Former Garden City standout making immediate impact at Indiana

UPDATE: Elliott had four tackles, including three solo, in the Hoosiers 38-31 win over Nebraska on Saturday. The victory was the Hoosiers' first over Nebraska since 1959 and the win gives IU the first three-game Big 10 win streak since 1993. The 6-2 start is the Hoosiers' best since a 7-1 start in that same 1993 season, according to IUHoosiers.com's Pete DiPrimio.

Former Garden City High School and Garden City Community College star Demarcus Elliott is making an immediate impact as a sophomore at Indiana University.

Through seven games, Elliott has 22 tackles, five tackles for loss, three sacks, and a forced fumble; Elliott’s three sacks are currently tied for first on the team. 

Elliott’s Hooisers are 5-2 overall and 2-2 in the Big 10. With tough tests against Nebraska, Penn State, and Michigan still left on the schedule, Elliott is hoping to help his team reach a bowl game for the first time since 2016, and for just the 12th time in program history. 

“It would mean everything for this team and for the fans to make a bowl game,” Elliott said.

Two weeks ago against Rutgers, Elliott had one of his best games at the Division I level, tallying a sack and a forced fumble. The week prior against Michigan State, Elliott had a career-high five tackles. 

Against No. 4 Ohio State, Elliott had four tackles and a sack.

As Elliott enters his eighth game as a Division I football player, he is beginning to become more comfortable on the field. 

Elliott recorded two tackles in his first game against Ball State, which he says gave him confidence.

“I was very nervous for my first game,” Elliott said. “To come in and to be able to hold my own is important.”

Indiana had its bye week in early October, which gave Elliott the opportunity to go home and catch his Garden City Buffaloes defeat Liberal on Oct. 4. It was a fun moment for Elliott to reconnect with family and friends.

“It was great to come back and see my friends and family and to go on the field and see where I used to play,” Elliott said. “It was kind of surreal to see how far I’ve come.”

While Elliott was watching Garden City defeat Liberal 26-12, he had the opportunity to watch former teammate Refujio Chairez dominate on the line.

At 6-1, and nearly 300 pounds, Chairez is certainly not undersized for the Division I level and his strength is unmatched in the Sunflower State. Yet, the Division I schools are not calling, just as they were not for Elliott when he was in high school.

“I think he’s in the same spot as I was in,” Elliott said. “People write us off because we’re so far out there in Western Kansas. I’m proof it doesn’t matter where you come from; he’s a direct mirror of what I’ve gone through.

“I’ve talked to him a little bit,” Elliott said. “The only advice I would give him is to keep doing him and keep working on everything he can control.”

Elliott and Indiana will look to reach bowl eligibility this Saturday at Nebraska. The game starts at 2:30 p.m. and will be televised by the Big 10 Network.

Elliott was featured earlier this year in the Garden City Broncbuster Gameday football program. Check out that feature, written by Garden City Community College Sports Information Director Mike Pilosof, below:

The D-Mac Attack

James Elliott arrived in Garden City from Newport News, Va., in 1992.  And let’s just say that his first impression of Southwest Kansas was not a memorable one. Although it does make for a few laughs. 

“I called my mom immediately and told her I wanted to come home,” Elliott recalls. “Please come get me, I begged her. But she told me that I wasn’t allowed to come home.”

Oh, a mother’s love. Yet it was that phone converstation that set Elliott in the right direction. 

There was also a lot of change going on that year. Jeff Leiker had just taken the reigns of a program that had finished 8-3-1 the year before. He replaced Brian McNeeley, who left after six years. 

But there was a problem; at least in Elliott’s mind. 

“I had never even heard of Garden City,” Elliott said. “I was like where the hell is this place? There are cows roaming around. Where am I?”

Cows and livestock aside, Elliott adjusted and made it through fall camp. He played sparingly in Garden City’s 44-6 season-opening loss to Navarro. But four weeks later vs. Independence, the freshman broke through, rushing for 212 yards and two touchdowns on just nine caries. Then in a driving rain storm in the conference playoffs a month later against Coffeyville, Elliott was the workhorse, carrying the ball an incredible 47 times for 294 yards and a score. 

“You have to stick this thing out,” Elliott told Jeff Sims’ team following a practice during the 2018 season. “There is no going home. I could have easily left. But I didn’t. And I made a life here.”

Elliott went on to become the full-time starter in 1993, rushing for 1,175 yards and eight touchdowns, earning all-conference honors along the way. After graduation, he signed as a linebacker with Pat Jones and Oklahoma State before graduating in 1996. And after not warming up to Garden City when he got off the bus nearly five years earlier, Elliott moved back there and started a family. 

Funny how things work out. 

“I basically grew up here,” Elliott said. “Now our family lives here.”

The story of the senior Elliott is important to understand. He didn’t come from a family of millionaires. But  learning things the hard way isn’t always a bad thing; something Elliott continues to instill in his son.

The Apple Didn't Fall Far From the Tree

When they say the apple doesn’t fall too far from the tree, they really aren’t lying. On Jan. 17, 2000, Elliott was born to James and Annette. Now a lot of parents tell the story of putting a football in their child’s crib. Well, with Demarcus, he didn’t need his parents to; he did it himself. 

Elliott was always one of the biggest kids growing up. He tormented others his age on the football field, mainly because of his size. But there are a lot of big kids going through the recreational center and YMCA in Garden City that play football, but aren’t football players. One look at Demarcus, and there was no doubt he was a player. 

“I always loved football; there was never a question about that,” the younger Elliott said. “It’s something that just came natural for me.”

Elliott dominated the youth leagues; then did the same as a seventh and eighth grader at Horace Good Middle School.

“Demarcus was just a different type of kid,” said Brian Hill, his high school coach, who was teammates with his father back in 1992. “He’s a special football player. He is one of the best players to come through this program in a long time.”

Hill would know. He coached the likes of Gabe Luna, who starred at Butler and Iowa State. He tutored Greyson Tempel, arguably one of the best quarterbacks in Buffalo history who guided Garden City to the state semifinals in 2013. A year later, Elliott arrived on scene, a 14-year old in a 25-year old's body.

There is still the belief that Elliott was shaving in between crib checks by James and Annette. 

Demarcus waited his turn as most freshman do. Then, in the fall of his sophomore year, he unleashed on the rest of the Sunflower State. His first taste as a varsity player came on Sept. 4, 2015. He had five tackles in a 28-14 win over Olathe East. Two weeks later, Elliott had seven stops and a sack in a shootout victory over Western Athletic Conference rival Great Bend. But his best performance came in the Buffaloes’ district opener vs. Hutchinson, tallying 10 tackles, his first-career double-digit tackle game as Garden City downed Hutchinson 14-2. 

The Buffaloes missed out on a district championship and a playoff spot, falling to Dodge City in the annual Hatchet Game, 21-20. But Elliott was just getting started. 

As a junior, Elliott was part of one of the best defensive units of the Hill era. Teaming up with the likes of Zeke Herrera, Jasper Partin, Benny Hernandez and David Arteaga, Garden City won their first nine games. Elliott had his fingerprints all over that team, recording 11 tackles and two sacks in a 21-6 win over Wichita South in week three. He added nine more stops seven days later in a 34-0 annihilation of Hays. He finished the year with 44 tackles, 15 for loss and four sacks, earning a spot on the All-WAC team.

The Buffaloes, though, fell to Lawrence Free State in the opening round of the 6A playoffs, 42-7. 

Through two years as a varsity starter, Elliott had already left an indelible mark. But it was during his senor year, where Demarcus became one of the best defensive player's in the state of Kansas. 

Playing both ways, Elliott was pretty much unblockable. As a defensive tackle, he finished with 81 tackles, 18.5 for loss, 3.5 sacks, three blocked field goals, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Try to say all of that in one breath. He had three double-digit tackle games, including an epic 14-stop performance in a thrilling 24-21 victory over Topeka in the second round of the playoffs.

At season’s end, Elliott was named the 6A Defensive Player of the Year. He added an All-State selection to his resume and was selected as one of the top 11 players in the state. 

“I know what I’m capable of, and the type of player that I am,” Elliott said following his senior season. “Let everyone else be the judge.”

But the phone wasn’t ringing, which may go down as one of the greatest tragedies in the history of Kansas high school sports. Sound like an exaggeration? Not in the slightest. 

Every year throughout the state, players get passed over by college scouts. Sometimes it’s physical tools; other times it’s location. For Elliott, he had the physical tools. But the precedent had already been set-Western Kansas gets neglected when it comes to recruiting. 

“Demarcus deserves to be at a big-time school,” Hill said after the 2017 season. “There’s no question in my mind what he can do.”

Elliott could have walked on at Kansas State. There were some smaller FCS programs that showed interest, and some Division II’s that wanted him. But Elliott yearned for something more; a chance to play on the biggest stage on Saturdays.

Elliott finds his opportunity at home 

Jeff Sims always had an eye on Demarcus. And the family legacy definitely helped. But  once his senior year rolled around, there was still hope that a Power-5 school would swoop in at the last second. When that didn’t materialize, the door at the Perryman Athletic Complex swung wide open, thanks to an assist from a program legend. 

“My dad was a pretty big deal back when he played,” Elliott said.

Spurned by the two in-state schools, Demarcus turned his attention to his dad’s alma mater, and on Jan. 18, 2018, he committed to the Broncbusters. 

“I want to thank coach Jeff Sims for believing in me,” Elliott said after he pledged. “I am proud to say I am 100 percent committed to Garden City Community College.” 

The feeling around town was that Garden City stole Demarcus in the middle of the night. For all the lack of interest he had received from Division-I schools, every Junior College in the state would have gladly welcomed him to their campus. 

“Demarcus is a true example of what Junior College is all about,” Sims said. “Here is a guy that could be a major Division-I player. Yet, he didn’t have the offers. Now he comes to Garden City Community College, and we have the chance to make him even better.”

In high school, Elliott was a star on and off the field. He was a full NCAA qualifier, meaning he could play one year and transfer out. 

“I just want to get better and get out,” Elliott said. “That’s the plan.”

Elliott develops as a Broncbuster

With Elliott now in the fold, Sims and his staff worked to turn his body into a full-fledged weapon. As a senior in high school, Elliott’s playing weight fluctuated between 280 and 290 lbs. And while some at his size would have redshirted their first year, there was no such plan in the works for D-Mac. 

Elliott worked tirelessly to reshape his body, getting his weight up to about 300 lbs. On the first day of fall camp during conditioning drills, Elliott was in fine form, flying around during 40-yard wind sprints. 

“That guy busted his butt to get where he’s at,” Sims said. “He worked harder than anyone this summer.”

That hard work paid off, and Elliott was named a starter for the Broncbusters’ season opener vs. Dodge City. 

“I’m ready for the challenge,” Elliott said two days before the 2018 opener. “I’m ready to prove that I can play at this level. It drives me more than anyone knows.”

Elliott started 10 games as a true freshman, recording 19 tackles and one sack. He was part of one of the best defensive units in the country, as the Broncbusters claimed their second conference title in three years, and earned a trip back to the National Championship Game. 

“I’ve learned so much from playing here this season,” Elliott said. “Coach Sims took a chance on me. He told me how great I could be. I still have a lot of work to do. Junior College is a very humbling experience, and it’s one that will definitely help me as I move on.”

Against East Mississippi on National Television, the freshman showed out. He recorded two tackles and a fumble recovery, helping keep Garden City in the game. Trailing 10-3 early in the fourth quarter, Dedrick Mills found the end zone from a yard out on fourth-and goal. But the Lions stopped Kahari Love dead in his tracks on the two-point conversion attempt, and Garden City never scored again. 

“Obviously this season didn’t end the way we wanted it to,” Sims said after the game. “But I’m so proud of these guys. We were right there. I’m so proud of Demarcus. Nobody wanted him out of Garden City High School, and now he just played on National Television in the National Championship Game. That’s what Junior College is all about.”

“I never got a chance to play in that big of a game in high school,” Elliott said. “It was something I’ll never forget.”

Elliott didn’t have much time to reflect. As soon as the game was done, he was off to a recruiting visit at the University of Massachusetts. And there was more change on the horizon. But the bigger question still loomed: was the standout defensive tackle committed for one more season, or would he finally get an offer that was too good to pass up. 

On November 11, 2018, Sims was named the new head coach at Missouri Southern State. Following the National Championship Game, Tom Minnick, the winningest coach in Arizona Western history, replaced him. But where did that leave Demarcus?

“Demarcus Elliott is one of the best lineman we have,” Minnick said a few months after he was hired. “I’m just hopeful we can keep him.”

That hope began to dwindle once the Indiana showed interest. On May 3, Elliott made an official visit. 12 days later, he signed a National Letter of Intent, ending his Garden City career after just one season. 

“That’s a big loss for us,” Minnick said. “I can’t even begin to tell you how big. In the short time that I’ve been here, there wasn’t a harder worker than D-Mac.”

Elliott landed in Bloomington in June, enrolled and was ready to roll. 

Things move fast in the FBS

Everything moves fast at a D-I. Less than two months after arriving on campus, Elliott opened his first fall camp as a Power-5 recruit.

Against Ball State in the Hoosiers’ season opener, Elliott recorded two tackles. He added four more vs. Eastern Illinois. But his biggest contribution came on the Hoosier’s first defensive series, when on third-and-14, D-MAC smothered Panthers’ quarterback John Brantley for a two-yard loss. The freshman bounced to his feet and immediately pumped his fist. He had done it. From dominating the youth league in Garden City to playing Power-5 football in front of nearly 40,000 people. Mission accomplished. 

“It’s a totally different world here,” Elliott said. “Everything is so organized. They’ve got nutritionists and an amazing workout facility. It’s definitely a dream come true.”

No, he’s not in Kansas anymore. He’s playing in the Big 10, right where he’s always belonged.

This feature was produced in conjunction with long-time Kansas Pregame sponsor Garden City Community College. 

Garden City Community College provides the diverse southwest Kansas communities and region with an excellent educational experience that fosters social responsibility and prepares students for personal and academic success. Established in 1919, Garden City Community College has a rich tradition providing the students, local community, region and state with high quality, affordable higher education and workforce training.

Garden City Community College is proud of the highly qualified faculty, staff and administrators whose passion and dedication is to focus on students and providing an engaging and positive learning experience. Whether you are starting a new career, enhancing academic skills or preparing to transfer to a four-year university, Garden City Community College is the right choice to help meet your goals.

For more information visit the Garden City Community College website at www.gcccks.edu.