Griggs Has Change of Heart

J.D. Griggs had been committed to Syracuse for quite some time, but recently he chose to change his mind and give a verbal commitment to the Temple Owls. We spoke to Griggs recently about why he had the change of heart and found the answer to our question was not simply a matter of liking one school better then the other.

J.D. Griggs has been having a fine season for Piscataway High School, amassing five sacks from his defensive end position and scoring six touchdowns and three two-point conversions as a tight end. Recently, the 6-foot-4, 220-pound athlete decided it would be best for him to be at Temple instead of Syracuse and he explained why.

“Lately Syracuse hadn’t been in contact with me very much, if at all honestly, so my parents and I had been leaving messages for the coaching staff and emailing them, but never got any responses,” Griggs explained. “Then I started hearing rumors that the staff was going to be replaced, so when you mixed those two things together I didn’t think it was a good situation for me to be in.”

“Temple offered me on Tuesday after I took a visit to the school and I accepted that on the spot for a number of reasons,” Griggs said. “First, my coaches know some of the staff at Temple and have had great things to say about them and I also have two friends I grew up that play there in Michael Campbell and Derek Dennis who give them high praise as well. I also liked the staff a lot on my visit, so I was very comfortable there.”

“I also liked the campus a lot and how things are set up,” Griggs added. “I will be taking a lot of my classes in their art building which is close by and have always liked the city of Philadelphia a lot, so I want to experience what it’s like for a couple of years. It also helps that I am close to home so I can consult with my family if I ever need anything.”

As a junior, the Piscataway, N.J., native tallied 60 tackles and three sacks.