By Carter Mitchell

On Monday, April 15, Collegiate varsity starting quarterback Jack Callaghan (‘25) committed to play Division I football for the University of Richmond. Callaghan had seven other Division I offers: Western Michigan University, Temple University, Stony Brook University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute, Brown University, and William & Mary. 

On Callaghan’s fifth official visit to the University of Richmond, he verbally committed to play football for the Spiders. He decided to stay close to his home in Goochland County by going to college in his hometown, on the same street he has lived on his entire life, River Road. 

Callaghan has had an unconventional journey with football. Callaghan’s first passion was baseball. He grew up playing baseball every weekend for Tuckahoe Little League and the Richmond Flying Squirrels’ travel team. He was devoted to playing catcher and had always worked toward being a catcher in college, and not a quarterback. Callaghan also played football as center for the Kanawha Redskins youth team, between the ages of five and 12. He continued playing football through his Middle School years for the Cougars, as linebacker and wide receiver, with minimal playing time. Yet Callaghan had expressed a desire to play quarterback from a young age.

The fall 2021 football season was an abbreviated one due to COVID-19 restrictions. The team did not have any games, but daily practices and many flag football games were offered to keep the football program running. This was Callaghan’s first true opportunity to pursue his childhood dream of playing quarterback. 

Photo credit: Maggie Bowman.

On the JV football team, head coach (and Director of Middle School Activities) Andrew Slater gave Callaghan an opportunity to try out for the quarterback position. Since there were no games that season, this would be practice for Callaghan to learn and understand the Collegiate offense. Callaghan earned the position of fourth-string quarterback that season due to his inexperience and lack of ability to throw a catchable spiral to his receivers. Despite his skills, Callaghan “always wanted to be a quarterback, and I thought it was one of the coolest things ever.” Callaghan continued putting in the work and practicing, and he said, “To do it for younger Jack, the kid who always DREAMED of playing quarterback, even for one snap. So ever since I got the opportunity to be the 4th string on JV, I took the opportunity, made the most of it, kept my head down, and kept working to make younger Jack proud.” 

Over the next nine months, through the beginning of his Sophomore football season, Callaghan worked with one of the best quarterback trainers, Malcolm Bell, creator of Undefeated Quarterback Training. Bell played for North Carolina Central University, where he won three consecutive conference championships with all-conference and all-American honors. After college, he signed a contract with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, a Canadian Football League (CFL) team, and after his release, he decided to devote his time to giving back to his community. Bell created Undefeated Quarterback Training in 2017 and has been teaching quarterback techniques in Richmond since. Callaghan said Bell, “helped me hone in my mechanics and understand the benefits of using my body correctly, and he showed me how to do it and how to master my mechanical movements.” Bell has been a helpful resource to elevate Callaghan’s game to the next level from his Freshman to Sophomore year when he made the varsity football team. He would be their second-string quarterback, despite only having played quarterback for one season. 

Callaghan did not play much during his first season as a Sophomore but did get opportunities after former Senior starting quarterback Owen Fallon (‘22), now playing football at Denison University, tweaked his knee at the end of the Homecoming football game against Saint Christopher’s School. Callaghan threw his first-ever touchdown pass in that game to Senior Jalen Pierce (‘22), who is now playing basketball for Millersville University. 

Since then, Callaghan has been the starting quarterback after reclassing into the 2025 class at Collegiate. He reclassified from his original 2024 class to 2025 in order to give himself an extra year to develop both his quarterback and academic skills. He saw an increase in his recruiting opportunities right away, as college coaches began to reach out and show interest in his abilities. Callaghan thinks that reclassing was the right decision for him and gave him the extra time he needed to grow as a student and player. 

Callaghan said, “I wanted my grades to improve, because I reclassed and gave myself that extra year of development in both the classroom and on the field in football.” The reclassing, “affected me positively, because I saw a terrific change in not only my recruitment but also with my grades.” Callaghan has been very successful, rushing for 500 yards, passing for 2,500 yards, 34 passing touchdowns, and two rushing touchdowns. He aims to continue this success in the 2024 season with an experienced offensive team. 

Callaghan with Richmond Spiders Head Coach Russ Huesman. Photo credit: Jack Callaghan.

Callaghan decided to commit to the University of Richmond because that was where he always felt at home. U. of R. brought Callaghan on numerous visits to their campus and made him feel wanted as their number one recruit in the 2025 class. The Collegiate varsity football coaching staff features quite a few former Spiders. Callaghan said, “I decided to commit to the University of Richmond because the coaching staff always made me feel welcomed, and from the moment I stepped on campus, as a recruit I knew that it felt like home. Over the next few weeks, I went on five more visits there and really got to know the coaches, their coaching styles, and who they were as people. I grew very fond of the coaching staff and loved the energy and enthusiasm they brought to each practice, even the rainy ones.”

He also decided on U. of R. because, “I wanted to stay home, so I could be close with my family. My siblings, Dylan, Ava, Ella, and Hunter, all being younger than me, played a huge role in me staying close to home. I wanted to be there to watch them succeed in life and sports and be able to maintain relationships with all of them.” Callaghan’s family is very important to him, and knowing they will be just 15 minutes away is going to keep their bond very strong. 

Featured image courtesy of Jack Callaghan.