An hour and a half before kickoff against Northwestern on Oct. 5, Indiana football junior receiver Elijah Sarratt took a seat on the middle of three benches on the Hoosiers’ sideline.
Sarratt had a white Gatorade towel draped over his head on the mid-70s afternoon in Evanston, Illinois, while the bench offered an awning that further helped block out the sun.
It was the only time Sarratt was covered all day.
With 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter and the Hoosiers holding a narrow 27-24 edge, Sarratt made a contested catch over the middle, gaining 12 yards to help Indiana convert on third-and-9. Sarratt stood up, looked at the same sideline he sat on four hours prior, and gave an emphatic first down signal with his right arm, signifying the critical conversion.
Sarratt’s catch came with Northwestern redshirt sophomore defensive back Braden Turner draped over him. It didn’t matter. The Hoosiers finished the drive with a touchdown, extending their lead to two scores and effectively ending the Wildcats’ upset bid.
Indiana won, 41-24, and Sarratt finished with seven catches for 135 yards, his third game with at least 125 receiving yards this season.
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Growing up, Sarratt didn’t have a nickname — his family called him “E.” His brother, Josh, had a more creative tag: Cheese.
As a child, Elijah said Josh whined frequently. His parents, Donnie and Kim, asked if he wanted cheese with his “whine.” Josh still goes by Cheese.
Elijah, however, has a new nickname.
“Y’all can say Waffle House,” Sarratt said in a press conference Sept. 10. “Because I’m open 24/7.”
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Waffle House, the breakfast restaurant famous for its 24-hour, 365-day service, is a subtle yet indicative name for Sarratt. However, he didn’t give it to himself.
The creation of “Waffle House” came during summer workouts, when Indiana’s receivers discussed nicknames for each other. Some, like 5-foot-11, 210-pound senior Miles Cross, who goes by “Hercules,” earned their nickname from physical characteristics.
Courtesy of redshirt sophomore Omar Cooper Jr., Sarratt received his through on-field play.
“I can't attest to the validity of Waffle House always being open,” Indiana head coach Curt Cignetti said Sept. 30. “But even when he's not, he'll find a way to come down with the ball.”
Fifth-year senior Ke’Shawn Williams, who transferred to Indiana from Wake Forest University last winter, said the Demon Deacons had a collective name for their receiver room instead of individual tags.
It’s reversed in Bloomington, but the prevalence of nicknames remains the same — particularly for Sarratt.
“We call him Waffle House every day,” Cross said. “It’s real.”
And accurate.
The 6-foot-2, 209-pound Sarratt leads Indiana’s receiver room with 29 catches for 513 yards on 41 targets. He’s also scored a pair of touchdowns.
Among 106 Football Bowl Subdivision wideouts with at least 40 targets, Sarratt is tied for No. 34 nationally in reception rate, catching 70.7% of the passes thrown his direction. The Stafford, Virginia, native has dropped just one pass all season.
Sarratt’s steady hands followed him into the transfer portal from James Madison University, where he dropped only two throws — both against Georgia Southern University on Oct. 14, 2023 — on 99 targets in 2023. The year prior, while attending Football Championship Subdivision school Saint Francis University in Loretto, Pennsylvania, Sarratt didn’t drop any of his 65 targets, according to Pro Football Focus.
Such reliability stems from an exhaustive work ethic that Cooper said shows up each day on the Hoosiers’ practice field at Mellencamp Pavilion. Senior tight end Zach Horton, who played with Sarratt at James Madison, noticed Sarratt’s energy in practice shortly after meeting in the spring of 2023.
“He’s just a hard worker,” Horton said. “Really hard worker. He’s constantly after practice working. It’s really nice to have him on your team than rather go against him — that’s all I know.”
Sarratt has made four contested catches on 10 tries this season, according to PFF. He’s made the extraordinary become the expectation. And Sarratt, who followed Cignetti from James Madison to Bloomington, has solidified himself as a dependable weapon in the Hoosiers’ offense.
“He loves ball,” Cignetti said. “He's very competitive. He's got good talent. He's got great ball skills. He's really good at contested catches. He's always up — he's got a great personality. He's eager to practice, eager to play and loves ball.”
Sarratt arrived in Bloomington this spring with a strong pedigree. He was a first-team all-conference selection at both Saint Francis and James Madison, and he led all true juniors in the FBS with 21 career receiving touchdowns entering the fall.
But the Big Ten presents a considerably stronger challenge than the Northeast and Sun Belt conferences. Sarratt counteracted the step-up in competition by improving his body this summer, trimming fried foods from his diet.
Through three conference games, Sarratt has shown no signs of struggle. In victories over UCLA, Maryland and Northwestern, he’s caught a combined 18 passes for 317 yards and one touchdown.
Fueled in part by Sarratt, Indiana is undefeated and ranked No. 16 nationally. The Hoosiers (6-0) host Nebraska (5-1) at noon Saturday inside a sold-out Memorial Stadium, where the Fox Big Noon Kickoff crew will host its pregame show.
Yet no matter how much attention Indiana receives, nothing changes for Sarratt — when sixth-year senior quarterback Kurtis Rourke drops back to throw, “Waffle House” will have its doors open.
Follow reporters Daniel Flick (@ByDanielFlick) and Dalton James (@DaltonMJames) and columnist Jhett Garrett (@jhettgarrett) for updates throughout the Indiana football season.
