Sky is the limit for new LSU commit Ethan Calloway
There’s only been 23 football games in his life that Mooresville (N.C.) Lake Norman offensive tackle Ethan Calloway has suited up for in his life. That number will grow this fall as his senior season begins, which brings more opportunities for him to improve.
Already a Top 100 prospect for On3, Calloway impresses as you see his nearly 6-7, 315-pound frame enter a room or pull on the football field.
“I’ve heard a lot of guys say that God doesn’t make many humans that large that can move like he does,” Lake Norman head coach Jonathan Oliphant told On3. “We actually found him at a middle school interest meeting and pulled him out of the hallways and told him football can change his life. He really bought into it.
“Very long and athletic and can run. Watching him take 505 pounds on his back for squat butt to ground, watching 6-7 move like that is unique.”
After his COVID-shortened 5-game season in 2020, Calloway dove head first into high school football and training. It was new for him, but Calloway grew from weight room newbie to team leader.
“When we first got him into the weight room, it was obvious he hadn’t had much experience in there, which a lot of freshmen don’t,” Oliphant said. “Watching him physically grow as far as getting more comfortable with heavy weight on his back and getting more comfortable in the weight room getting after it. Also, this year especially have just seen the growth in him as a leader.
“To watch him interact with his teammates, especially younger ones, take them under his wing, helping them along, that’s been good to see because he hasn’t been asked to do that in years prior.”
The future January enrollee at LSU will be someone who doesn’t have to play right away for the Tigers with the depth at tackle. But, his coaches are working to prepare him for the start in Baton Rouge come 2024, where his dedication is something they think separates him from others.
“You’ve got to stay healthy and got to continue to get better. My job’s not to get him on a college roster. Our job’s to get him as ready to play at the SEC level as we can,” Oliphant said. “Obviously, that’s going to be tough because not many high school kids are ready for that. That’s okay. In the three and a half years with us, there’s no telling. If he stays hungry and continues to love the game and listens to his coaches, he could be sitting in the green room in a few years. My biggest thing is get that college degree. You need that piece of paper you can carry through life. The upside he has is huge.”
“I think the biggest upside is if he continues to trend the way that he’s trended, his ceiling his is high,” Lake Norman offensive line coach Sean Fitzgerald added. “There’s just so much more space there and capacity for learning. As long as he continues to love the game and look for opportunities to get better, the sky’s the limit.”
Ethan Calloway is all about his business
Calloway doesn’t do many interviews. He isn’t around the media much. He just works on his craft and takes care of business in the classroom.
“Kind of keeps to himself. Isn’t real flashy,” Oliphant said. “He’s not going to be someone that goes out in college and gets in trouble in the bar scene. He’s just not that kid. He just keeps his head down and works. I think that’s going to help him wherever he ends up. Stay out of trouble and continue to get better.”
As he got more involved in football and developed into one of the nation’s top tackles, he really turned up the heat on working hard in football.
“Great kid. Teachers enjoy having him in class,” Fitzgerald said. “Doesn’t really cause much of a distraction or anything like that. He’s got fantastic parents. He’s taking on more of a leadership role. He’s starting to pull the younger guys on the offensive line. Early on, he was just one of those guys that kept his nose to the grindstone and worked. Once he realized he was getting a little bit of attention, he realized where this game could kind of take him. Started working really hard.”
On the field, Calloway’s size can often wash down the defensive line, which helps. His relatively new love with football comes with upside and little bad habits to his game.
“He’s a guy that makes you right in a lot of situations when you might be wrong,” Fitzgerald said. “His physical ability is so different than anything that we’ve ever coached at Lake Norman. Any time he walks in the room, his physical presence blows your mind that you get the opportunity to coach a young man with his size. I’ve enjoyed coaching him. Football’s relatively new still. Has that love for learning and enjoys getting better. Doesn’t come with a ton of bad habits.”
LSU’s getting a prospect who has immense upside. The Tigers were early and dead on with their evaluation of Calloway, who earned his first FBS offer from the Tigers.
Student assistant Ryan Jackson, a Lake Norman graduate, alerted LSU’s staff about the big man from North Carolina. Player personnel analyst Carl St. Cyr also watched the tape, moving it up the food chain to offensive line coach Brad Davis.
Davis ended up offering second after Campbell University, but the move wasn’t forgotten during the process.
“It means a lot to kids to be that first program that really takes a chance on you, that really believes in you,” Fitzgerald said. “It’s nice to see a program reach out, specifically as far away as Baton Rouge is, and say, ‘hey, this kid’s got some talent. We think he could be a really good fit for us.’ I think coach Davis does a phenomenal job and is a great fit. Just being a genuine person. Very much seems like what you see is what you get.”
Now, LSU’s landed its second On3 Top 100 prospect in June. One with impressive upside who could solidify the offensive tackle position for years to come in Baton Rouge.
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