Virginia Tech Coach: It's Always Full Speed Ahead with Farley

Justin Fuente says the Tennessee Titans' first-round pick and one-time high school quarterback plays and learns fast.

Caleb Farley understands how a quarterback thinks, which can be useful for a cornerback.

It is the fact that Farley, the Tennessee Titans’ first-round pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, knows how a quarterback feels that really gives him an edge. At least that is the way Justin Fuente Virginia Tech head coach Justin Fuente, his coach at Virginia Tech, sees it.

“Playing that position helps you the rest of your life,” Fuente told the Titans’ media department. “There is an element of understanding the bigger picture of the game ... Going through the ups and downs and playing that leadership position, I think, helped him as he went through ups and downs on the football field and as he switched positions.”

Farley arrived at Virginia Tech knowing his days as a quarterback – he set records at Maiden (N.C.) High School – were behind him.

First, he played wide receiver, but that lasted an hour into his first practice in 2017. A knee injury sidelined him for the entirety of that season.

When he returned in 2018, he was a defensive back, the position Fuente felt he knew Farley was going to play – eventually.

“Caleb would probably say, ‘You can play me anywhere and it will work out,’ but I believe in my heart that corner was where he was going to end up and maximize his ability,” Fuente said.

His play (36 tackles, two interceptions in 2018) indicated that he was a fast learner, but what really amazed coaches and opposing teams was his play speed. In 2019, Farley was clocked at 24 miles per hour. That was one mph faster than Tyreek Hill, also known as the “Cheetah.” And the following spring, Farley ran a 4.28 40-yard dash.

Speed has always been his modus operandi. Through all of his positional changes, from quarterback to cornerback, that remained unchanged.

“I know the NFL is a fast game. And I know that there’s a lot of guys that can run, but he’s got elite speed and he will have elite speed at this next level,” Fuente said.

It is the detailed understanding of the game a quarterbacks possesses that let Farley embrace the countless changes and challenges, meeting them head on, Fuente said. And since Farley is relatively new to cornerback, he’s only scratching the surface of his potential.

“He’s willing to learn,” Fuente said. “This is a guy that knows he is not finished. He is one of those young people that have a dream and works towards it every day.”