Landing a full scholarship to Syracuse four years ago was a dream come true for Torian Phillips. But his decision to come home to Wagner has played out like one.
The lockdown cornerback has been a key cog for the Seahawks in their run to a pair of program firsts: a Northeast Conference title and Football Championship Subdivision playoff victory.
Phillips picked the Orange his senior year of high school after leading Port Richmond of Staten Island to a PSAL city title. Midway through a solid freshman season at Syracuse, his stepfather, Jesse Barnes, a diabetic, fell ill, and the health of his grandmother, Rowena Phillips, worsened.
Phillips, who lost his biological father at a young age, immediately decided to come home to Staten Island to be there for his mother, Sheri Barnes. She initially resisted, but when Wagner came forward as an alternative option, she relented.
“She said it’s your choice, your decision,” he recalled. “It turned out to be a great one.”
Phillips stayed in a dorm room at Wagner, but was home often to offer a helping hand to his stepfather.
“It made me feel like I did something right as a parent,” Sheri Barnes said. “That he can put someone else in front of himself gave me a good feeling.”
The Seahawks have been the beneficiary. The 5-foot-9 Phillips is in the midst of a huge senior year, leading Wagner with three interceptions, 14 passes defensed and 44 tackles. The numbers would be even higher, Wagner coach Walt Hameline said, but opposing teams have mostly thrown away from him.
Colgate did not last Saturday, and Phillips had two picks in the team’s opening-round victory — the first such victory by an NEC program in Wagner’s first FCS playoff contest. He also had one the week before when Wagner clinched the NEC crown.
“I’ve been in the right spots the whole season, but now that it’s crunch time, we have to make sure to make the plays,” he said. “Hopefully I can continue to make them.”
If the Staten Island school’s season is to continue, Phillips will need to continue his standout play. Second-seeded Eastern Washington — Wagner’s favored opponent Saturday night — boasts one of the nation’s top passing attacks and features elite 6-foot-5 wide receiver Brandon Kaufman, who has scored 10 touchdowns and racked up 1,270 yards receiving.
“[Phillips] will have to step up and make a lot of plays,” Hameline said.
Phillips thinks about what might have been if he had remained at Syracuse as part of the rebuilding under head coach Doug Marrone. He has followed the team closely, attending the Orange’s victory in the Pinstripe Bowl at Yankee Stadium two years ago.
Yet, if he had a do-over, Phillips would transfer to Wagner again. He has been able to play every home game in front of his family.
“The feeling of being around family is so comfortable,” he said. “It definitely warms my heart. My mom, she’s everything to me, everything and then some.”
He is on pace to graduate in May with a degree in sociology and education. If he doesn’t get any pro looks, Phillips will look to get his Masters degree and possibly pursue a career in teaching.
Even as Syracuse earned a share of the Big East title Thursday with Rutgers’ loss to Louisville, Wagner’s accomplishments this fall are more meaningful to Phillips.
“We just made history, and when you make history, your name is going to forever remembered,” he said. “I’d definitely do this over and over again. This choice was a great one.”
“I’m very blessed to be in the situation I am in now.”