Between 2009 and 2012, Caleb Irving did pretty much everything on a football field. The former Carrboro Jaguar lined up at tight end, wide receiver and outside linebacker.
“I pretty much played 60 minutes,” he told Chapelboro.
Now, though, Irving is doing something he never thought he’d do on the gridiron: letting fans call his plays.
Irving recently signed with Fan Controlled Football, a league which started in 2017. Its name is fairly self-explanatory: fans control everything from team colors and mascots to choosing which plays to run. The young league has seen its fair share of star power suit up for its teams, notably former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and former NFL Pro Bowl wide receiver Josh Gordon. The league, which broadcasts its games over Twitch, has grown in popularity since its inception, and now features franchises owned by former Super Bowl champions Marshawn Lynch and Richard Sherman.
Irving’s debut with Fan Controlled Football will be another step in a long and bumpy journey back to the playing field. After leaving Carrboro, he didn’t find the Division 1 offers in his inbox he had hoped for, and instead tried his hand at junior college. That flamed out as well, and then Irving entered the pro football wilderness. He sent his tape to the Canadian and Arena Football Leagues and even mulled playing in Mexico before earning a shot with Fan Controlled Football.
“I literally was out of football for like, eight years. It’s crazy,” he said. “I had a few bumps here and there, and I feel like if you just stay focused, and really just pursue what you want to do, anything is possible.”
How did he end up with the league? Did he have to navigate a complicated bureaucratic system of tax forms, waivers and forests of red tape?
“I just hit up the commissioner,” Irving said.
And it was off to the races after that.
After sending in some of his tape, Irving attended a tryout in Alabama and drew the interest of one of the coaches, who eventually emailed Irving a contract. Once he signed as a tight end, Caleb Irving was a professional football player.
In Fan Controlled Football, players don’t sign with teams. They sign with the league itself, and the majority of players are re-drafted each week to different teams, with the exception of “franchise players.” Irving doesn’t fall into that category yet, but he’s part of the league nonetheless. For him, and his children, that’s more than enough for now.
“At the end of the day, I want my kids to see [my] last name on the jersey. Some kind of professional jersey, just to give them motivation. I just thought of that idea, and it stuck with me.”
Irving’s father, Leavelle, has been acting as his son’s agent during the process of tryouts and emailed contracts. He’s also on Caleb’s pro tape, though in a bit of an undercover role.
“In most of my videos, people wonder who’s the quarterback, and it’s really him,” Caleb said.
Leavelle sees bigger things ahead for his son. While Fan Controlled Football is certainly more exposure than Caleb would be getting otherwise, his dad believes in upward mobility.
“This platform is to go to the NFL. That’s really what it’s about,” he said, while mentioning they have a tryout lined up with the Atlanta Falcons. “Those people don’t look at high school film until you make it. Then they look at it.”
Fan Controlled Football does often draw the viewership of NFL personnel looking to fill a potential roster spot. For those of us who aren’t looking for the next cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks, games are available to stream on Twitch or watch through NBC’s streaming app Peacock. The season kicks off on April 16. Both Caleb and Leavelle hope seeing the former Carrboro Jaguar suiting up professionally can inspire other young athletes to, as Leavelle put it, “get their head in the game.”
“You don’t have to do drugs. Get your mental health together,” he said. “Physically, you’re the best athlete, but if your mental health fails you, you’re not gonna be able to perform. That’s what we’re pushing.”
“Never, ever give up on your dreams,” Caleb said. “The sky’s the limit, you feel me? That’s literally my main thing. That’s what I believe and stand on.”
Featured image via Leavelle Irving
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