Future Pending: Will Elija Godwin Have To Pick Between Football And Track?


There may soon come a time when Elija Godwin finds himself at a crossroads between football and track and field. 

The Covington Newton (GA) High junior is a 6-foot, 190-pound athlete who is ranked in the top 10 nationally in the 200m (fourth) and 400m (sixth) and is widely considered as one of the nation's top athletes in the sprints. 

But he's also a surefire high school football star and ball-hawking safety who boasts scholarship offers from big and mid-tier programs such as Virginia, Miami (Ohio), Massachusetts, and Central Michigan. 

At what point will Godwin, who has a cousin who plays football in the SEC, need to determine his future in either sport? 

"Right now he's not leaning either way," Newton boys coach Kevin Barnes said. "He has a love for both." 

But at least at this point, Godwin is beginning to understand his predicament. 

"When you go through the recruiting process, it's tough, because they tell you what you want to hear," he said. "I may talk to a coach and tell him that I want to play two sports. And he'll be like 'Yeah, that's fine with us.' But then you go back and you look at their rosters, and you don't see many athletes who do both." 

As the 2017 NFL Draft begins in earnest on Thursday in Philadelphia, the percentage of athletes drafted with backgrounds in track and field will undoubtedly be high -- just not at the collegiate level.

A rare few have done it exceptionally well.

While college football programs throughout the country are littered with players with high school track and field backgrounds, there often isn't as much crossover at the college level. 

There are exceptions. In recent years, Marquise Goodwin (Texas), Artie Burn (Miami), and Robert Griffin III (Baylor) all managed to thrive and become All-Americans in track despite an all-consuming schedule in football.

But at the end of the day, all three eventually decided to pursue their fates in football. They all became NFL players rather than test out the market in track and field -- Goodwin, however, did try to qualify for the Rio Olympics

Godwin has managed to capture big wins in national races. A year ago, he won the 400m at Brooks PR in 46.92 seconds. The same season, he captured his first state championship in the 400m. He also won a USATF Region 4 Junior Olympic race in the 200m and a AAU National Club Championship in the 400m in a PR of 45.83 seconds. 

Recently, Godwin ran his first time under 21 seconds in the 200m dash (non-wind legal) in 20.78 seconds and added another PB in the 100m with a clocking of 10.52 seconds.

All these successes lead him to want more and more on the track. He's searching for a 45-low time in the 400m and perhaps a 20-mid finish in the 200m. 

But he also has to keep his priorities straight. His opportunities at the next level could be determined by which programs recruit him in football. 

So over the summer, Godwin will invest in football camps in Georgia and maybe beyond the state. There are satellite camps, held by local and out-of-state colleges -- and by which scholarships are often thrown about -- and regional combines held by recruiting services such as Rivals and Scout. 

There's even a pie-in-the-sky hope of being invited to The Opening, a national football combine held by Nike in Eugene, OR, on the campus of the University of Oregon. The Ducks are one of the programs Godwin wants to look into -- "they're a school that allows you to do both," he said. 

Over the past year, Godwin has felt the weight of both sports on his shoulders. 

"Football came first," Godwin said. "I've been playing since I was 5 years old. But when I started  to really like track was a couple years ago, when I was traveling to all these meets and doing well. I really grew to love it." 

Money often is a determining factor in the decision process moving forward. The NFL is a billion-dollar industry with hundreds of player-employees, while companies who support professional track athletes with yearly contracts -- sometimes with reduction clauses -- are often limited to paying for the most elite of talent.

Godwin doesn't want to decide his future just yet. He's optimistic that he won't have to choose between either. 

"At the end of the day, I do both for fun," he said. "I feel like, whatever you do, if you're good enough at it, you'll be able to make money in it. Choosing track or football over money I don't think it would come down to that."


But because of the disparity of how scholarships are handed out at major Division I universities, he may be forced into it, too. NCAA Division I FBS teams are permitted as many as 85 scholarships, while Division I track and field programs are only granted 12.6. 

Colleges track coaches are often forced then to find creative ways to incentivize potential student-athletes with combinations of partial athletic scholarships. If student-athletes qualify, they can also gain academic grants on top of their athletic money, but oftentimes program depth is underwritten by walk-ons. 

Godwin is talented enough; he likely won't have to worry about that. 

But two years ago, he already started planning for his future. As his love for track and field was blooming, he changed his position on the football field.

It was out of the need to preserve his health. 

"Being the type of running back I was at the time, a lot of defenders were coming at me low," he said. "You got bruised up, way more than what you would by playing defense. So when I started playing DB, I didn't get as many of them. I didn't have to take the hurt as much." 

And ultimately, that self-preservation helped sustain his track and field career over the spring.

In the next week or so, Godwin will be more focused than he's ever been. Football scouts from Louisiana State University are coming to town to watch the safety in action. 

And the other day Barnes mentioned something to him. Cyril Grayson, a four-time NCAA champion and seven-time All-American at LSU in the 200m, 400m, and 800m, was signed by the Seattle Seahawks without ever playing a down in college.

"I asked him how that happened," Godwin said. "He said to me, 'You know, it goes to show, that's how much football coaches endorse speed.'"

Maybe there won't be a crossroads after all.