Touchdown Talent -- Sarratt Thrives By ‘Showing What He Can Do’
Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. - Some guys have a knack for scoring, for getting into the end zone, for making plays to position themselves to get into the end zone.
Guys like Elijah Sarratt, for instance.
No true junior receiver in major college football can match Sarratt’s 21 career touchdowns. Only Arizona receiver Tetairoa McMillan has more receiving yards than Sarratt’s 1,890. He also has six 100-yard receiving games.
Now that he’s at Indiana after transferring from James Madison, which followed a year at Saint Francis of Pennsylvania, joining a talented receiver group, imagine the possibilities.
First, though, understand this -- the 6-foot-2, 209-pound Sarratt is confident without being cocky; talented and productive without losing perspective.
“You have to put that work in every day,” he says. You’ve got to put that time in. I have a great support cast around me to keep my head straight. Keep working every day. If I do that, everything will come to me.”
Sarratt began as a lightly recruited player out of Virginia’s Colonial Forge High School despite earning all-state honors as a defensive back, and all-region accolades as a wide receiver and kick returner.
St. Frances Academy coach Messay Hailemariam saw potential and offered a scholarship. After one season that included 13 touchdown catches, James Madison offered a scholarship. Sarrat became a Duke.
After another big season highlighted by 82 catches for 1,191 yards and eight more TD catches, he became a Hoosier.
“I’m blessed to be here," Sarratt says. "In my high school senior year, I didn’t know where I would end up. Saint Frances took a chance on me, and I was able to show people what I could do. I went to James Madison and was able to do the same thing. Now I’m trying to improve on last year and have a better season.”
At IU, Sarratt will face formidable competition such as Ohio State, defending national champion Michigan, and national runner-up Washington along with the rest of a rugged Big Ten schedule.
“I improved a lot,” he says, “but I’m nowhere near where I want to be. I have a lot of growth to do. I came here because we have a great coaching staff.
“Last year, they put me in spots that I wanted to be put in. We have a great strength staff. They get your body right. I like everything they do. That’s why I’m here.”
Improvement starts by doing the little things right all the time.
“It’s about trust and being very detail oriented,” Sarratt says. “The coaches are very detail oriented. If I’m one yard off my spot, they let me know. You have to be where they want you to be so the play works out. It’s little stuff like that.
“The coaches move us in different spots. They know our strengths and play to our strengths. They line me up in the slot, on the outside, what I like to do. Then they go from there.”
Sarratt didn’t spend a lot of time in the transfer portal after last season. There was no need. He’d seen what head coach Curt Cignetti and offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan could do with and for him at James Madison.
They moved to Indiana and so did Sarratt's options.
“They talked to me as soon as they were able,” Sarratt says. “Things moved from there. They weren’t pressuring me. They knew other schools were interested. I came here and heard what they had to say.
“I had my options open. This was the only visit I took. I had other visits planned, but they told me everything I needed here, so I came here.”
Adjusting to a new school and new teammates continues.
“Some days might not go how you want,” Sarratt says. “You have to be consistent every day. You might catch one pass today, it might be eight tomorrow. Weather the storm and try to get better every day.”
Adjustment includes more leadership responsibilities than he’s ever had before.
“I’ve got to pick up more of a leadership role. I had a lot of older guys who showed me the way, and toward the end of last season I spoke up more. One of my focuses is to be more of a leader and get all the guys on the same page.”
As far as the offense, the quarterback-receiver connection will be huge. Kurtis Rourke, Tayven Jackson, and Tyler Cherry remain at the forefront of the quarterback competition, and Sarratt is well equipped to thrive with whoever runs the show.
“I’ve had three new quarterbacks,” he says. “It comes with bumps in the road of getting that chemistry down. We’re still early in the process of getting everything down. We take it day by day and keep stacking those days up.”
Spring football days end with Thursday night’s Spring Game, but the building is, in many ways, just beginning.
“We’re working, competing and getting better every day,” Sarratt says. “No spot is guaranteed. We know we have a lot of work to do and we’re getting better.”