Ezekiel Elliott’s decision to play football at Ohio State University – as opposed to University of Missouri or Notre Dame or a number of other contenders – went down to 6 a.m. on national signing day. But for his parents, which football jersey he will wear was not the most important thing.
“He knows that his main purpose of going to school is to get the degree,” said his mother, Dawn Elliott.
“You go to college to go to school, and he just happened to be blessed enough to be a good enough football player to be able to play football at that level and to pay for that degree.”
As a running back, Elliott was a top football recruit across the nation. He led John Burroughs School to three straight football state championship appearances and was also a standout in track and basketball. Along with his athletic feats, Elliott maintained good grades at Burroughs, a strenuous academic school, which he attended since seventh grade.
“John Burroughs is very strong academically, and we wanted him to have a challenge,” Dawn Elliott said. “That’s why he went there.”
Suzanne Hamon, Elliott’s pre-calculus teacher his senior year at Burroughs, appreciates how well Elliott reacts when there is pressure on him, on the field or in the classroom.
“He responds well to his back up against the wall,” Hamon said. “He does a good job with that. When you say, ‘This is what you need to do, this is why it’s going to pay off,’ he responds well.”
As an athlete, Elliott was the All-Metro Offensive Player of the Year in football his senior year, along with being placed on the All-Conference First Team for the Metro League in basketball. In track, Elliott competed at the state tournament, finishing first in four different events.
As a student, Elliott particularly enjoyed his African-American studies class, which he took during his senior year.
“It’s a history class, but from the Afrocentric point of view, and usually you get it from the Eurocentric point of view,” Elliott said. “You learn the history of black people from the black point of view.”
When not practicing or studying, Elliott gave back to others through community service. Along with the rest of the Burroughs Class of 2013, Elliott did a service project in the month of May. He worked as a math tutor at Live For Life Academy, a charter high school in St. Louis.
Hamon said his work at Live For Life is a testament to his ability to relate with others.
“He is really good at connecting and explaining, and you don’t get to see it very often,” Hamon said.
Though only 15 percent of his Burroughs class was African-American, Elliott said he fit in.
“The school is very accepting, I think, to everyone,” Elliott said. “I think Burroughs prides itself on diversity. At no time did I ever feel like I didn’t belong.”
He is entering a university that is less diverse than his high school. The Fall 2012 freshman class at Ohio State had 17.2 percent students of color but only 4.3 percent African-American students.
That is of less concern to Elliott than the distance from home – Columbus, Oh. is some 400 miles away from St. Louis. Describing himself as a “mama’s boy,” Elliott feels nervous about being farther from his family than he ever has before.
Elliott moved into his dorm room on June 8 to attend college orientation and begin summer classes in order to free up time for the football season.
Elliott does have dreams of taking his football game to a professional level at the National Football League, but knows that finishing school is a priority.
“I definitely have aspirations of making it to the NFL,” Elliot said. “But, you know, you have to value education and make sure you have a backup plan.”
