Kahleje “KJ” Tillmon’s positivity and charisma consistently shine through any adversity that stands in his path.
“I was always the type to make people laugh,” said Tillmon, a sophomore sprinter originally from Philadelphia. “Whenever I meet somebody, it’s all love. I never have bad intentions or anything like that.”
In May 2022, Tillmon’s ability to shatter the daunting challenges in front of him culminated in being awarded a full scholarship to continue running track at Virginia Tech. The former walk-on gleamed with sincere appreciation when he took a small moment to reflect on what that moment meant for him.
“I definitely cried. It was just like a weight lifted off my shoulders. The first thing I was thinking was: ‘Thank you, grandmother,” Tillmon recalled, whose grandmother passed away the day after his 19th birthday. “‘Mama, I lifted this weight off your shoulder. My family, I did this for you.'”
Tillmon’s path to a full scholarship and eventual accolades with Virginia Tech track & field started as an incredibly far-fetched dream, when you consider how he came to Blacksburg in the first place. The graduate of Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia originally pursued dreams of playing football at Virginia Tech when he arrived on campus in 2020.
“Football was my first love,” Tillmon remembered. “I had a plan. It just didn’t work out. I didn’t let that make me lose my confidence. I ran track in high school, and I knew I could do something great at this school.”
Tillmon found an opportunity to showcase his athleticism elsewhere on campus, specifically Rector Field House. Tillmon got in touch with coach Tim Vaught, who oversees sprinters within the program. Vaught encouraged him to train in an effort to walk on to the team, but would have to do so in the fall 2021, not the spring. Tillmon meticulously worked during that span to shift his body from being ready for football to being ready to compete on the track.
“I had to lose like 20 or 30 pounds,” said Tillmon, who came to Virginia Tech in the hopes of becoming a defensive back. “I had a very specific race weight I wanted to get to so I could reach my full potential.”
Tillmon returned home to Georgia for the summer to train in the hopes of carving out a spot on the team in the fall. In the meantime, he also inputted his work ethic into side jobs to save up to pay for school as a walk-on. Tillmon somehow balanced his time between getting his body ready to…
“I was always the type to make people laugh,” said Tillmon, a sophomore sprinter originally from Philadelphia. “Whenever I meet somebody, it’s all love. I never have bad intentions or anything like that.”
In May 2022, Tillmon’s ability to shatter the daunting challenges in front of him culminated in being awarded a full scholarship to continue running track at Virginia Tech. The former walk-on gleamed with sincere appreciation when he took a small moment to reflect on what that moment meant for him.
“I definitely cried. It was just like a weight lifted off my shoulders. The first thing I was thinking was: ‘Thank you, grandmother,” Tillmon recalled, whose grandmother passed away the day after his 19th birthday. “‘Mama, I lifted this weight off your shoulder. My family, I did this for you.'”
Tillmon’s path to a full scholarship and eventual accolades with Virginia Tech track & field started as an incredibly far-fetched dream, when you consider how he came to Blacksburg in the first place. The graduate of Tucker High School in Tucker, Georgia originally pursued dreams of playing football at Virginia Tech when he arrived on campus in 2020.
“Football was my first love,” Tillmon remembered. “I had a plan. It just didn’t work out. I didn’t let that make me lose my confidence. I ran track in high school, and I knew I could do something great at this school.”
Tillmon found an opportunity to showcase his athleticism elsewhere on campus, specifically Rector Field House. Tillmon got in touch with coach Tim Vaught, who oversees sprinters within the program. Vaught encouraged him to train in an effort to walk on to the team, but would have to do so in the fall 2021, not the spring. Tillmon meticulously worked during that span to shift his body from being ready for football to being ready to compete on the track.
“I had to lose like 20 or 30 pounds,” said Tillmon, who came to Virginia Tech in the hopes of becoming a defensive back. “I had a very specific race weight I wanted to get to so I could reach my full potential.”
Tillmon returned home to Georgia for the summer to train in the hopes of carving out a spot on the team in the fall. In the meantime, he also inputted his work ethic into side jobs to save up to pay for school as a walk-on. Tillmon somehow balanced his time between getting his body ready to…
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