ROANOKE, Va. – Calm, quiet demeanor but a loud game on the football field. Since covering Viante Tucker at Salem High School, I’ve always known him to be more of a quiet player who would rather let his game do the talking. And rightly so.
“I think my best plays came from me just being quiet and humbling myself a little bit because I wasn’t the best one out there all the time,” Tucker said.
He worked hard on the football field but admits he left room for improvement in the classroom.
“It was more of taking a chance on myself,” Tucker said as he explained his reasoning behind spending a post-grad year at Fork Union Military Academy.
After finding his footing there, Tucker took his talents to Bridgewater College where he was part of the 2019 ODAC Championship team. But Tucker admits his focus didn’t stay on the field.
“I was kind of fighting,” he said. “I got mixed into the COVID year and didn’t enjoy football for a little bit.”
But Tucker had a 2022 senior campaign where he led the Eagles in receiving yards and even made his return to the special teams unit.
“Bridgewater has actually helped me a lot in life and circumstances and understanding things aren’t always flashy and big,” Tucker said. “I think last year was my first season in a while where I felt comfortable in my own skill set. I feel like I was more polished as a receiver and began doing things I had never done like returning kicks and stuff like that. I think my game touched a higher level but at the same time I learned more about myself also.”
Now refocused and locked in, Viante Tucker is hoping he saved his best for his final year of college eligibility.