News

Savannah Christian sophomore Elijah Griffin recently had an assignment to write a five-page paper. 

It was a requirement, not from any of his teachers, but from his mother. If Ashley Griffin’s 16-year-old son wanted a tattoo so much, he was going to have to make his case in five well-written pages.

Elijah Griffin said his mother is the toughest person in his home. Mind you, he’s a football player and lists himself at 6-foot-5 and 285 pounds.

“Yes, she is,” he said. “She runs the house. It’s her house.”

He got permission for his first tattoo, “FEAR GOD,” with one word on each wrist.

“I’m a very religious person,” he said. “I grew up reading the Bible. I just feel like I’m a God-fearing person. He’s the only one that judges me.”

These sentiments are true in Griffin’s heart, yet in another context, he is one of the most judged high school sophomore football players in the country, and certainly the most evaluated and discussed 10th-grader in Savannah.

A defensive tackle with two outstanding seasons on the Raiders varsity, Griffin in 2023 has risen to a five-star prospect in national recruiting services and ranked No. 1 (Rivals.com) and No. 2 (on3.com; 247sports.com) in the Class of 2025, regardless of position.

That’s his name at the top for the entire nation, which could be mind-blowing or at least ego-inflating for a teenager. Griffin has a different perspective.

“It’s a blessing. I thank God,” he said. “I don’t really look at the rankings because once you get to college, it won’t matter at all because everybody’s a three- to five-star (recruit). You’ve got to come ready to work.”

Griffin had close to 30 college offers at the time of the interview in early April, including from Power 5 conference programs such as Georgia, Georgia Tech, Alabama, Auburn, Colorado, Duke, Florida, Florida State, Louisville, Michigan, Michigan State, N.C. State, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Pitt, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia Tech, as well as Georgia Southern.

All of this attention – Griffin says he has been invited to participate in about 50 football camps this summer – and the opportunity to become a college scholarship player is “wild,” he admitted. That’s because, not that long ago, this wasn’t on the horizon, or even his dream.

“I never knew I would be the way that I am today,” he said. “Honestly, it started out, I didn’t really like playing football. I didn’t really want to play anything else. I just wanted to play video games all day. Then it all popped off my eighth-grade year.”

Griffin made headlines for getting offered an athletic scholarship from the University of Georgia – when he was in eighth grade. He hadn’t even played a down of high school football, only in middle school, but word was out.

“A lot of people knew about him,” Raiders varsity football coach Baker Woodward said. “This kid was 6-2 in the sixth grade coming on our campus. Well over 200 pounds. Could dunk a basketball in the seventh or eighth grade.

“When you look at this kid, the University of South Carolina, all of these SEC schools, they don’t even have D-linemen that look like him. They’ve got big ones and strong ones. He looks like an SEC or NFL defensive lineman right now.”

He looks like a grown man but he’s still a child – he won’t be 17 until October.

“I think people forget a lot that I’m still a kid at the end of the day. I’m growing. But I think, for me personally, I just had to be different and be focused on my craft,” said Griffin, who follows a weight-training routine and this semester joined the track and field team, excelling at shot put.

He also plans to increase his course load and graduate in December 2024 so he can be an early enrollee at the college of his choice.

Griffin feels like he’s been in the public eye since eighth grade and has different responsibilities from the average teen his age. Call it a professional mindset. He is appreciative of those who have helped him, noting that his mother has worked multiple jobs to support their family. He also understands what’s ahead for him.

Now licensed to drive, he doesn’t need a curfew “because I don’t go anywhere anyway,” he said. “I’m just in the house.”

“He’s only 16 years old, but he’s one of the most driven and mature 16-year-olds that I’ve ever met,” Woodward said. “He hasn’t just recently done that. He’s been that way since he was 13, 14 – very mature, very driven. He’s ahead of his time.”

Griffin has time on his side, Woodward said, because he has so many options, he’s a great athlete and is an A-B student. 

“He’s 16 years old, so he could change his mind all the time. He’s very smart, very educated. He’s going to take all the things into account. When it comes time to make a decision, it’s going to be thought out very thoroughly with his mom.”

Griffin plans to make official campus visits in the summer of 2024 and pick the college that’s “the best situation for me.” He knows that, when his junior year starts this fall, coaches will be allowed to call him during designated contact periods, and they will be calling.

“I’m taking it day by day,” Griffin said. “Whatever happens, happens. I’m going to do the best that I can with the situation that I have.”

PHOTO CREDIT: Nathan Dominitz for the Prep Sports Report

FOLLOW Prep Sports Report on Twitter @PrepSav, Instgram savannahsportsreport, contact PSR at https://prepsportsreport.com/Contact