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Arlington Bowie defensive back Kaleb Phifer pictured, Monday, Aug. 24, 2026, in Arlington. Phifer is legally deaf and has cochlear implants to help him hear.<\/p>\n
El\u00edas Valverde II\/The Dallas Morning News<\/p>\n
Talking to Arlington Bowie senior\u00a0Kaleb Phifer, you wouldn\u2019t presume anything out of the ordinary.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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He\u2019s a tall, athletic, soft-spoken high schooler, not unlike other teens. The most notable difference is the near-constant presence of a woman at his side.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Haltom running back Vudrico Roberson (5), left, is unable to elude the pursuit of Arlington Bowie defensive back Kaleb Phifer (17) during a second quarter rush. The two teams played their Class 5A Division1 football game at Choctaw Stadium in Arlington on October 23, 2025.<\/p>\n
Steve Hamm\/Special Contributor<\/p>\n
Phifer is legally deaf. He has cochlear implants to help him hear, but whenever someone speaks to him, on the Bowie sideline or in the classroom, Arlington ISD translator Tori Talor is there just in case. \u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cShe’s probably one of the best coaches on staff,\u201d Bowie head coach Joseph Sam said of Talor. \u201cThere’ve been times where we come off the field and our safeties coach wants to say something, and she’ll tap him on the shoulder and say, \u2018No, I got it.\u2019 Next thing you know, she’s getting into him probably harder than the safety coach is.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
When Phifer was born, doctors discovered he couldn\u2019t hear out of his left ear. He wore hearing aids and had routine check-ups to see if his hearing would improve. It didn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/p>\n
His parents were told their son\u2019s hearing would progressively worsen until he lost it altogether. He received his first implant in 2015 and the second in 2017.\u00a0<\/p>\n
But nothing he faced up until that point had presented a big enough barrier to stop him from playing football. He started playing flag around the age of 5, and when he got to middle school, he wanted to play tackle. His father, Thomas, said the initial approach made him nervous, but Kaleb “was determined to play.”\u00a0<\/p>\n
Middle school is also when he connected with Talor, who followed him to Bowie, which opens the season against Prosper Rock Hill on Thursday. She works with Phifer at least six days a week, including practices and games.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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Bowie defender Kaleb Phifer (17) reaches for a deflected pass intended for South Grand Prairie receiver Cash Clark (3) during the second quarter at Maverick Stadium in Arlington, November 6, 2025. The pass fell incomplete.<\/p>\n
Tom Fox\/Staff Photographer<\/p>\n
Phifer first played football without his processors, the external part of his implant that allowed him to hear, meaning he was completely deaf. He uses them on the field now, but like a lot of modern high school teams, Bowie uses signs to call defensive plays. If Phifer misses one, he can\u2019t always hear a teammate yell the play back. He\u2019s on an island.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe challenges for me on defense are if I don’t know the play, I struggle a lot,\u201d Phifer said.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That\u2019s where Talor comes in. If Phifer misses the play, he looks to his interpreter, who\u2019s also signaling him. She learned the Bowie playbook to communicate with the 6-2 safety during play and on the sideline.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Sam admits communicating with Phifer and learning how to best approach coaching him was a learning curve for everyone his freshman year, but Talor helped clear the hurdles, allowing Phifer to prosper.\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\u201cIt\u2019s good just having her as a resource to educate us,\u201d Sam said. \u201cWe are definitely glad he’s on our team because he’s a really good athlete, too.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
Phifer blossomed as a junior on varsity last season, recording 70 tackles and an interception to help Bowie go 8-3 and win its second consecutive district title. He\u2019s the team\u2019s returning leading tackler heading into his senior season.\u00a0<\/p>\n