ESPN RISE

Editor's Note: This story appears in the October 2009 Greater Philly issue of ESPN RISE Magazine

The pressure is there, and Sharrif Floyd knows the feeling all too well.

One of the nation's top football recruits, the George Washington (Philadelphia, Pa.) senior has been deluged by letters from college programs fighting to get his signature come February. He's been inundated with interview requests. And then there are the fans watching his every move.

Yet, recruiting pressure is nothing to Floyd. Growing up in North Philly, the 6-foot-3, 310-pound defensive/offensive lineman has been surrounded by poverty and crime his entire life. Though only 18, he's been forced to take care of himself for as long as he can remember.

Floyd's father died just before he was born. And though he has remained in touch with his mother, she has struggled to care for him -- leaving Floyd with his grandmother, with others in the community or simply by himself.

So although recruiting can be hectic, Floyd embraces it because he never thought he'd be in this position in the first place.

"We didn't really have much," Floyd says. "I had two options: I could go to school or I could not go to school and sell drugs. Coming up, I saw myself as in the streets because that's where people who grew up in my area are expected to be. I always said that wouldn't be me."

But Floyd doesn't want pity. Rated the nation's No. 73 recruit in the ESPNU 150, he has worked for everything he's earned. And even though he's come a long way in a short time, he isn't about to stop now.

"My motto is to go hard or go home," Floyd says. "If I'm going hard, then I'm doing something right. If I'm not, then what am I here for?"

"He's probably the most resilient kid I've met in my educational career," adds Dawn Seeger, Floyd's guidance counselor. "He's focused and lighthearted at the same time. He's able to juggle all this stuff. That makes him remarkable because most adults aren't that balanced."

Steve Boyle\ESPN RISE

Sharrif Floyd carries a 3.0 GPA as well as being able to bench press 415 pounds.

Seeger's family has served as a surrogate one for Floyd. They've housed him, fed him and even threw him his first birthday party this past summer.

When Floyd received an invitation last fall to participate in the U.S. Army National Combine in San Antonio, he didn't think he'd be able to attend because he'd have to pay his own way. But Seeger simply told him they'd find a way.

She organized a bake sale where Floyd, a couple of his teammates and several special-needs students made brownies and sold them for $1 before school. There was also a raffle and a benefit for Floyd. The proceeds from each event went toward his trip. The community raised roughly $2,000 for Floyd, and he was able to go to the combine this past January. He dominated at the event, cementing his status as an elite national recruit.

Floyd is beyond grateful for all that Seeger and the rest of the community have done for him.

"It's overwhelming," he says. "I feel a lot of love."

With everything Floyd has been through off the field, playing football is the easy part. A four-year varsity player for the Eagles, Floyd is an absolute force on both sides of the ball.

As a sophomore, he picked up All-Public League honors but tore his left ACL in the Public League semifinals. Floyd had surgery a couple months after the season ended and needed five months of rehab.

By the time Floyd's junior season rolled around, Washington head coach Ron Cohen and his staff decided to ease him back into action by having him play primarily on the offensive line. Floyd finally got his chance to return to the defensive line in the Class AAAA Public League finals, and he responded by tallying four tackles for loss in a 41-34 triple-overtime win over Northeast.

With the win, Washington advanced to the City title game against heavily favored La Salle. But the underdog Eagles were able to pull out a 23-14 win, and a big reason was the play of Floyd, who had two sacks, three tackles for loss and a blocked punt that went out of the end zone for a safety.

"They couldn't control him," says Cohen, who's in his 25th season as head coach.

Washington fell to eventual state champ Liberty in the PIAA state quarterfinals, but Floyd made The Associated Press All-State first team as an offensive lineman. Despite his success on the o-line, Floyd is being recruited to play defensive tackle at the next level. At press time, he was considering Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, North Carolina, Boston College, Rutgers, Ohio State, Miami, Penn State and Michigan.

Floyd wreaks havoc on defense with a combination of strength (he can bench press 415 pounds), quickness and smarts. Once the ball is snapped, he's looking to make a big play and it's practically pointless to try to stop him.

"In middle school, while playing basketball, my uncle told me that when someone was guarding me, act like he isn't there," Floyd says. "I related it to football. I looked at it that if someone is in front of me and doesn't have the ball, why are you wasting my time?"

Floyd is just as focused off the field. He's always looking for ways to improve not just on the gridiron but in the classroom, where he carried a 3.0 GPA into his senior year.

Part of why he could be a special player down the road is because he's so driven to succeed both in football and in life after facing down obstacles that would have overwhelmed many others.

"No matter how bad it got, he never let it get him down," Cohen says. "He didn't have it easy, let's put it that way. I'm very happy for him. He's a young man who's taken advantage of God's gift. Hopefully I'll see him play one day on Sundays."

Jon Mahoney covers high school sports for ESPN RISE Magazine.