Sports

Wheeler's Staley Chooses Vanderbilt

The two-sport star committed to the SEC school at its spring football game over the weekend.

He's got another year of high school, but Elijah Staley has made his decision about where he'll play college athletics.

Wheeler High School's two-sport star announced on Saturday that he has accepted a football scholarship offer from Vanderbilt University.

Staley, the Wildcats' starting quarterback the last two seasons, announced his decision on Twitter after attending Vanderbilt's spring football game:

Find out what's happening in East Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

"Yes I am a new commit of the Vanderbilt University!"

Staley, a 6-foot-7 junior who guided Wheeler to the state football playoffs, chose Vanderbilt over Mississippi State and Boston College, according to some published reports.

Find out what's happening in East Cobbwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

But he has been considered a strong prospect in basketball, especially after leading Wheeler to the Class AAAAAA semifinals this past season. Among the schools believed to have offered a basketball scholarship to Staley was Georgia.

Vanderbilt historically has not been strong in football, but in 2012 the Commodores were 9-4 and won the Music City Bowl in Nashville.

Staley told ESPN.com that he was committing to Vanderbilt "for football only."


Get more local news delivered straight to your inbox. Sign up for free Patch newsletters and alerts.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

More from East Cobb