Elijah Sarratt's New Nickname: 'Waffle House, Because I'm Open 24/7'

Indiana wide receiver Elijah Sarratt was never given a creative nickname, unlike his brother, Josh, whose nickname is Cheese. So he gave himself one on Tuesday. "Y'all can say Waffle House, because I'm open 24/7."

Indiana Hoosiers wide receiver Elijah Sarratt (13) runs for a 71-yard touchdown against the Western Illinois Leathernecks at Memorial Stadium. / Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – Elijah Sarratt considered a few factors when he transferred from Saint Francis, an FCS program in Loretto, Pa., to James Madison ahead of the 2023 season.

In addition to the Dukes' play style, he was intrigued by the opportunity to team up with his brother, Josh, a former James Madison safety who has unique nickname – Cheese.

"He used to whine a lot as a kid," Elijah recalls. "Then my parents used to be like, 'Do you want cheese with that wine?'"

Their parents didn't have the same creativity with Elijah, however.

"I guess they ain't like me enough. I just got regular old E," he said.

Though he's had many teammates while playing for three schools in three years, Elijah still didn't picked up a nickname. Maybe his teammates, coaches or fans would come up with one after he made six receptions for 137 yards and a touchdown during Indiana's 77-3 win over Western Illinois?

Still nothing. So on Tuesday, ahead of Indiana's Big Ten opener at UCLA on Saturday, Elijah Sarratt gave himself a nickname.

"Waffle House," Sarratt said. "Y'all can say Waffle House, because I'm open 24/7."

Unfortunately for Sarratt, there's no Waffle House in Bloomington. But the nickname certainly makes sense after his big game on Saturday and his first-team All-Sun Belt performance last season.

Indiana made creative Curt Cignetti-themed t-shirts for the student section during the season opener against Florida International. With the Hoosiers playing at UCLA on Saturday, maybe there's an opportunity to make Sarratt-themed Waffle House t-shirts for Indiana's home game on Sept. 21 against Charlotte?

T-shirts being distributed on the north side of Memorial Stadium. pic.twitter.com/hLsX7reJva

— Todd Aaron Golden (@ToddAaronGolden) August 31, 2024

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