The Bulldogs win the battle for the heavyweight boxer's blue-chip son.
Four-star running back Elijah Holyfield chose Georgia over Auburn at a ceremony at his high school Friday, bringing out TWO BULLDOG PUPPIES to do so.
YES.
Woodward Academy RB Elijah Holyfield has committed to #UGA, using 2 bulldog puppies during announcement. pic.twitter.com/8pQXqczAUz
— Logan Booker (@LoganMBooker) September 4, 2015Holyfield, who is the son of former boxing champion Evander Holyfield, had narrowed down his finalists to Georgia, Auburn, Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama. Georgia seemed to be the favorite leading up to the announcement, but as you may know, high school kids have been known to change their minds about things sometimes.
Holyfield told the AJC that he has been silently committed to the school of his choice for over a month now.
"I had to sure up some things recently," he said. "I've had a pretty good idea of where I wanted to go for some time now. I'm 100 percent sure that's where I want to go now."
The Atlanta (Ga.) Woodward Academy star stands 5'10 and weighs in at 204 pounds, and is regarded as the fifth-best running back prospect in the 2016 class, according to the 247 Composite Index. He's rated as a four-star prospect by all four major scouting services, and is a top-20 prospect in the talent-laden state of Georgia.
It makes sense as to why a player like Holyfield would pick his home-state Bulldogs. Georgia has had lots of success churning out productive running backs in recent years, most notably Todd Gurley and current starter Nick Chubb.
The other school that appeared to be ahead of the pack is Auburn. Holyfield's brother, Evander Jr., ran track and played football nearly a decade ago, and the Tigers have also produced a string of high profile running backs in Gus Malzahn's offensive system.