Story: Lisa Sollie | Photo: Cody Ingram
UWA business student balances the classroom and the gridiron
Whether he’s flying around a motocross track or drilling field goals for the University of West Alabama, Elijah Guyton approaches every challenge with the same mindset: make a plan, then make it happen.
A management major at UWA, Guyton didn’t begin his football journey as a kicker. He started playing the sport in seventh grade, but it wasn’t until his junior year of high school that a coach mentioned the team needed someone to handle the kicking duties. Guyton volunteered, figuring “Why not me?”
What started as a spontaneous decision quickly became a serious path. After performing well for someone who had never kicked before, he began attending camps and one-on-one training sessions the following year. Scholarship offers followed, and he chose UWA for its close-knit campus community and the chance to be “more than just a number.”
A high honor student, Guyton arrived ahead of the game. Because he took dual enrollment classes and then a full load each semester, he shaved off a full semester and is set to walk in commencement exercises on Friday, Dec. 12.
Although football brought him to UWA, Guyton knew a business degree could take him in countless directions. Still eligible to play next season after redshirting his freshman year, he plans to begin work on an MBA this spring while continuing to contribute on the field in the fall.
That decision, he said, is part of a larger plan he set in motion long before college.
“I had a goal when I came to college to not have any student loan debt to pay off,” Guyton said. By using his scholarship funds to cover graduate coursework, living in the dorms, and walking to class, he is well on his way to achieving that target—another example of the deliberate approach that shapes both his academic and athletic life.
A diligent student, he noted that if he happens to miss a class, at least one professor typically checks on him.
“I like that my professors know me and notice if I’m not there for some reason. It’s not like me to miss, so they don’t hesitate to reach out,” Guyton said. “That personal connection,” he added is a big part of why UWA feels like home.”
Named an AFCA All-American last year, he recently hit a career-long 51-yard field goal against Northeastern State. He hopes to attend some kicking camps next year that can get him in front of NFL scouts and pro evaluators.
“A lot of kids dream about making it to the college level to play football, and I’ve made it—so why not push the limit and go the next step while I’m at UWA? If it doesn’t work out, I’ll have two degrees to fall back on.” He figures the odds are in his favor either way.