Morgan County rising senior Antavious Elder announced his commitment to the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) via social media in the early evening of July 10.
Elder, one of the Bulldogs’ defensive captains last season, is a 6-foot-3, 260-pound defensive lineman who also plays tight end on offense.
In his statement on Twitter, Elder thanked everyone involved in his recruitment and had a few words for the Morgan County faithful.
“I want to thank my family, my teammates, my coaching staff, and all the coaches that recruited me hard during this process,” Elder said. “To the Morgan County community, we still have unfinished business to take care of. It has been a blessing to be a part of this supportive community, and I promise not to let you down.”
During his junior season, Elder racked up 60 total stops, with four of those coming as tackles for loss, and five were sacks. He also forced three fumbles during his time on the defensive line.
On top of that, he spent time on the offensive side of the ball playing a tight end/half-back position. He contributed to the Bulldogs by gaining almost 250 all-purpose yards and four total touchdowns.
Elder’s performances helped Morgan County go 7-3 during the regular season last year, and he was named to the All-Region 4 AAA team for his accomplishments.
His recruitment picked up as a result, and Elder found himself receiving offers from multiple different schools such as Mercer, Florida Atlantic and many more.
UAB was actually one of the first schools to offer Elder back on Jan. 30, and he told the Lake Oconee News in an interview that it was the Blazers’ culture that got him to commit.
“I was looking for a family-type of culture, and I thought UAB was one of the places trying to embody that the most,” Elder said. “The whole entire coaching staff is very close, so that kind of helps facilitate that family mentality and is the main reason I chose UAB.”
The Blazers are coached by head coach Trent Dilfer, a 14-year NFL veteran who has a knack for the game.
On top of his playing career, Dilfer has multiple years of coaching experience, sports broadcasting experience and helped establish the Elite 11 Academy for high school quarterbacks.
Elder will be in good hands as he starts his journey under Dilfer and defensive line coach Miguel Patrick.
Additionally, Elder still has his senior season coming up with the Bulldogs, and he wants to make the most of it. He acknowledged how he’s learned a lot from the Morgan County coaching staff and head coach Clint Jenkins.
“Coach Jenkins has done an excellent job with me and the rest of the guys. When he first got here, people thought we might have a losing season or two, but they instilled a tough culture around the program, and it really helped,” Elder said. “They’ve taught us that we aren’t going to lay down for anybody, and that mentality has helped me develop as a player.”
Ultimately, Elder wants to use his senior season to prepare for his collegiate career; however, he still has goals for his final year as a Bulldog.
“We set a lot of expectations for ourselves, and it’s more than just making the playoffs – it’s about winning games,” Elder said. “We want to get over the hump and win those big-time games that we should have won last year like against Monroe or Hebron Christian. Every day, we want to beat the adversity, and make it further than last year.”