Homewood-Flossmoor senior Jeffrey Griffin quickly noted the peculiarity of his situation.
After Griffin committed to play football for Northern Illinois last Sunday, he realized his future is a return to his past.
The Huskies’ coaching staff recruited Griffin to play a position — defensive end — that he had not played since his freshman year.
“I’m not really an offensive guy,” Griffin said. “I made sure I worked out in every camp I went to at defensive end or defensive tackle. I don’t have the body frame to go to college for offensive line.”
When Griffin visited the Northern Illinois campus two years ago, ironically, was when he last played defense. He caught the eye of the NIU coaching staff during a camp session earlier in June.
“When I went to NIU the last time, they didn’t really pay me much attention because I was going into my sophomore year,” Griffin said. “This time, they seemed to pay a lot of attention to me.”
In the last two seasons, Griffin has only played a handful of snaps on defense. During his sophomore year, Griffin played center for Marian Catholic, and started at the position last season for Homewood-Flossmoor.
“Recruiting was hard because I wasn’t able to play my primary position,” Griffin said. “I understand because football is a team sport and I’m going to go where I’m most needed for my team to be successful.”
The 6-foot-2, 250-pound lineman chose NIU over offers from South Dakota and Indiana State. Homewood-Flossmoor coach Craig Buzea said Griffin’s work ethic, combined with his athleticism, caught the eye of NIU’s coaching staff. Griffin is slated to start at guard and defensive end this season for the Vikings.
“Jeff has worked unbelievably hard in the offseason,” Buzea said. “I believe he went into the offseason with a chip on his shoulder. He was on a mission to prove to colleges he was a Division I recruit despite only playing center for us last year.
“He has an extremely strong upper body, gets great extension with a very explosive first step. I think NIU is a great fit and I believe he has the potential to make an impact on their program.”
Griffin said Northern Illinois offered him a scholarship a few weeks ago. He discussed his options with his parents before deciding to play for the Huskies. Griffin said his visit to the DeKalb campus last weekend sealed his decision.
“I wanted my parents and family to come see me play,” he said. “I felt at home when I met the coaches and when they took me around campus. It just felt the right place for me to be.”
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Bob Narang is a freelance writer for the Daily Southtown.