Boomer Grigsby has two goals heading into Saturdays East-West Shrine Game at SBC Park to perform well and to show everyone what Illinois State football is about.
Grigsby and the East squad will line up for the kick-off at 1 p.m. CST in the all-star game televised by ESPN. The Canton, Ill., native will be wearing his traditional No. 46 and wont be displaying any other university decals on his helmet as traditionally seen at collegiate senior games.
I didnt bring any stickers with me and I dont really want any other logos on my nice white helmet, Grigsby said. I want to make sure everybody knows where Im from.
Purdues Joe Tiller heads up the Easts coaching staff, while fellow Boilermaker
Brock Spack serves as the defensive coordinator. Former Buffalo Bills linebacker Darryl Talley oversees Grigsby and the rest of the linebackers.
I really like this year's group of guys. There are some pretty good athletes in the bunch, so I am anxious to see what they can do the next few days, said Talley, a former two-time Pro Bowl linebacker.
Along with Grigsby, Southern Illinois running back Brandon Jacobs is competing for the West team to represent the Gateway Football Conference. Grigsby is rooming with fellow I-AA linebacker and Buck Buchanan Award finalist Liam Ezekiel from Northeastern.
Its nice to be paired up with another guy from a smaller program, Grigsby said. Everybody here was a star at their respective schools and both of us are looking forward to go out and show everyone how competitive I-AA football really is.
Grigsby has spent the entire week in San Francisco preparing for Saturdays game, performing in front of numerous NFL scouts, touring Alcatraz and visiting the Shriners Hosptials for Children.
We went to the hospital Sunday afternoon, Grigsby said. It really puts things in perspective for you and helps you see how fortunate you really are. We played against the kids in a game of wheelchair football and it was great to see the smiles on their faces.
On Monday the teams held their first of five practices and Grigsby could be the starter in Saturdays game.
It was just like being at Illinois State, Grigsby said. We jumped right into it. We had practice periods and broke up into position workouts. Im not sure if Im starting or not, they havent gotten into that, but every time the coaches call out for the ones (first team) I run out there.
There was an NFL workday on Wednesday where the NFL personnel determined the practice drills and schedule.
There were at least 70 to 80 scouts on hand, Grigsby said. Ive had personal meetings with a number of them and I just continue to go out there and show them how I can get to the ball.
