Meet the Tennessee Football Newcomers: Vols Athlete Marquez Callaway

Here is an analysis of incoming 2016 Tennessee football recruit Marquez Callaway, who joins the Volunteers as an athlete.

Another addition to the number of skill players that make a huge impact in Knoxville, Marquez Callaway committed to the Tennessee Vols a month before National Signing Day.

Related Story: Meet the Football Newcomers: CB Tyler Byrd

A four-star on Rivals out of Warner Robbins High School in Warner Robbins, Ga., Callaway plays both sides of the football at cornerback and wide receiver. He is part of the Georgia pipeline that has always sent extremely talented players to East Tennessee.

At 6’2″ 170 pounds, defensive back is likely to be Callaway’s primary position at Tennessee, but depending on what type of depth Butch Jones is looking at in two years, there is a very good chance he could play receiver as well. That is something we will just have to wait and see for.

Early Analysis

Much like our analysis of Tyler Byrd, Marquez Callaway is a ridiculous athlete who has the basic skills of wide receiver or defensive back. He is a playmaker who can go up and catch anything with an amazing vertical, and he can dive for anything as well.

Callaway can also afford to over-pursue on defense because he is so athletic he can get back to make a play. He wins every jump ball, regardless of which side of the ball he is on, and most importantly, why he should play defense, he loves to hit. Callaway’s highlights include quite a few textbook, devastating hits.

Looking at the tape, it was impossible to see any weaknesses in Callaway’s game, but again, he was in high school and looked so much more athletic than everybody on the field that we will have to wait and see how it translates to the college game.

But Callaway does have a great sense of awareness and already shows great football instincts. So regardless of where he is placed on the field, it is hard to see him not being successful.

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What Marquez Callaway Brings to Tennesee

As we have mentioned quite a few times already, there is a lot of uncertainty that will be surrounding the Vols at defensive back after 2016. They appear set for 2017, but life beyond that would have been very questionable had it not been for this recruiting class.

Marquez Callaway is part of that recruiting class. He has all of the tools to be a great playmaker at cornerback, including great athleticism, great instincts, and a willingness to get physical and tackle. All of those things make him a dream pickup for Bob Shoop’s defense.

Callaway may not be used a lot this year, but expect him to be in the mix for a starting cornerback position once Cameron Sutton leaves.

Also, on offense, Callaway could be in the mix at the wide receiver position. Butch Jones and Mike DeBord clearly love to run a deep rotation there, and things have gotten thinner than they were supposed to be over the last couple of years. If the coaching staff does make the unlikely decision to put him at receiver, he could see the field some sooner rather than later.

But either way, the Vols just picked up a rare talent that is almost sure to have a huge impact down the road.