"I hope to be the face of the program." griffin Parriott
head coach tony ersland
"I think the overwhelming thing about this group is they really bought into our message, which is the transformation of Purdue and where we are taking this program. They saw the impact of what we did in year one and how the guys bought into our message. This same group was excited about what that message was and that’s accomplishing a lot of firsts for Purdue wrestling. I love that those kids want to be a part of doing something the first time, not just be another cog in the wheel of another program. They understand the special opportunity that they have before them."
No. 19 Overall recruit of 2016
Flowrestling (9/29)
Griffin closed out his high school career by winning his third straight Minnesota State High School League Division AA state title. His match lasted 10 seconds and left viewers speechless.
The last four matches of his career saw Griffin outscore his opponents 62-16.
"I couldn't [ask for anything more]. It's been a fun career. A good way to end it." - Griffin Parriott
His three-peat at New Prague High School began with the 132-pound title as a sophomore, followed by the 145-pound championship as a junior. During those three seasons, Griffin amassed a record of 126-2, including a spotless 45-0 mark as a junior.
"In the next five years I would like to be the No. 1 guy in the country at my weight to finish my high school career. After that, I want to make the Junior World Team and to win a Junior world title as well. I also want to become an NCAA All-American and national champion." - Griffin Parriott
A four-time qualifier, Griffin finished as the 113-pound runner up in 2012* and placed third at 120 as freshman.
* Minnesota allows middle school wrestlers to compete in varsity competitions.
"Griffin was one of our earlier commits in addition to Devin Schroder and he wanted to be a catalyst for this class. He really got excited about all of the firsts and the possibilities that are now looking more like realities. He enjoys that challenge and really wanted to be at the front of a class accomplishing those things." - Tony Ersland
Griffin's freestyle resume is impressive to say the least. In May 2015 he placed third at 66 kg at the UWW Junior Nationals. Aaron Pico, a gold medalist at the 2013 World Cadet Championships, was first and Zain Retherford, a 2016 NCAA champion at 149 pounds for Penn State, was second.
He's also a two-time placewinner at the Super 32 Challenge and a 2015 ASICS/Vaughan All-American with a fifth-place finish at 152. He finished as the 63 kg Greco-Roman runner-up at the 2014 FILA Cadet Nationals and was the 138-pound runner-up at the Cliff Keen USA Wrestling Junior Folkstyle Nationals.
"I feel great about going to Purdue. I hope to be the face of that program and there will be more big names following me." - Griffin Parriott
"There was an article that said he wanted to pull all of the rest of the best guys in the country with him to Purdue. That’s what he wanted to do and that is what excited him. I knew right there that there were some leadership qualities that will go a long way for this program." - Tony Ersland
griffin chose purdue because...
"The coaches were the biggest selling point as well as the overall campus. It felt like it was the best fit for me athletically and academically. Competing in the Big Ten Conference was a big deal to me as well.
"I liked the improvement that the team had in the first year under the new coaching staff. All three coaches were real with me and treat me like family, which is big being far away from home."
