University of Memphis Athletics
Photo by: UofM Athletic Media Relations
Carrying The Baton
Nov 06, 2020 | Football, Men's Track and Field
Austin III, a two-time track and field All-American, becomes a part of the football program's walk-on tradition.
College sports fans have read many accounts of former walk-ons who develop, earn scholarships and become All-Americans.
How about a story of a student-athlete who was an All-American as a walk-on? The University of Memphis football program has one such player, and his name is Calvin Austin III.
Before he became one of the primary receiving targets in the 2020 Tigers offense, and before he received a scholarship from the UofM staff midseason in 2019, Austin already achieved All-America status twice – on the track.
The speedy Austin was a member of the UofM 4x400-meter relay team that earned All-America distinction at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Oregon. That 4x400-meter relay also set the school record in the event at the NCAA meet. A year later, Austin added a second All-America accolade as a member of the 4x100-meter relay.
For head coach Ryan Silverfield, it's pretty wild to have had a walk-on who was a two-time All-American before he received a scholarship. And, he's welcome more like Austin.
"That's a great way to have them," said Silverfield. "I'll take as many All-American track athletes as walk-ons on our team as we can. We knew he had a high ceiling, and he's able to show that talent."
John Simon, Austin's position coach, agreed with Silverfield and took it further. Simon loves coaching Austin because of the way he carries himself on and off the field.
"Calvin has All-American character, and that's what is important to me," said Simon. "That's what I've always liked about him. I'm eager to have the opportunity to pour into him. He's passionate about his craft. He holds himself to a high standard. He comes every day to work and he works to get better. Having All-American character goes a long way."
Austin's character has helped him through many trials in his development into the leader among the wide receivers corps. Austin tops this year's receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns. He has a current streak of three straight 100-yard receiving games, and is only one of four players in UofM history to achieve that.
However, success didn't come overnight and wasn't easy for Austin. Like recent UofM program walk-ons like Alan Cross, Anthony Miller and Joey Magnifico, Austin's path to his current status took many twists and turns, with the first being not receiving an offer out of high school.
"I had a couple of Ivy League offers (Columbia, Harvard, Yale), but they could only offer financial aid," said Austin. "I also had one FCS offer, but no FBS schools offered me. Heading into my senior year, I told my dad I didn't want to go to any of those schools. The schools are up north, it's cold. Obviously, I had the grades and scores to attend, and it was a blessing.
"But I've always wanted to come to Memphis, so I was going to wait it out. My father was like, 'No, if this doesn't come, we don't want to have nowhere to go at the last moment.' So, we visited those schools."
Austin's heart, though, was set on attending Memphis, and he walked on the football team and ran track. The former Harding Academy standout decided to compete in both sports to show the football coaches his talents through his track events. He admits that playing football and running track was tough at times.
"It takes some getting used to. Football is a hard sport, and track is too," Austin said. "Having the opportunity to show your abilities on the track, it's mainly on you. I looked at it as if this is the one thing I have full control over. I'm not on scholarship for anything, I'm walking on. I was ready, and it allowed me to show others that I'm a guy that has some talent. I took my opportunity in track to showcase my talents and have the coaches look at me a little more closely. I took that with a full head of steam and worked as hard as I could."
Austin did just that and even watched those like Miller and Magnifico as examples of what he could become.
"They were the inspiration for me to keep going," Austin of the program's previous walk-ons. "If those guys were able to work hard, do the small things and do extra to get to where they wanted to be, I can too. When I was a freshman watching Anthony Miller at practice, I wondered, 'How did this guy not get an offer?'
"That made me realize he must have really worked and changed his mindset in the way he approached things. You don't get that much better or get a scholarship from doing things the same way out of high school. Having them as examples to follow, I knew this was the place for me. They showed me you can earn it."
Austin went to work. However, there were several practices where he wondered if all his efforts were paying off.
"Some guys on the team and some even in high school ask me, 'What did you do to show them that you can do it.' I share with them that there are going to be times that it's going to be hard. There are times I remember from the freshman year after some practices calling my dad and telling him, 'I don't get it.' Even as a redshirt freshman, I'm doing this and that. You don't know what the coaches are thinking, if they are seeing what you're seeing.
"I knew I was making plays and working my hardest at practice, but I didn't know if they were on the same page. I try to tell young guys that there are going to be days you almost want to quit. There are going to be days where you think this isn't for you. But those are the days where you put your head down and work even harder."
And continuing to work Austin did. After catching only two passes his redshirt freshman year in 2018, his coaches and teammates gained more trust in the 5-foot-9, 196-pound receiver in 2019, and the numbers proved it. As a sophomore, Austin had 17 receptions for 315 yards and three scores, and his best game of the season was a five-catch, 81-yard performance in the UofM's win at Houston.
It was in the locker room after the game that Austin received the news he was on scholarship. The coaches had been watching. The work had paid off.
"That was one of the craziest feelings ever," Austin said. "When people say your hard work will pay off, it sounds cliché. At that moment, I felt that my hard work truly paid off. My teammates were more excited than I was.
"It was a happy moment, an extremely happy moment. Then afterwards, being able to call my parents and tell them about it, they were amazed. It really was one of the highlights of my life."
The moment also was special for the coaching staff.
"That's always a joy," said Simon. "When you see a kid come in, is humble, closes his mouth, goes to work, puts in the effort and then has the opportunity to receive a scholarship, that's exciting for the kid, the kid's family."
Silverfield agreed, "I was so proud. You couldn't ask of a more deserving person and player. You're just so happy for him and the type of young man he is. As he continues to grow as a player, he is certainly deserving. He is earning that scholarship every day.
"Calvin does so well academically and everything else, so the sky's the limit for him."
How about a story of a student-athlete who was an All-American as a walk-on? The University of Memphis football program has one such player, and his name is Calvin Austin III.
Before he became one of the primary receiving targets in the 2020 Tigers offense, and before he received a scholarship from the UofM staff midseason in 2019, Austin already achieved All-America status twice – on the track.
The speedy Austin was a member of the UofM 4x400-meter relay team that earned All-America distinction at the 2018 NCAA Outdoor Championship in Eugene, Oregon. That 4x400-meter relay also set the school record in the event at the NCAA meet. A year later, Austin added a second All-America accolade as a member of the 4x100-meter relay.
For head coach Ryan Silverfield, it's pretty wild to have had a walk-on who was a two-time All-American before he received a scholarship. And, he's welcome more like Austin.
"That's a great way to have them," said Silverfield. "I'll take as many All-American track athletes as walk-ons on our team as we can. We knew he had a high ceiling, and he's able to show that talent."
John Simon, Austin's position coach, agreed with Silverfield and took it further. Simon loves coaching Austin because of the way he carries himself on and off the field.
"Calvin has All-American character, and that's what is important to me," said Simon. "That's what I've always liked about him. I'm eager to have the opportunity to pour into him. He's passionate about his craft. He holds himself to a high standard. He comes every day to work and he works to get better. Having All-American character goes a long way."
Austin's character has helped him through many trials in his development into the leader among the wide receivers corps. Austin tops this year's receivers in catches, yards and touchdowns. He has a current streak of three straight 100-yard receiving games, and is only one of four players in UofM history to achieve that.
However, success didn't come overnight and wasn't easy for Austin. Like recent UofM program walk-ons like Alan Cross, Anthony Miller and Joey Magnifico, Austin's path to his current status took many twists and turns, with the first being not receiving an offer out of high school.
"I had a couple of Ivy League offers (Columbia, Harvard, Yale), but they could only offer financial aid," said Austin. "I also had one FCS offer, but no FBS schools offered me. Heading into my senior year, I told my dad I didn't want to go to any of those schools. The schools are up north, it's cold. Obviously, I had the grades and scores to attend, and it was a blessing.
"But I've always wanted to come to Memphis, so I was going to wait it out. My father was like, 'No, if this doesn't come, we don't want to have nowhere to go at the last moment.' So, we visited those schools."
Austin's heart, though, was set on attending Memphis, and he walked on the football team and ran track. The former Harding Academy standout decided to compete in both sports to show the football coaches his talents through his track events. He admits that playing football and running track was tough at times.
"It takes some getting used to. Football is a hard sport, and track is too," Austin said. "Having the opportunity to show your abilities on the track, it's mainly on you. I looked at it as if this is the one thing I have full control over. I'm not on scholarship for anything, I'm walking on. I was ready, and it allowed me to show others that I'm a guy that has some talent. I took my opportunity in track to showcase my talents and have the coaches look at me a little more closely. I took that with a full head of steam and worked as hard as I could."
Austin did just that and even watched those like Miller and Magnifico as examples of what he could become.
"They were the inspiration for me to keep going," Austin of the program's previous walk-ons. "If those guys were able to work hard, do the small things and do extra to get to where they wanted to be, I can too. When I was a freshman watching Anthony Miller at practice, I wondered, 'How did this guy not get an offer?'
"That made me realize he must have really worked and changed his mindset in the way he approached things. You don't get that much better or get a scholarship from doing things the same way out of high school. Having them as examples to follow, I knew this was the place for me. They showed me you can earn it."
Austin went to work. However, there were several practices where he wondered if all his efforts were paying off.
"Some guys on the team and some even in high school ask me, 'What did you do to show them that you can do it.' I share with them that there are going to be times that it's going to be hard. There are times I remember from the freshman year after some practices calling my dad and telling him, 'I don't get it.' Even as a redshirt freshman, I'm doing this and that. You don't know what the coaches are thinking, if they are seeing what you're seeing.
"I knew I was making plays and working my hardest at practice, but I didn't know if they were on the same page. I try to tell young guys that there are going to be days you almost want to quit. There are going to be days where you think this isn't for you. But those are the days where you put your head down and work even harder."
And continuing to work Austin did. After catching only two passes his redshirt freshman year in 2018, his coaches and teammates gained more trust in the 5-foot-9, 196-pound receiver in 2019, and the numbers proved it. As a sophomore, Austin had 17 receptions for 315 yards and three scores, and his best game of the season was a five-catch, 81-yard performance in the UofM's win at Houston.
It was in the locker room after the game that Austin received the news he was on scholarship. The coaches had been watching. The work had paid off.
"That was one of the craziest feelings ever," Austin said. "When people say your hard work will pay off, it sounds cliché. At that moment, I felt that my hard work truly paid off. My teammates were more excited than I was.
"It was a happy moment, an extremely happy moment. Then afterwards, being able to call my parents and tell them about it, they were amazed. It really was one of the highlights of my life."
The moment also was special for the coaching staff.
"That's always a joy," said Simon. "When you see a kid come in, is humble, closes his mouth, goes to work, puts in the effort and then has the opportunity to receive a scholarship, that's exciting for the kid, the kid's family."
Silverfield agreed, "I was so proud. You couldn't ask of a more deserving person and player. You're just so happy for him and the type of young man he is. As he continues to grow as a player, he is certainly deserving. He is earning that scholarship every day.
"Calvin does so well academically and everything else, so the sky's the limit for him."
Players Mentioned
Saturday, April 18
Saturday, April 18
Saturday, April 18
Tuesday, April 14