Elijah Sarratt has become synonymous with Indiana Football. Fans have become accustomed to seeing “Waffle House” in the end zone, doing his signature “IU” celebration. Sarratt has been embraced by the Bloomington community as the face of the football team, appearing in Indiana University’s primetime commercial and advocating for a Waffle House in town. However, before he became a household name, he was Elijah Sarratt: a zero-star recruit at tiny St. Francis University in Pennsylvania.
Even before his collegiate career began, Sarratt was familiar with moving up the ladder and switching schools. Sarratt began his high school career in his hometown of Stafford, Virginia, at Colonial Forge High School. Quickly, however, word of Sarratt’s talent began to spread throughout the DMV area, and he transferred to the powerhouse St. Frances Academy in Baltimore for his senior season.
Despite this, Sarratt did not garner much attention in the recruiting process. As a zero-star recruit, Sarratt did not receive a single D-I offer as a senior. After sending email after email to junior college coaches, Sarratt finally got an opportunity at Saint Francis, a small FCS program in Loretto, Pennsylvania.
Determined to make the most of his opportunity, Sarratt exploded onto the scene as a true freshman, catching 40 passes for 700 yards and 13 touchdowns. This success allowed Sarratt to once again move up the ladder, transferring to James Madison in 2023 to play with his brother, JMU Safety Josh Sarratt.
Under Curt Cignetti, Sarratt began to blossom as a receiver, catching 82 passes for 1,191 yards and 8 touchdowns in 2023. When Coach Cig took the IU job, Sarratt followed him to Bloomington, becoming a day-one impact transfer, catching 53 passes for 957 yards and 8 touchdowns for the Hoosiers in 2024.
This season, for the first time in his career, Sarratt entered year two in the same program. His familiarity with the offense has allowed him to become a leader on the team, and his big plays (including a game-winning touchdown catch against Iowa) are a big part of the reason that Indiana is ranked number 1 in the country.
There wasn’t a bigger stage in college football than the Big Ten Championship, and Sarratt put on a show, catching a 17-yard game-winning touchdown pass to help the Hoosiers secure their first outright Big Ten title since 1945.
Reflecting on his journey this week, Sarratt said, “It’s crazy. I’m still processing it, just that whole moment, just seeing the confetti coming down, us being on the podium, hearing the crowd pop, scoring the touchdown. It’s a surreal feeling like; I got to thank the man above for allowing me to be in this position. Because there’s a lot of times where I didn’t know what was going to go on with my football career. So, to be here right now, talking to you guys, this is a blessing. So, all these little moments that I’ve been going through, I appreciate it. I appreciate it a lot.”
Now that 0-star recruit will be playing in the Rose Bowl for a chance at a National Championship.