The youngsters gathered on a cool Monday evening at Pooler Stadium for Savannah Christian’s Under the Lights Football Combine likely shared similar versions of the same dream.
They want to play football in high school, then college, then maybe -- because why not dream big? -- all the way to the NFL.
Photo: Assistant Coach Keith Brooking (Georgia Tech/Atlanta Falcons), SCPS Head Coach Baker Woodward, Dylan McMahon Class of 2019 (NC State/LA Rams), Elijah Griffin SCPS '25 (University of Georgia), and David Bucey SCPS '24 (University of South Carolina) on the field at SCPS. - Courtesy Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department.
On hand to aid their quest as coaches at the combine were three Savannah Christian graduates in various stages of living the dream.
Dylan McMahon (Class of 2019) was selected last April in the NFL Draft after a standout career at North Carolina State and completed his rookie season playing offensive line for the Los Angeles Rams.
PHOTO: Dylan McMahon SCPS '19 (NC State/LA Rams) back on the field at SCPS, inspiring the next generation of Raiders! - Courtesy Katherine Sandoz/Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department
McMahon said he had NFL dreams since he was little and watched older brother Ryan McMahon, who played at Florida State. Their brother, Ben, also played at Savannah Christian.
“We are a football family,” said Dylan, 24. “I knew that’s what I wanted to do, but it’s a pretty surreal moment when it actually comes and everything comes to fruition.”
David Bucey (Class of 2024) parlayed his stellar career as a versatile go-to guy on offense and defense for the Raiders into a scholarship at the University of South Carolina. Bucey enrolled early in January 2024 and appeared in all 13 games as a true freshman safety and special teams player last season.
PHOTO: David Bucey SCPS '24 (University of South Carolina) back at SCPS, leading and inspiring the next generation of Raiders! - Courtesy Katherine Sandoz/Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department
“The speed of the game is way different. It’s almost a different game,” said Bucey, 18. “The first year is crazy. It’s a lot different than high school. The atmosphere is obviously insane. The games are really loud, but they’re really fun, too.”
Elijah Griffin (Class of 2025) raised the bar for future Raiders with a spectacular high school career. The five-star recruit earned virtually every individual accolade for a defensive lineman while leading the team to great success on the field.
PHOTO: Elijah Griffin SCPS '25 (University of Georgia) making an impact on and off the field, inspiring the next generation of Raiders. - Courtesy Katherine Sandoz/Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department
Griffin signed in December with the University of Georgia -- which offered him a scholarship when he was an eighth-grader -- after he rose in the 247Sports composite rankings to No. 3 in the nation, the No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 1 player in Georgia in his class.
He graduated early and enrolled in January at Athens but made time to return to his hometown for the combine. As a true freshman, Griffin was not available for media interviews per the UGA football program’s policy, combine organizers explained.
When he spoke to the children in the final segment of the combine, Griffin talked about paying attention to detail as well as the importance of time management, a skill that can seem difficult but is something they can handle. Then he gave an example of a particularly busy full day for a student-athlete at UGA.
Savannah Christian’s Baker Woodward, who coached all three players, also has a former Georgia Tech star and NFL All-Pro as his linebackers coach in Keith Brooking, whose son Logan (Class of 2025) starred as a two-way player at SCPS. Logan Brooking enrolled early this year at Clemson, but the tight end was unavailable because the Tigers are having spring practice.
A common thread
Woodward noted the array of talent and achievement and wanted the program to give back to the Raiders family and the community at large.
The event was an opportunity for fifth- through eighth-graders to meet and learn from these players and coaches, as well as current students and staff, in a setting like a combine with timed 40-yard sprints and other drills.
“One thing these guys have in common, all three of them were captains for the football team,” Woodward said. “To be a captain on our football team, it’s got to be voted on by the coaches and the players.”
PHOTO: Head Coach Baker Woodward addressing the campers, sharing wisdom and guidance under the lights. Courtesy Katherine Sandoz/Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department
Woodward also noted that the trio excelled academically, they have a “superior” work ethic, such as their efforts in the weight room, and “They all have relationships with the Lord. That just makes it refreshing for me.”
When McMahon spoke to the youngsters, he stressed putting God first as well as “finding your why” (you are playing football) and the importance of a strong work ethic.
One of the children asked if he knew Matthew Stafford, the Rams’ star quarterback, and a Georgia Bulldogs legend. McMahon appreciated the humor of the innocent question.
“I would say so,” McMahon explained. “I play center.”
In an earlier interview, McMahon discussed about his journey to the NFL. He was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference honorable mention in 2023 as well as a three-time member of the All-ACC Academic Football Team. He earned a degree in business.
After participating in the NFL Scouting Combine, McMahon was drafted in the sixth round by the Philadelphia Eagles, who waived him before placing him on the practice squad – a common practice – for Week 1 of the 2024 season.
The Rams snagged him off the practice squad on Sept. 11, and he spent the rest of the season with Los Angeles. He started one regular-season contest and played in one wild-card playoff victory but not the NFC Championship Game, a narrow loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion, his former team in Philadelphia.
McMahon has had quite a 12-month stretch, with getting married last April to fellow SCPS graduate Emma Jepson (now McMahon), then the NFL draft, and then playing as a rookie for the Eagles and Rams.
He said he would tell youngsters at the combine to “put your faith first before you do anything in this world.”
“I think that carries you a long way,” McMahon continued. “Second, have fun with it. Enjoy it. Don’t get caught up in everything. If you have to for a second, just pause and take a look around where you are because it goes by fast.”
Bucey said in an earlier interview that he would advise the children not to take these years for granted because they’re unforgettable, so make the most of them.
He made the trip to Pooler after getting out of his “Oceans and Society” class around 2:20 p.m. on Monday at the campus in Columbia, S.C. The environment studies major said it was important to continue the culture at SCPS and he wanted to help.
“Just the way that coach Woodward ran practices and all four years of me being in high school being coached by him and all of the coaching staff at Savannah Christian has stuck with me and made me a better person,” Bucey said.
Working toward success
He said a common characteristic for those players who rise to the next level is they do everything they’re supposed to, and more. They’re determined and they have a different mindset to achieve their goals.
Jordan Dillon, 16, would be an excellent model to follow. A sophomore at SCPS, Dillon has started on varsity since the second game of his freshman season. He said he has verbal offers from 13 college programs, including Georgia Tech, South Carolina, N.C. State, Florida State, and Kentucky.
Dillon plans to go to a few college football camps this summer, which should bring further exposure to recruiters.
“You want to get the work in first, and all that,” Dillon said. “What I’ve done is I’ve been getting the work in in the spring. I’m still working during the summer, but the summer is when I go hard at the camps.”
Like the youngsters on Monday, Dillon grew up playing football but didn’t know he would grow to be 6-foot-4 and about 325 pounds before his junior year. So, children would be advised to be flexible with their football dreams.
“I thought I was going to be a wide receiver, actually,” Dillon said.
Photo Credit: Courtesy Katherine Sandoz/Savannah Christian Preparatory School Athletic Department
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