NASHVILLE | There's no telling what Elijah McAllister will end up doing after his college football career is over. The new Auburn player already has his master's degree in education diversity and urban studies, coming from Vanderbilt no less, and is working on his Ph.D. while playing for the Tigers.
He can probably go on and do anything when he is done with his studies. McAllister is that special kind of kid – oh, who am I kidding? He's a full-grown man – that comes around every so often. Every answer on Tuesday at SEC Media Days, whether on the podium or just speaking with another person, was met with thought, intelligence and humor that can have you picturing him sitting in any boardroom at any Fortune Global 500 company as the leader.
The defensive stalwart couldn't even get tricked into someone asking about him possibly becoming the president of the United States one day.
"I try not to get in politics," McAllister responded. "I'm moreinterested in people and elevating them."
Or, this spring, when yours truly asked him if he would want people to call him a doctor after earning that inevitable Ph.D.
"I just want to make sure, as I grow older, that I set (up) the generation for my family," McAllister said. "And my current family, my immediate family, can see that you can do anything in this life. You can play football at the highest level. You can be a high-ranking academic. You can do anything. That's kind of my passion for pursuing my doctorate degree and continuing that."
Oh, and we haven't even discussed his ability on the football field. At 6-foot-6 and 271 lbs., McAllister looks the part of an SEC player: someone who will tackle you so hard you think you are being transported to another time zone. Of course, he's such a nice guy that he would help you up after recording that hit.
And, much to the chagrin of those of us who weren't precisely academically adept, he says playing football is more difficult than getting that top degree handed out by a university.
"When I think of studying for a Ph.D., there's nobody stopping me from studying and working on getting better in the academic space, whereas when I'm rushing the passer, that person in front of me is like, no, you're not going to do your job," McAllister said.
Cue everyone slapping their head.
But let's get back to football. The New Jersey native has only been on Auburn's campus since December, but he's already won the respect of his teammates and coaches. His work ethic, leadership and ability to show up with the same attitude every day earned him the right to represent the Tigers in Nashville, even if he has never played a down for them. And, in his unselfish style, McAllister isn't worried about him or this year but laying the grounds for future Auburn teams.
"It's got to start with the foundation here in year one," he said.
And yes, McAllister will get a shot at taking on his former Commodore teammates when Auburn travels to Vanderbilt in November, some he got to see on Tuesday as the local team was also at media days.
Was it weird seeing them when he was now decked out in orange and blue? Of course not. McAllister says the relationships and brotherhood he has built with those guys, some of his best friends, will never go away.
So, with one year left, McAllister will suit up for Auburn and hope to create chaos for opposing offenses while earning that doctorate that will spring him to do great things in his life. And, while he certainly seems to be able to do anything, there is one thing that he needs help finding: a good chicken parm in Auburn.
"You remembered," McAllister said, recalling a question from April. "So my Auburn food connoisseur vibes are continuing to grow, but the chicken parm I haven't found yet."
I know a place, Elijah. Just keep me in mind in the future.
