ends in December. He
graduates in December with a degree in
consumer studies, but hopes his next step
comes at the NFL level. He understands that
is a fickle situation, particularly after seeing
Ford drafted in the seventh round after an
incredible career.
So a career as an NFL wide receiver?
Perhaps. A career in fashion? Maybe. Work as
a personal trainer? Possibly. Phillips certainly
has taken advantage of his opportunities at
Virginia Tech and given himself an array of
possibilities.
One thing is for sure—he won’t be a
defensive lineman. Those days ended a long,
long time ago.
Of course, he had plenty of style on the
football field. DeMatha annually churns out
college talent, both in football and basketball,
and Phillips became a desired prospect,
catching 34 passes for 632 yards and eight
touchdowns as a junior. Then-Tech assistant
Aaron Moorehead went after Phillips, who
ultimately committed to Tech before his
senior season.
“I felt like they [Tech’s coaches] wanted
me more than anybody, and I’m a big loyalty
guy,” Phillips said. “Being around the people
that’s going to take care of you and do right by
you. Me and Coach Moorehead, my first wide
receivers coach, had a great connection. I met
with Coach [Frank] Beamer a couple of times.
He wanted to meet with me personally in his
office. I don’t know if he did that with every
recruit, but it made me feel special.”
Phillips fully expected to play as a true
freshman, and given the Hokies’ lack of
depth at the receiver positions, he played
almost by default. Moorehead started him in
Tech’s win at Ohio State that season, and he
basically has remained in the starting lineup
ever since.
He enters his senior season with 165 career
catches and more than 2,000 career receiving
yards. He put up those numbers despite
playing with Ford on the other side of him.
Otherwise, he, not Ford, would be the school’s
all-time leading receiver.
“I do,” Phillips saidwhen asked if he thought
about that. “But I wouldn’t change anything.
I believe everything happens for a reason. I
believe we met for a reason. It changed me.
It made me look more at myself and do more
self-assessing and become more accountable
in everything I do, so I think having Isaiah
here made me better.”
Phillips hopes his performance in the Belk
Bowl propels him to a huge senior season. In
the town where he was born, he caught six
balls for a career-high 115 yards, helping Tech
rally from a 24-0 deficit to a 35-24 win and
securing the game’s MVP honors. The honor
caught him by surprise. “I didn’t even score a
touchdown,” he said.
The performance left Tech fans wondering
if Phillips wouldn’t choose the same route
as Ford and leave early for the NFL. Phillips
unveiled his plans on Twitter, telling everyone
that he had decided to choose … Papa John’s
over Chipotle. Hokie fans laughed in relief,
though Phillips wondered why they worried
at all.
“When they [reporters] asked me that in an
interview, I was like, ‘No, that wasn’t even a
thought. I haven’t done anything at all,’” he
said. “There was so much more that I thought
I could do here in college. I had never gotten
a chance to be the main guy and show what I
could all season. I wanted that opportunity,
and that’s what I’ve worked for. I believe it
will come.”
Continued from page 14