Cal (Pa.) coach, receiver have Penn Hills family ties

By: Josh Rizzo
Sunday, October 16, 2022 | 11:01 AM

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Sixty-six miles of a roundtrip drive from his home in North Versailles to the Cal (Pa.) campus didn’t deter Brian Tarrant from grabbing an opportunity. After serving as a Penn Hills coach under Jon LeDonne, Tarrant had initially planned to follow LeDonne to Pine-Richland when LeDonne took the job with the Rams this season.

But an offer from Tarrant’s alma mater sent him back to the Mon Valley. Tarrant, who was selected as a first-team All-PSAC defensive back in 1999, was offered an opportunity to be a volunteer assistant quarterbacks coach.

It kept Tarrant tied in with his college roots but also provided an opportunity to coach his nephew, Cameron Tarrant. Cameron, a senior wide receiver for the Vulcans, was a standout quarterback at Penn Hills.

Brian was on the coaching staff when Cameron played for the Indians. During Cam’s senior season, the 5-foot-8 quarterback wasn’t getting many looks due to his size. Brian recommended to Cal coach Gary Dunn that he bring on Cam, which Dunn did by offering him a preferred walk-on offer.

“I had interest from a couple of PSAC schools, but I wanted to go to a place where I could play right away,” Cam said. “The fact that my uncle played here and I could continue his legacy was a big part of the appeal.”

Cam transitioned away from being a quarterback and started to play receiver. He has 20 catches for 158 yards and two touchdowns so far this season. Last season, Cam hauled in 12 passes in a game against IUP, which is tied for the second-most in a game in school history. What Cam had to learn about playing wide receiver was how to utilize his strengths.

Being undersized meant there would be a bit of a learning curve.

“I see the game a lot differently at wide receiver,” Cam said. “I know I can win against zone coverages. I just have to be there for the quarterback. My sophomore year, I started to get more comfortable. I used to get tackled immediately, but now I know I can get away.”

Brian, who enjoyed it when Cam would come to see him play when he was a baby, was happy to help his nephew land at his alma mater.

He put in a good word with Dunn. Brian said he’s helped recruit 20 or 25 kids to play for the Vulcans.

“Cameron was a good high school football player who threw for 2,600 yards,” Brina said. “He wasn’t getting recruited because of his size. I’ve been an avenue for a lot of kids to get to Cal, second-chance players, guys who didn’t get an opportunity. Coach Dunn has always been good with that.”

Brian, who has 22 years of coaching experience at the high school level, came back to coaching after his football career ended sooner than he hoped. Brian had a few pro tryouts, including with indoor teams.

Following a dark turn in his life, former coach Cliff Simon offered Brian a chance to coach at his alma mater, Wilkinsburg.

“It gave me purpose and rationale for how I live my life and what I’m meant to do,” said Brian, who is 46 and hopes to become a full-time college coach. “I’ve been doing football ever since.”

The schedule hasn’t been kind to Cal this season. The Vulcans dropped a pair of games to nationally ranked Shepherd and IUP, while another loss to PSAC East contender Kutztown had California sitting at 3-3.

Cam is hoping to wrap up his career with a strong stretch run.

“My dad and my uncle never stressed me playing football,” Cam said. “I got into playing football in high school. I mostly played basketball before that. Football came to me.”

Tags: Penn Hills