The Central Washington Wildcat family is a vast and expansive one, shown by the generations who continue to attend the college, in the alumni and the different sports teams. The Wildcat football team has three different pairs of siblings on their roster, one of which is the McCallum brothers.
6’4 290 lb. junior offensive lineman Jaxin McCallum has been on the same team with his younger brother, 6’5 300 lb. freshman offensive lineman Gavin McCallum, almost his whole life, dating back to their time at Kamiakin High School in southern Washington. Being in the same program, even now at CWU, has helped their relationship. “It’s strengthened our bond a little bit, because we also live together off campus, it’s been good, having the same schedule,” Jaxin McCallum said.
The older brother also reminisced on the time they weren’t on the same team, in the two years that Jaxin McCallum started college football and Gavin McCallum was still in high school. “It’s nice to be back and being on the same team, our families can come up to our same game,” Jaxin McCallum said. “It’s kind of nice having everyone together.”
The blood between them translates well in practice and helping each other when it comes to football. “I know him better,” Jaxin McCallum said. “And we know each other better than other people. So we can be pretty real with each other with what’s going on on the field, and there’s no hard feeling.” Jaxin McCallum is onto his third school program, previously attending South Dakota Mines his freshman year and University of Idaho in his sophomore year.
Jaxin McCallum is filled with enough experience to help his little brother through difficulties in practice, which in turn helps himself. “We’re the same blood,” Jaxin McCallum said. “Sometimes we have the same things that we need to work on. So it’s been helpful for me to talk it out, because I know he could use help with it. And then it also helps me see it. Then talking through something helps a lot of the time. I’m like ‘Oh, maybe that’s my problem too.’ That kind of thing.”
While Jaxin McCallum had a couple of years to adjust to the college ball environment, Gavin McCallum is in his first year out of high school. Being the younger brother, Gavin McCallum explained how much it helps having his older brother there to help with the new program, faces and team. “This is his third year of college football, so he knows a lot,” Gavin McCallum said. “It’s the same game so he still can help out a lot. It’s nice having someone that knows what they’re doing. It also helps with time management, because I live off campus with him, so time management and stuff like that, especially football wise, it’s helpful.”
Despite living together and being on the same team, the brothers explained that they still don’t have much time to spend with each other. “Right now, we kind of have different schedules,” Jaxin McCallum said, pointing at his brother. “He’s on the injury report, so he’s not really working out or anything right now.” Gavin McCallum added more to the separation of the brothers. “Even when I was, we were in different groups,” Gavin McCallum said. “I’m with the freshmen. [Jaxin] is up with the older guys. So the only time we’re together is when we’re on the field and even then, it’s a little different.” The brother’s time spent together is doing offensive lineman tests and studying together at James E. Brooks Library.
Jaxin and Gavin McCallum and the Wildcats football team is currently second in the Lone Star Conference with a 7-3 record. Coming off of a 66-0 blowout win at home against Sul Ross State University, the ‘Cats are looking to finish the regular season off strong at home against Western Oregon University on Nov. 16.
