Shortly after the completion of the 2020 NBA Draft, former Liberty basketball player Caleb Homesley signed an Exhibit 10 contract for a chance to play for the Washington Wizards.
This comes on the heels of standout wide receiver and Liberty alumni Antonio Gandy-Golden being drafted by the then Washington Redskins. Additionally, in 2019, former Liberty quarterback Josh Woodrum was also on the Redskins’ practice squad before an unfortunate injury.
Homesley is the fourth player in Liberty history to sign an NBA deal after finishing his college career as one of the best players in Flames’ history. He was a two-year ASUN First-Team All-Conference selection, including being named the 2020 ASUN Player of the Year and Tournament MVP during his senior campaign. He helped the Flames to 59 wins and back to back ASUN regular season and Tournament championships his final two seasons while finishing his Liberty career No. 10 on the school’s all-time scoring list with 1,539 points and No. 8 on the all-time rebounding list with 703 rebounds.
Since being drafted in the 4th round of the 2020 NFL Draft, Antonio Gandy-Golden has had a rough rookie season. He tested positive for COVID-19 prior to the draft, had training camp shortened and preseason games taken away due to the ongoing pandemic, suffered a concussion just before the start of the season, and once he returned to action had a hamstring injury. He’s played in five of Washington’s 11 football games this season, with two starts, and one carry for 22 yards. The 6’4″ wide receiver has had four targets with one reception for 3 yards. He hasn’t seen game action since Oct. 18, 2020 against the New York Giants.
Woodrum received an invitation to participate in the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis following his career at Liberty. He went undrafted and signed with the New York Giants following the 2016 NFL Draft. He was released by the Giants shortly thereafter. His brief NFL career also spent time with the Indianapolis Colts, Chicago Bears, Buffalo Bills, Baltimore Ravens, Cleveland Browns, and the Redskins. In 2017 with the Ravens, he finished the NFL preseason 25 of 36 passing for 321 yards and 4 touchdowns but was waived just prior to the beginning of the season. Woodrum was selected by the Salt Lake Stallions with the eighth overall pick in the Alliance of American Football’s quarterback draft. He started the Stallions’ season opener against the Arizona Hotshots where he threw for 103 yards, 1 touchdown and 1 interception before leaving the game in the second half with a hamstring injury. In seven games in the AAF, Woodrum started all 7 games while completing 146 of 227 passes for 1,449 yards, 6 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions. After the AAF suspended operations, Woodrum signed with the Redskins but was placed on the injured reserve in August 2019 after tearing his pectoral in a preseason game.
While it is a small sample size, we are beginning to see a trend of Liberty University student athletes making their way to our nation’s capital. Liberty’s recent success across all athletics will see many more student athletes continuing their athletic careers at the next level. Only time will tell if the Lynchburg to DC trend will continue.
