Gaffney high school football QB Grayson Loftis leading Duke football before stepping on campus
Gaffney senior and quarterback Grayson Loftis is No. 5 on the 864Huddle Dandy Dozen, a ranking of the Upstate's top college football prospects for 2023.
GAFFNEY — If you scroll through the Twitter account of Gaffney quarterback Grayson Loftis, you'll see photographs and videos of him playing at Gaffney, some retweets about baseball and football — normal social posts from a sports-obsessed high school kid.
But the one thing you'll see the most? Anything and everything related to Duke University athletics.
Since becoming — during his junior year — new Duke coach Mike Elko's first commit, Loftis has established himself as Mr. Duke on social media. He's also No. 5 on 864Huddle's Dandy Dozen list.
WHY NOT DUKE?:Gaffney QB Grayson Loftis: Why I committed to Duke football
MORE ON LOFTIS:Gaffney star QB & Duke commit Loftis, ready to carry offense
"It's something that kind of came natural and came easy with Duke. There's so much excitement about the school and the chance to go play at a place like that," Loftis said. "When it comes to the stuff on Twitter, (it's) just taking a simple step and showing love to the guys who are committed and have made that similar decision to me and letting them know that they're now a part of a family."
Loftis is excited about playing at Duke next season and connecting with his future teammates, He's also trying to help create the culture that his future coach wants to establish from the jump by taking the responsibility that comes with being the quarterback.
"The goal, from me and from the coaching staff at Duke, was to build that family atmosphere. I think being the quarterback, that kind of stuff plays into my responsibility," Loftis said. "Obviously, you want to take that first step and be the person to reach out and start initiating that conversation to build that family.
"The goal is to try and establish myself as a leader of at least this group, and then, when I get to Durham, I'll take a step back and establish myself within the team and kind of prove myself all over again, and have that little chip on my shoulder."
GAFFNEY'S DANDY DUO: Gaffney's Littlejohn, living up to expectations of last name
MEET THE DANDY DOZEN:The Upstate's top college football prospects for 2023
The making of a leader
If you get the chance to watch Loftis play and interact with his teammates on the field and on social media, you'll see a confidence and self-assuredness that screams he was born to lead. The more you get to know him, however, you'll see that he was molded into this person.
"I was really blessed to have a great youth football coach, in my sixth-grade year, he instilled in us that everybody can always be a leader, no matter what ... and playing quarterback from the start of my high school career, being kind of forced into that position, forced me to adapt a to that and grow." Loftis said.
Starting from the youth ranks, Loftis had coaches at every level that have poured their time and energy into helping him grow as a person. From that youth coach, Jeremiah Johnson, to his first high school coach, James Thurn, his current coach, Dan Jones, and his future coaches at Duke, Loftis has credited them in helping mold him into a leader.
"First one there, last one to leave, that's the kind of guy he is," Jones said. "I know that's what everyone says about people that are workers, but it's so true about Grayson ... he's just a student of the game. He's going to be prepared. He's going to do the extra work.
"He doesn't think he's arrived yet, so he's still striving to get better. ... His knowledge of the game, his ability to motivate his teammates, and his maturity are things we love about him."
The last ride
Loftis is not letting the excitement of playing at Duke next season or the attention he's receiving distract from the job at hand: Leading Gaffney football to another SCHSL AAAAA championship.
After a 15-0 season in 2021, Loftis is doing everything he can to help his team fight off complacency.
"The 15-0, the Dutch Fork upset, the state championship, the ring, that was all last year's team," Loftis said. "This team, we haven't accomplished anything yet.
"The future's bright at Gaffney High School this season, and there's a great opportunity for us to go out and dominate, and do exactly what we did last year, but that complacency that kind of sits at the back of your mind. I think our guys have done a great job battling it. I think we've had some guys step up and be leaders, and we've had a great start to the the fall camp. I think it's just a matter of us working hard and realizing that last year's team was the state champion, and this year's team, the story is not written yet."
This article originally appeared on Herald-Journal: Gaffney QB Grayson Loftis is Mr. Duke months before arriving on campus
