Famus Hasty is not a household name….yet, but after seeing him play in the Indoor Football League, I truly believe he is well on his way back to the CFL, or NFL whichever takes notice of what he has been able to do on the field. This young guy who spent a good amount of his time in Naperville, Illinois as a child, was once told he would never make it to college football. Yet he now finds himself heading into his 3rd season in the IFL, and 4th season professionally.
You might ask, why are you covering an IFL player on CFLNewsHub.com? Well the answer to that is simple. Famus had found himself signed to the BC Lions prior to the ill fated 2020 season. He would find himself released less than 3 months later, having never actually stepped foot on a CFL field. Hasty is one of many players that watched their CFL chances slip away thanks to a worldwide pandemic that no one could have seen coming prior to late 2019.
However despite this setback, and many others along the way Famus Hasty has kept his eyes on the prize and continued to work hard to get where he is today. The one time walk on high school football player who began as a wide receiver before settling in at DB, has no issue pushing aside his doubters. He credits his strong support system, highlighting his wife at every turn for giving him the strength to succeed despite the setbacks he has endured.
Before he ever found his opportunity with the CFL, he spent just under 3 months with the Iowa Barnstormers. Hasty credits this move with giving him the confidence he needed to continue at the professional level and the clarity to realize he belongs in the professional football world.
I was lucky enough to interview Famus following the Sioux Falls Storm winning their first game of the season. Watching his performance in a 35-24 victory it quickly became apparent that Famus Hasty belongs at a higher level of play than what the IFL currently offers. It was a reoccurring theme all night hearing the announcer say…#3 Famus Hasty on the play.
During the first drive of the game, the opposing offense was allowed to get one first down prior to Hasty essentially singlehandedly ending their drive. First he had a pass break up on the goal line. The next play the Steamwheelers ran a read option with 6’5 240 lb QB Aaron Aiken. He would never get that chance as Famus and others rallied to the ball to make the tackle near the line of scrimmage. Soon enough it was 3rd and 9, and the opposing offense attempted a screen pass on the QB’s right hand of the field, and before the receiver could advance the ball at all Famus quickly came up and made a sound tackle.
If there is one thing I noticed about his game, it’s that at 5’10 200 lbs, he isn’t afraid to come up and play the run. A lot of times cornerbacks look at the run game as not their job, after all typically they are downfield trying to cover a receiver assuming every play could be a pass play. However Hasty is not one of those, he rallies to the ball on nearly every play, even at times working his way across field to help make a play. He is the type of player who doesn’t give up on a play until the whistle is blown.
Moving on in the game, later we would see Famus in one on one coverage deep in the endzone, blanketing a receiver so closely, the receiver was forced to commit a penalty to prevent an interception in the endzone. On this play Famus was able to prevent a touchdown which would have made the score 35-31 in the 4th quarter when the Steamwheelers ultimately pulled out all the stops and attempted an onside kick before a penalty negated their recovery giving the ball back to the Storm with just 40 seconds to go. However instead the Storm took the ball back with an 11 point lead knowing there wasn’t enough time left for the Steamwheelers to come back.
Another facet of Hasty’s game that popped out to me, is his ability to line up all over the field as a DB. He lined up out wide on both sides of the field, and in the slot on 3rd receivers, depending on the play. Quite honestly with his body type and the way he tackles I could even see him making the move to safety at some point in his career. When asked Famus said he intends to give the game 10 more years of his life, and I have no doubt he will achieve this goal, and many others along the way. If he didn’t let covid put an end to his hopes, and career in 2020, something tells me no obstacle will prevent Famus from reaffirming to others that he belongs in the CFL or NFL. Do yourself a favor and check out the interview, and the game in the videos below. Watch as #3 Famus Hasty shuts down his receiver, helps in the run game, and ultimately takes on a leadership role as he guides his team to a 35-24 victory in week 1.
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