Hall of Fame NFL Cornerback Has Lofty Expectations For WVU's Rodney Gallagher III

West Virginia football fans likely don't have fuzzy memories of former Pitt Panthers cornerback and multi-time NFL Pro Bowler Darrelle Revis. But one current Mountaineer seems to have made an impression on Revis.

For fans who have followed WVU football for at least the past two decades, Revis might stick out as the freshman defensive back who secured a late-game interception to set up a game-winning drive for Pitt in the 2004 Backyard Brawl, or as the junior who took a 73-yard punt return to the house for the Panthers in the 2006 Backyard Brawl that would be named the 2006 ESPN College Football Play of the Year.

Those who watched the NFL throughout the 2000s and 2010s may remember garnering praise as one of the league's all-time best lockdown cornerbacks, earning the nickname "Revis Island" en route to 139 career pass deflections, 29 interceptions, and seven Pro Bowl appearances. He was also voted a four-time NFL All-Pro and was named to the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team. In 2023, Revis was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame.

But before Mountaineer fans and football fans in general recognized Revis for those accomplishments, he played football at Aliquippa High School, which sits north of Pittsburgh in southwestern Pennsylvania. Aliquippa competes in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League (WPIAL) alongside numerous schools across the region, including Laurel Highlands High School in Uniontown -- which is the alma mater of current WVU wide receiver and defensive back Rodney Gallagher III.

Gallagher is in his sophomore season at WVU, and tallied his first career points in the gold-and-blue this past Saturday in the form of a game-winning 15-yard touchdown reception against Kansas. He now has eight receptions for 121 yards and one touchdown this season, as well as five tackles and one pass deflection while playing a minor role in the Mountaineers' secondary.

WPIAL Insider is a media outlet covering WPIAL sports, and they sent out a post on social media site 'X' this past Sunday highlighting Gallagher's first collegiate touchdown. Being a former WPIAL athlete himself, the tweet caught the eyes of Revis, who shared his bold prediction regarding Gallagher's football future.

"He will soon play on Sunday's," read Revis' tweet.

Gallagher saw the praise from Revis quickly, and shot back some words of gratitude.

Whether or not Gallagher meets such high expectations before he hangs up his cleats are yet to be seen. But if anyone knows a thing or two about what makes talented wide receivers and defensive backs, it's Darrelle Revis -- a man who made a career as a defensive back shutting down some of the best wideouts in the NFL. Let us know if you agree that Gallagher could one day play on Sunday.