Follow the Leader

There was a time when Robert Griffin was off the radar of a lot of college recruiters. Even though he led Copperas Cove to back-to-back Class 5A state championship games, some coaches thought Griffin’s future was as a receiver or defensive back. But Art Briles never saw Griffin as anything but a quarterback.

“Robert came to a camp I had—I guess it was in 2007,” Briles said. “I knew he could run—that was a given. But he got out there in passing drills, and he handled himself well.”

After originally planning to join Briles at the University of Houston, Griffin followed the coach to Baylor. The move has paid big dividends for both. Stepping in at quarterback as a freshman, Griffin was off-the-charts good and has helped revive Baylor’s football program.

Griffin made freshman All-American as he passed for 2,091 yards and fifteen touchdowns and rushed for 843 yards and thirteen scores. The six-foot-three quarterback was a breakaway threat every time he touched the ball and showed uncharacteristic poise for a freshman as he threw just three interceptions in 267 pass attempts.

He returned for his sophomore year as the unquestioned leader of Baylor’s offense.

“I’m a year older, and I feel a lot more confident,” Griffin said. “I know and trust my receivers, and I know I just have to go out and play. Everyone went through growing pains last year, and I certainly had mine.”

In his first start against Northwestern State last year, Griffin threw for 294 yards and three touchdowns in a 51-6 win. In his next game, Griffin passed for 217 yards and two scores and ran for 129 yards and another touchdown as the Bears blew away Washington State, 45-17. After his remarkable start, nobody could pry the job from Griffin.

“Robert is a guy who’s very self-driven and self-motivated,” Briles said. “He has a plan and carries through with it. He’s done a lot for Baylor on the national football scene, and we’re very appreciative of it. He hasn’t done it through what he’s said—he’s done it through what he’s done. That’s how you make noise in the college football world.”

After finishing third in the 400-meter hurdles in the 2008 NCAA Track and Field Championships, Griffin didn’t run track this past spring. Instead, he focused completely on football and came back ten pounds heavier at 206 pounds to withstand the punishment he has to take from defenses geared to stop him.

“I’m definitely bigger and stronger, but I can still hit the turbo,” Griffin said. “I might run over somebody this year—you never know.”

Confident that he was the starting quarterback entering preseason camp, Griffin focused on improving his passing game while developing chemistry with his teammates.

Despite all the publicity he’s drawn after his freshman year, Griffin has never thought he’s bigger than the team. That’s made him even more popular among his teammates.

“Robert is used to having people look at him when he walks into a room, and it didn’t start just now,” Briles said. “But the good thing about Robert is that he doesn’t seek it out. Our players respect him for what he does on and off the field.”