Normally, it's not easy for a Georgia high school football player to get the attention of a Pac-12 school. But it doesn't hurt when your last name is Holyfield.
Elijah Holyfield, the son of former heavyweight boxing champion Evander Holyfield and a four-star running back prospect from College Park, Ga., has picked up a scholarship offer from Oregon. It's far from his first. The 5-foot-10, 195-pounder has also been offered by the likes of Ohio State, Georgia, Michigan, Michigan State, Wisconsin, Ole Miss and more, according to oregonlive.com.
The younger Holyfield said his father has counseled him to stay grounded through the rush of attention.
"(My dad) was saying how different it was for me and him. He was picking up, as far as people knowing him, at a later age. At a younger age, he didn't have a lot of money and was a small kid and wasn't that popular," Elijah said. "He was saying how different it is for (me), because I'm so young and all the people on me, talking to me all the time -- because of him, because of me playing football. He just said to keep a cool head and just remember the main focus."
Only a high school junior, Holyfield won't sign with a college until 2016. But with moves like Holyfield's, even a junior will draw recruiting attention. Holyfield's highlights at Woodward Academy are here:
Between Holyfield and Cordell Broadus, a four-star wide receiver prospect who is the son of Snoop Dogg and heavily recruited on the West Coast, the Pac-12 Conference could be adding some serious name recognition over the next couple of years. Snoop Dogg hopes his son, who will sign in February, lands at USC.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread.*
