Yesterday, we had several TBT commitment articles on randomly selected members of the senior football class and one was cornerback Elijah Riley.

And today we continue to focus on Riley, but we are looking forward. Recently, the captain and cornerback was invited to participate in the East-West Shrine Game, following in the footsteps of former Army stars, Colin Mooney, Josh McNary, Trent Steelman, Larry Dixon, Brett Toth, and Darnell Woolfolk.

Riley was recruited out of Selden, NY in 2016, with a Rivals rating of 5.3 and offers from 3 FCS schools along with Army West Point, the only FBS school that thought he was worthy of an offer.

The talented player made an early impact at West Point, playing in all 13 games of the 2016 season. He finished 6th on the team in total tackles with 47, while leading the Black Knights in interceptions with 3. Riley played in only 5 games in 2017, dropping to 15th in total tackles with 20, including 1.5 Sacks in addition to 1 interception.

Riley returned to full status in 2018, starting all 13 games and finishing third in total tackles with 56, third in TFLs with 7.5, and 9th in Sacks with 1.5. His teammates honored him by electing him as one of the three tri-captains for the 2019 season.

The 6-foot-0, 210 pounder leads the team in interceptions this season with 3, ranks second in total tackles with 68, leads the team in TFLs with 8, and Sacks with 4.0, statistics that we seldom associate with cornerbacks. By the way, when it comes to tackles and sacks, Riley can bring it like a linebacker ... just ask some of the recipients of his hits.

And those aforementioned numbers reflect only a portion of who Riley is as a ball player.

“Loves football and wants to be the best he can be,” defensive coordinator John Loose told GoBlackKnights.com. “Works hard to make himself a player. Understands football and has the ability to do a lot of thing on the field.”

Of course there is that ongoing chatter of the talented defensive back taking his game to the next level and when we say next level, we are talking the NFL.

Many observers have felt even since last year, that Riley has what it takes to make the transition as much anyone over the last 10-15 years that has worn the Black & Gold of Army, and Loose is one of those believers as well.

“Yes I do and he will be what you want in the locker room,” Loose declared.

Riley himself takes a more calculated approach when that subject was brought to him after Thursday’s practice session.

“All the steps that I have taken is preparing each and every week to get a win for this team,” Riley explained. “When we are winning, everybody is going to shine, so I’m going to get my opportunities and looks . If I can put things on film, that’s the best thing I can do for myself right now. But ultimately, I’m out here working to get these wins. Obviously that’s sitting in the back of my mind because it’s been a goal of mine since I was little, but right now I just want to win games.”

Since Head Coach Jeff Monken has taken over the program, it is not unusual at this time of the season to see NFL scout on campus checking out players, and with 2/3 captains (Riley and Cole Christiansen) on the radar of many of the teams, their presence has been felt and seen according to Riley.

“They’ve been out here in practice,” he stated. “To be honest, I see the teams, but I’m just out here practicing and I don’t keep a tally of who is here and who’s not.”

Although chatter around Riley’s NFL potential talent has been floating out there for the past couple of seasons, being invited to the East-West Shrine Game brings him one step closer to that dream he has had since the days of his youth.

So, how did the star cornerback first hear about the invite and what was his initial reaction?

“Coach D (Cornerback Coach, Daryl Dixon) shared the news with me and it was something that I was very excited to hear about,” declared Riley. “Several guys from here before me have played in the game and they showed out and when my time comes I hope to do the same thing.”

Many observers feel that defensive back is best suited to play safety at the next level versus his current cornerback position that he has played ever since he stepped foot on the turf of Michie Stadium. So what is Riley hearing and what are his thoughts?

“Shoot, I’ll play wherever {laughing} I’m needed,” said the upbeat defensive mainstay. “But yeah, I think I’m versatile enough to play wherever in the secondary.”

On the flip side of the equation is Riley’s upcoming career as a Army Officer and last week it was Branch Night for the Firsties at West Point. So, what did Riley branch and what are his future plans minus football?

“I branched Armor and looking to learn more about the branch ... kind of dive into what it takes to be an Armor Officer,” Riley explained.

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