Virginia Tech football: Former Hokie Caleb Farley excited to be back on the field

It would be an understatement to say it’s been a wild 12 months for former Virginia Tech cornerback Caleb Farley.

Farley was set to begin his fourth season at Virginia Tech in the summer of 2020 before deciding to opt-out due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Farley would become the first notable college player to opt-out. It was certainly a difficult blow to Virginia Tech’s defense, but it allowed Farley to focus on the next step of his career.

Throughout the entire pre-draft process, Farley was presumed to be a top-10 pick. Cornerbacks with his combination of size and athleticism were rare. Unfortunately, not long before the draft, Farley decided to have a back procedure to repair an injury he reaggravated during training. That scared some teams away — not the Tennessee Titans.

Tennessee was thrilled when Farley fell into its lap with the No. 22 overall pick.

Farley would miss spring workouts as he worked to get back to 100% and began training camp on the non-football injury list. He was activated earlier this week, and he’s now practicing with the Titans.

Farley recently spoke to Jim Wyatt of tennesseetitans.com about how it feels to be back on the field.

“It has been truly an honor,” he said. “I am extremely grateful to be able to come out here and run around, and put on cleats, shoulder pads and a helmet. It is truly a blessing, and I thank God for it. I am just trying to take advantage of the opportunity and work hard. I don’t want to let my teammates down. I am just trying to learn what I am supposed to learn and get ready for the season.”

It’s great to see Farley healthy, and we hope he is on the road to being one of the NFL’s top cornerbacks.

Now, the next step for Farley is getting ready for Week 1 when the Titans host the Arizona Cardinals.