Cavs’ Phillips looks back on college career, awaits pros

CHARLOTTESVILLE At college football stadiums all around the country tomorrow, seniors will be recognized before their final home games, usually with their parents at their side.

During the Senior Day ceremony at Scott Stadium, however, John Phillips' mother will be elsewhere. She means no slight to the University of Virginia's star tight end. But neither she nor her husband can be in two places at once. And so Susan Phillips will be in Williamsburg with their older son, Jake, and Gene "Bugs" Phillips will be in Charlottesville with their younger son, John.

On Oct. 4, the schedule broke perfectly for the Phillips family. William and Mary hosted Villanova in a 1 p.m. game at Zable Stadium, and U.Va. entertained Maryland that night at Scott Stadium. Susan and Bugs caught both games in person, and they were hoping for a repeat this weekend.

Alas, W&M's showdown with Richmond starts at noon tomorrow, as does U.Va.'s clash with Clemson.

"I know they're pretty upset about the whole idea they're going to have to split up for our Senior Days," said Jake Phillips, a redshirt senior who starts at quarterback for the Tribe.

"It's kind of unfortunate it's happening at the same time," John Phillips said.

Separate trips are nothing new for the brothers' parents. On fall Saturdays for the past four years, their mother usually has followed one son, while their father has gone to see the other play.

"I generally take the farthest trip," Bugs said.

For John Phillips, a journey that began in rural Bath County is likely to take him next to the NFL.

In his first three seasons at U.Va., where he played as a true freshman in 2005, Phillips was known primarily for his blocking, posting modest statistics in an offense that included two other gifted tight ends, Tom Santi and Jonathan Stupar. Santi and Stupar were seniors in 2007, however, and the 6-6, 250-pound Phillips has emerged as a playmaker this season.

With two regular-season games left, Phillips has 46 receptions for 379 yards and two touchdowns. No other ACC tight end has more than 25 catches.

"I always feel a team is about role players," Phillips said. "That's the most important part of it, and I think my first three years I was a role player. But the coaches gave me an opportunity this year to be a big part of the passing game."

Even in a program known for producing elite tight ends, Phillips' numbers stand out. Heath Miller, who won the John Mackey Award as the nation's top tight end in 2004, is the only player in U.Va. history at that position to have caught more passes in a season than Phillips.

Miller, too, was from a small town in Virginia (Swords Creek) and attended a Group A high school (Honaker). So he can empathize with the culture shock Phillips experienced upon moving from Warm Springs to Charlottesville.

"When I get first got here . . . this was a city for me, coming from where I was from," Phillips recalled this week. "I didn't like the stoplights and all the noise. When I went to sleep, I didn't want to hear anything. I didn't want to hear people partying or anything outside."

Phillips quickly became acclimated to life away from Warm Springs, thanks in part to phone calls to his big brother in Williamsburg, and he's thrived at U.Va. He'll graduate next month -- a semester early -- with a degree in sociology.

"It's been great to watch John mature as a person, an athlete and a student," his father said.

In Williamsburg, Jake Phillips has a huge game tomorrow. But his kid brother will be in his thoughts, too.

"I'm just very, very happy for him that he's had the spotlight on him this year and he's been able to shine," Jake Phillips said.
Contact Jeff White at (804) 649-6838 or .