Tight end Caleb Rillos, who transferred from Air Force, runs after a catch in last season's Air Force-Navy game. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports Network)
Rillos Eager for a Shot in Passing Game
Friday, August 2, 2024 | Football, Scott Carter
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By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer
GAINESVILLE, Fla. — He spent his career on Team Misnomer until taking the field Wednesday for his first practice with the Gators. That is because tight end Caleb Rillos transferred to Florida from the Air Force.
If Rillos seemed a little dizzy running routes as quarterbacks Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway fired passes, give the guy a break. Sure, it's hot, and he is from Colorado, but there is more to the story than heat and humidity.
Rillos desired to see how the other 98 percent lived, hence part of the reason why he transferred to Florida over the summer and joined the team as a walk-on. But he's no ordinary walk-on. First, let's take you back to Air Force, which if renamed for how it plays football, would be called Ground Force.
The Falcons run the triple-option, and of the 130 FBS teams that dropped back to pass a season ago, Air Force did it less than anyone — way less. The Falcons ranked No. 130 in pass attempts (105) and passing yards (1,105). The positive is that when Coach Troy Calhoun opted to throw the ball, the Falcons often struck it big, topping FBS with an average of 20.09 yards per completion.
Rillos hauled in eight catches for 97 yards and a touchdown between blocking assignments. Caleb Rillos has joined the mix at tight end for the Gators. (Photo: Logan Bowles/UAA Communications)
"I was a wide receiver in high school and a really good basketball player," Rillos said. "When I got offered by Air Force, they turned me into a tight end. I went from 200 pounds to 250. They helped me a lot with blocking, but I've always felt I'm more of a receiving tight end turned into a blocker. Air Force helped shape my blocking skills, and at Florida, I hope to be more versatile, run more routes, and make some catches."
The long and rangy 6-foot-5 Rillos checks in at 252.5 pounds on Florida's current roster, and a glance at No. 84 reveals an athletic player that you can envision averaged 18.5 points and 10.7 rebounds as a senior on the Ralston Valley High basketball team in Arvada, Colo., considered part of the Denver metro area.
There was little doubt where Rillos would start his college career. His father, Matt Rillos, was a running back at Air Force. His mother, Brooke (Effland) Rillos, starred in volleyball for the Falcons, earning the school's Most Valuable Female Athlete award as a senior. They graduated in 2000 and have five kids, with Caleb the oldest.
He had other options, but Rillos departed Air Force over the summer with two years of eligibility remaining and as a lieutenant who is getting paid by the academy to earn his master's degree in mechanical engineering at UF.
"I always wanted to go there,'' he said. "Once I got offered, it was a done deal."
Callaway has coached in college and the NFL and considers Rillos a player with tremendous upside despite limited highlights at Air Force.
"He's super unique because he's a rare combination of veteran, run-game, pass-game. He is extremely smart," Callaway said. "The offense we run is not easy to learn, and he's come in here in, basically a matter of months, and he's picked it up. He's a brainiac, but the most important thing is he's a great person. He immediately came into our room and became friends with all those guys."
Rillos proved he was capable when he got those rare passes thrown his way at Air Force, where he tore an ACL as a freshman and did not play. His first career catch went for 40 yards against Louisville in the 2021 First Responder Bowl, a play that snapped a string of 94 consecutive rushes by the Falcons. He caught a 15-yard touchdown against Baylor in the 2022 Armed Forces Bowl.
Rillos spent part of the spring in a three-week class at the Air Force Academy learning to fly an airplane and had only been to UF when taking a visit earlier this year. His reason for transferring was two-fold. First, he could not return to Air Force due to academy rules that include an eight-semester framework to finish your degree. Rillos graduated in May with honors. Second, while he considered other top academic institutions such as Rice and Virginia to continue his playing career, Rillos sought to test himself in the country's top conference.
"The competition level has increased drastically from Mountain West,'' he said. "To be able to play against the highest level of competition and work every day is really intriguing. It makes you a better player having to push yourself every day to compete."
Callaway is as eager as Rillos to see how he stacks up.
Caleb Rillos at Air Force
"He desires to play in the NFL. He definitely wants to do that. I think he has the potential. He's just got to continue to work," Callaway said. "He could have gone anywhere. He didn't want to go somewhere and be at the top and stay at the top. He wanted to come somewhere he could be part of building a program, and that means something to that kid. I think that's unique and is one of the things he brought up in his recruitment."
Rillos' grade-point average ranked around 60th in his class of 1,000 Air Force cadets. He garnered plenty of attention in the transfer portal, and Calhoun let recruiters know he wasn't just a player who would boost a team's GPA.
"He'd be a great addition," Calhoun told the Colorado Springs Gazette. "As sharp as Caleb is, when he's at football, he's able to be entirely focused upon what he does on the field."
Having accomplished so much off the field, what does Rillos consider his biggest accomplishment between the lines? He didn't hesitate.
"Winning the Commander in Chief Trophy,'' he said.
The Falcons defeated Army and Navy in 2022 on the way to a 10-3 season and victory over Baylor in the Armed Forces Bowl, earning a trip to meet the president.
Someday, Rillos envisions a career in the U.S. Space Force program, a National Defense Authorization Act initiative that he focused on while at the Air Force. But first, he is ready for a different kind of challenge.
"I'm going to work really hard. I work hard on everything,'' he said. "I try to have a 4.0 [GPA] every semester. I try to beat everyone in sprints. I'm always giving my full effort. It can get exhausting trying to keep up, so hopefully it rubs off."
