He was not ranked among the top 900 players in America. He wasn’t ranked among the top 10 players in his own state. His high school team won only six games in the entire four years he was a starter. Not a single elite college program extended an offer to him.
Today, he leads the nation in interceptions (5) and was recently named a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, which is given annually to the top defensive back in college football.
His name is Elijah Green, and he plays cornerback for the Tulsa Golden Hurricane. Oregon State’s Beavers will likely get accustomed to that name, as they will see it frequently this week when they travel to Oklahoma to take on Tulsa.
My savvygameline.com football rating system has a surprising prediction, which will be examined in a few minutes.
For now, let’s ask the question that the experts are now asking: How on earth did no one see Elijah, the Green Hurricane, coming? How did he fly under the ratings of recruiting services, college recruiters, and experts in the media?
Much of the recruiting shadow that followed Green came from his decision to attend the Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City. He sought a superior education, and CSAS had produced many notable scholars.
It had never produced a Division 1 college football player.
Besides underlying the unlikely emergence of the Green Hurricane, it says something else about Elijah that is critical to know. Elijah Green is a focused, dedicated, hard-working person, and the eye of this Hurricane is stabilized by his strong family and unbending loyalty to those who surround him.
Let me say it differently.
Green had interest from Texas Tech and, as we all know, TTU spends money on NIL like no college in the world. The money TTU could have slapped down on that table would right now be six figures in Green’s bank account.
Missouri also offered NIL money, plus the opportunity for Green to play in the SEC.
But, Elijah Green said “no” to both. Why? Because his heart is in Oklahoma. All he wanted was for any Division 1 program in the state of Oklahoma to make an offer.
Finally, Tulsa came through. He wanted to stay close to family and play for his home state.
So, how does the Tulsa NIL offer compare to those of Texas Tech and Missouri?
It doesn’t.
Some players allege that former Tulsa head coach Frank Wilson promised NIL money. However, Wilson and the university claim that there was no NIL money to begin with, and no offers were ever made.
Elijah Green knew the story.
He signed with Tulsa anyway.
There will likely be many shortcomings on the field on Saturday because both of these programs are prone to mistakes.
Elijah Green will not be one of those. The gifted, versatile, and explosive corner is a future NFL star and a joy to watch. He plays with a flair and a pleasure that convinces fans once again that he is at Tulsa for the love of the game, the love of his state, and the love of his family.
Will Green win the Thorpe Award this season? I suppose that the significant number of elite corners in the nation will likely result in Thorpe voters passing on any candidate who is not at least in the junior class.
Some have suggested that Green will use his newfound recognition to leverage himself in the transfer portal. I doubt that. If NIL money were profoundly important to him, he wouldn’t have signed with Tulsa in the first place.
As for the game itself, experts generally favor Tulsa, especially after Oregon State’s loss to winless Sam Houston State last Saturday.
But my savvygameline.com prediction system has surprised me by favoring Oregon State, 28-24.
Among the reasons for savvygameline’s prediction are:
1] After a coaching change, Oregon State has shown upward momentum and won two of its last three games. Tulsa has not changed coaches and is currently on a five-game losing skid. Momentum favors Oregon State.
2] Tulsa head coach Tre Lamb was given a “D” rating by savvygameline when he was hired for the 2025 season. He had a losing record as an FCS coach, he didn’t lure established coordinators after he was hired, and questions about his inexperience in the portal were answered with a disappointing 101st ranking.
3] Last week, the Golden Hurricanes played Florida Atlantic, a team that entered
the game with just three wins. Tulsa trailed 31-6 at the half, which raised questions about whether or not coach Lamb had “lost the locker room”. We’ll find out early in this game against Oregon State.
4] OSU has a noticeable advantage when it comes to turnovers. Both teams throw interceptions, but only Tulsa has problems with fumbles.
5] The game will be won on the ground because neither team can pass, at least not to their own players. Oregon State will win the ground game because of better and more abundant ball carriers, a stronger offensive line, and Tulsa’s 94th-ranked defense against the rush.
6) Tulsa’s defense is awful. It has given up a whopping 17 passing touchdowns in just nine games and 17 more via the rush. Opponents have reached the Hurricane red zone 50 times and scored on all but six.
Oregon State has its own faults, and primary among those is the Beaver defense, which too often stood languid last week in comparison to prior weeks when it attacked with relentless energy.
And, there’s that Green Hurricane, the top interceptor in college football. He will be roaming the secondary, and if Oregon State continues its habit of throwing interceptions, Elijah Green will be more than happy to accommodate. His ability to take the ball away is cause for caution when projecting OSU as the favored team.
And one last question: Why does Tulsa call itself the Golden Hurricane?
When was the last time you saw a hurricane in Oklahoma? How about a golden one? Shouldn’t team nicknames have some relevance to a common event or entity in your area?
If that’s the way it’s supposed to be, then maybe it’s time for Oregon State to lose the “Beaver” name. Instead, perhaps we should be calling them the Oregon State Lahayis Hupups, you know, that sabre tooth cat that once roamed the Northwest.
If Tulsa can give itself a nickname that rarely happens, then OSU should be able to have one that’s only had an absence of a mere 29 million years.
And, wouldn’t it be fun to watch cheerleaders learning how to spell it?
To see all 60 predictions for games this week, please visit savvygameline.com. It’s all for free. No signups. No emails. No ads. No money. No kidding! It’s all for fun and not a business.
For the season, savvygameline is 581-151 in predicting game winners. It is 22 games better than betting lines in projecting point spreads and 21 games better in predicting total game points.
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