Elyjah Thurmon reached for the third and final baseball cap in front of him and placed it snugly on his head Wednesday morning, inciting a raucous reception from his family, friends, teammates and supporters.
Thurmon, a Bradwell Institute senior offensive lineman who is also the reigning Region 1-AAAAA boys basketball player of the year, chose the Clemson cap as his final one and will be joining the Tigers football program next month.
“Words can’t explain how I truly feel right now,” the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Thurmon said. “I’m ready to get to this next step in my life. It means my next journey has started now. I can take my next leap.”
His “little” big brother, Raymond Williams expressed his pride in his brother’s accomplishments. Williams was two months away from graduating high school when Thurmon was born.
“He’s an example – he’s not an exception,” Williams said of his younger and much larger brother. “While most kids were enjoying the summer, he was on the road, from city to city, state to state, recruiting, learning, just trying to get better. I know this because I paid for a lot of the hotel rooms. But his GPA is one of the things I’m most proud of. It shows his level of commitment, integrity and character.”
Thurmon carries a 4.2 grade point average to go along with his honors on the field and on the court.
“Today is the culmination of the hard work, dedication and sacrifice Elyjah and his family have poured into at this point,” Bradwell Tigers coach DeShon Brock said. “All his accolades and accomplishments didn’t come by happenstance; it was hard work.”
Thurmon had caps from Florida and Georgia Tech in front of him as well, picking up each before lifting the Clemson cap. Head coach Dabo Swinney and assistant coach Matt Luke, one of the more highly-regarded offensive line coaches in the country, visited Thurmon two weeks ago.
Thurmon said he was eager to get coaching from two legends in Swinney and Luke. He also was struck by the consistency in the message from the coaching staff, even after a coaching change at Clemson in the middle of his recruitment.
“The culture at Clemson and everything about it, there’s something about it that stuck with me,” he said. “It felt comfortable. I felt at home. It was real genuine to me.”
Rated by 247sports.com as a three-star prospect and the No. 102 overall prospect in Georgia, Thurmon will head to Clemson’s campus in January to begin life as a student- athlete. “I’m definitely excited for it,” he said. “I get to go early and start lifting and be ahead of the curve.”
Enrolling early also means Thurmon will be leaving his basketball teammates, currently undefeated on the season and the defending region champs.
“I love those guys,” he said, “but I had to make a choice that was best for my situation and my family, and they understand that.”