By: Pete DiPrimio | IUHoosiers.com
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – A question is asked — why is he an Indiana receiver instead of another position — and Elijah Sarratt doesn’t hesitate. Yes, he could be a defensive back or a punt or kick returner, or perhaps even a basketball player, as he has been in the past, but what’s the fun in that when, as a receiver he gets to do so much more.
“It’s scoring touchdowns,” he says with a smile. “That’s one of the best feelings ever. You’re hearing the crowd yelling when you score. You know you did something special for your team.”
Sarratt has done special things as a receiver for the Hoosiers (3-0), just as he did at James Madison and, before that, at Saint Francis (Pa.).
Yes, that includes touchdowns. He’s only caught one as a Hoosier, but he had 13 as a college freshman at Saint Francis and eight last year for James Madison.
The receiving lure, he adds, also includes running routes. At the highest levels, it’s more than just running by defensive backs.
“I love the art of running routes,” Sarratt says. “There’s really an artistry out there. The way we stem our routes. The way we set people up and make it look like something that it’s not. I like everything that goes into route running.”
This reflects Sarratt’s sometimes whimsical nature. He finds humor in the simple things. His brother, Josh, is a James Madison safety who goes by the nickname of “Cheese.”
What’s up with that?
“As a kid, he used to whine a lot,” Sarratt says with a smile, “so my parents would say, ‘Baby, do you want cheese with that whine?’”
Sarratt says he doesn’t have a nickname, but offers one:
“You could say ‘Waffle House’ because I’m open 24/7.”
Don’t take this that Sarratt isn’t serious about his craft. He spends hours watching film of NFL and college receivers.
“I take anything from anybody,” he says. “They can be older than me, younger than me. If I see something I like that they do, I try to instill it into my game.”
Sarratt has modified his diet, which includes cutting out fried foods, which were among his favorites.
“I’ve changed my body by improving my diet. Cutting out fried foods was hard, but I try to improve every day.”
Being on his third winning college team — Saint Francis made the FCS playoffs in his only season there; James Madison opened 11-0 last year to earn a top-25 national ranking — gives Sarratt a sense of what a winning culture is, especially with the way head coach Curt Cignetti and his staff develop it.
“Everybody has to stay together,” Sarratt says. “You’re going to have good and bad plays. No matter what happens, you have to stay together, keep your head down and keep going.”
Sarratt has certainly done that. He leads the Hoosiers with 12 catches. His 203 receiving yards includes a 71-yard reception.
Last year at James Madison, he caught 82 passes for 1,191 receiving yards. In his one season at Saint Francis, he caught 42 passes for 700 yards and those 13 TDs, a program-tying record.
It all drew Cignetti’s recruiting interest.
“We needed receivers that year,” he says. “He was all-conference. He had a skill set.
“He’s just a very competitive guy. He’s a guy you can really trust. He’s really good at making contested catches. He’s smart. He loves football.”
Love as a Hoosier includes building the chemistry and communication with all the quarterbacks, highlighted by starter Kurtis Rourke.
“We’re working on it every day,” he says. “Kurt and I are still not 100 percent where we want our communication to be, but we know we’ll get there if we keep working.
“This is my third new quarterback since I’ve been to college. It’s been a process, but I enjoy the process.”
Cignetti enjoys Sarratt enjoying the process.
“I think you see a trust factor developing with Kurtis and him and (receiver Miles Cross), who Kurtis has played with at Ohio University and the other guys that are in (the receiving room),” Cignetti says.
Sarratt is one of 13 transfers from James Madison, which doesn’t include multiple James Madison coaches who also made the switch. They all contributed to win-now, win-often, win-long-term mindset that has produced that 3-0 start with an impressive win at UCLA.
“Anywhere we’re at,” Sarratt says, “we have to have that culture that we’re going to do everything to the best of our ability.”
That includes a receiving corp rich in depth and talent.
Oman Cooper Jr. has rocked opposing secondaries by averaging a Big Ten-best 21.3 yards for each of his 11 catches, plus two touchdowns. Myles Price is steady with 106 yards on his 11 catches. Miles Cross offers spectacle (remember his one-handed highlight grabs against FIU and UCLA) with 120 yards and a touchdown on his seven catches. Two of Ke’Shawn Williams’ four catches have gone for touchdowns.
