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Phillips came to the Hokies from DeMatha High in Hyattsvile, MD, a powerhouse football team in the DMV area. A three star recruit on ESPN, but a four star on both 247 and Rivals (no longer counting the defunct Scout. Com), Phillips was one of the two prized recruits of then-coach Aaron Moorehead, and boy, could Moorehead pick them. Ford and Phillips will go down as the most productive receivers in the history of the program, and Phillips had the benefit of four years of playing time to set an impressive mark- 3,027 total yards, averaging 12.8 yards per catch, and netting 17 total touchdowns. He was an early commit- making it official in August of 2013- that stuck with the program for the whole kit-and-kaboodle.
My memories of Cam are always going to be about his growth as a receiver. I remember back when he was playing as a true freshman- forced to due to the cruddy depth at wide receiver when he got here- and he couldn’t find the sticks to save his life. Cutting to four years later, Cam would be one of the most lethal third down weapons in Hokie history, doing whatever he could to find the open spot in the defense. He leaves Blacksburg for good for his opportunity in the league having won the 2016 Belk Bowl MVP and a first team All-ACC slot for his work as the Hokies’ leading receiver this past season.
Unfortunately, it’s looking like Cam might have even a lower chance of getting drafted than his fellow 2014 class member Ford did. Isaiah managed to leverage his hands and history as Tech’s first 1000 yard receiver into 6th round consideration, but the end of the season wasn’t as kind to Cam. Forced to miss the bowl game due to a sports hernia surgery, he also had to sit out the NFL combine. Scouting reports on him from the NFL are probably fair but somewhat grim. Never blessed with insane athletic skills, Cam had leveraged his savvy into becoming a good wideout. But the NFL is a measurables league based on either pure athleticism or size, neither of which are things Cam has in spades. He’s projected to go undrafted, which wouldn’t surprise me in the least.
We here at Gobbler Country wish Cam the absolute best of luck in landing on an NFL roster. If there’s someone from this class that deserves it based on his growth and his necessity for a team that lacked next to anything for so many years, it’s Cam.