Tag: University of Central Florida

Griffin brothers to deliver virtual commencement address at UCF

Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin of the Seahawks will be the commencement speakers at the virtual graduation ceremony at UCF in May.

COVID-19’s impact on the daily lives of everyone in the United States has been profound, turning nearly all events that are not cancelled into virtual events, for better or for worse.

Among those events that are now being held over a screen are most graduation ceremonies, both at the high school and collegiate level.

That’s not stopping schools from going out and finding notable alumni to serve as commencement speakers, and the University of Central Florida recently announced that Seattle Seahawks twin brothers Shaquill and Shaquem Griffin will be the commencement speakers for 2020.

The ceremony will be held virtually on May 2 and will be streamed on Facebook and Youtube, per a press release.

The Griffin brothers each graduated from UCF in 2016 with Bachelor of Arts in Human Communication degrees.

Shaquill has been with the team since 2017 and made his first Pro Bowl last year, while Shaquem stepped into a larger role on the defense partway through last season as a pass rusher off the edge.

The brothers will not be the only Seahawks who have given commencement addresses, as quarterback Russell Wilson gave one at Wisconsin in 2016. Free agent running back Marshawn Lynch was scheduled to present at Princeton’s Class Day as well, although the COVID-19 crisis has put that up in the air for now.

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Shaquill Griffin 3rd Seahawk named to the 2020 Pro Bowl

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin has reportedly been named to the Pro Bowl roster, likely replacing Richard Sherman.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Shaquill Griffin has been named to the 2020 Pro Bowl as an alternate, according to a tweet from his agent, Tony Bonagura.

Griffin will join quarterback Russell Wilson and linebacker Bobby Wagner on the NFC squad.

Although it is not confirmed, Griffin is probably replacing Richard Sherman, who will likely forego the game in order to focus on preparing for the Super Bowl as a member of the San Francisco 49ers.

Griffin will head to Orlando to participate in the festivities, making this a bit of a homecoming for the University of Central Florida product, whose campus resides in Orlando as well.

Griffin did not record an interception in 2019, a rarity for a Pro Bowl bound defensive back, but he did finish third in the NFL with 14 pass breakups, and his 55.9 completion percentage was among the best marks in the league.

Griffin was one of seven Pro Bowl alternates the Seahawks had, a list that includes wide receiver Tyler Lockett, tackle Duane Brown, running back Chris Carson, defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, safety Quandre Diggs and guard Mike Iupati.

Injuries will likely keep the rest of the alternates from accepting an invite, should they be asked, so Seattle will likely settle for three player representatives along with their coaching staff, who will coach the NFC squad against Baltimore’s coaching staff and the AFC.

The game will take place on Sunday, January 26 at 12:00 p.m. PT.

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Shaquem Griffin’s size no longer holding him back

Seattle Seahawks edge rusher Shaquem Griffin is coming into his own in his new role with the team, which should increase going forward.

The Seattle Seahawks defense has been absolutely dominant in their last two games. The addition of Quandre Diggs in the secondary has been a big reason why, but he’s not the only newcomer to make an impact these past few weeks.

Shaquem Griffin, who had been limited to special teams duties for basically the first one and a half years of his career, has emerged as an edge rushing option for this Seattle defense – and already he’s proven he deserves to keep that role going forward.

Griffin played 14 defensive snaps in Week 10 against San Francisco, and saw 25 snaps on Sunday against the Eagles. He had a huge impact on Sunday, recording one combined tackle, two quarterback hits and helping force a fumble.

Griffin has begun to push veteran Ziggy Ansah for playing time on the edge, which may have contributed to Ansah’s strong performance on Sunday as well.

“Competition is a beautiful thing,” coach Pete Carroll commented on Monday. “They’ve got a little competition there. Griff’s making a move on them. He looks like he’s got some stuff that we can incorporate and keep developing that he can be a factor as well.”

Griffin was an elite pass rusher in college at Central Florida, but concerns about his lack of size prevented Carroll and company from unleashing him in that role with Seattle.

“It was kind of hard to imagine that it would work,” Carroll continued. “We used him as a blitzer. We needed him outside to blitz more and to do that. He did show some stuff and that’s where we saw the spark. We’ve been messing with him for a few weeks now. It just seems like it’s coming around a little closer now. The action is just happening now. I’m excited about it.”

Expect to see Griffin’s role continue to grow as a situational pass rusher, especially if he continues to make impact plays for this team in the final few weeks of the season.

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