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 only won six games in the entire four years that he was a starter. Not a single elite college program made him an offer.
Today, he leads the nation in interceptions (5) and was just named as 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 better get used to that name because they will see a lot of it this week when the Beavers 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 covered Green came from his choice to attend high school at Classen School of Advanced Studies in Oklahoma City. He wanted a superior education and CSAS had produced many scholars of note.
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 in a different way.
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 brought NIL money plus the chance 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 with Texas Tech and Missouri?
It doesn’t.
Some players allege that former Tulsa head coach Frank Wilson promised NIL money. But Wilson and the university say 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 be many shortcomings on the field Saturday because both of these programs abound in 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 flare and a joy 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? My guess is that the great number of elite corners in the nation will probably result in Thorpe voters passing on any candidate that 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 was 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 folded against 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 9 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 enough faults of its own and primary among those is the Beaver defense that 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 some last questions: 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 Tulsa’s way is the way it’s supposed to be, then maybe it’s time for Oregon State to lose the “Beaver” name. Instead, maybe 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 almost never 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 our post from yesterday (10/11/2025).
For the season, savvygameline is 581 – 151 in predicting winners of games. 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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