McQueen maintained above a 3.0 grade point average throughout his high school career and enrolled in online courses, which allowed him to graduate from high school a semester early. He will begin his classes at SMU this month, as well as participate in spring football practices.
“I think I will have a huge advantage by being able to start a semester early,” McQueen shared. “It will allow me to get a semester of classes under my belt before going into the fall season with all of the other new freshmen.”
Terrell Tiger Head Football Coach, Mike Shields, addressed the crowd at the signing, urging the younger players to follow in McQueen’s footsteps by prioritizing their academics, along with proving themselves on the football field. Over his three-year career in Terrell, Shields has coached several outstanding athletes who have received scholarships to play football on the collegiate level.
“We want our students to know if they work hard on their grades and play hard on the field, colleges and universities will take notice,” shared Shields. “At some point, football will come to an end, and Elijah will have a $250,000 education to fall back on. That is something to be very proud of.”
While McQueen’s high school days have just barely ended, he is already looking forward to beginning his college career.
“I am excited for the opportunity to play for such a fantastic program like SMU, and earn a great education at the same time.”
From the entire Terrell Tiger community, congratulations on this tremendous accomplishment, Elijah.