On Friday morning, Buchholz High School football coach Mark Whittemore announced that senior Keil McGriff will miss the remainder of the season with an ankle injury.
“He injured his ankle this past summer in early June, and we were expecting him back the first part of the season,” Whittemore said. “A recent MRI showed a little issue in his ankle that will require surgery. He will make a full recovery and be completely normal in a couple of months, but he will unfortunately lose his entire senior season.”
McGriff was hoping to continue a legacy and was expected to play a big role on offense and special teams, but he never saw the field in 2025.
“The injury really sucks, for multiple reasons, but there are things in life that are hard and they challenge you to the max,” McGriff said. “The question for everyone is ‘how are you going to respond to it?’ For me, I know I’m going to battle and fight because that’s just who I know I am. I don’t care what it is, I’ll get through it because I love football.”
Despite missing his senior year, McGriff has still had quite the career.
During the 2022 season, he led Newberry to the FHSAA 1 Rural state playoffs as a freshman (playing quarterback and defensive back), was an honorable mention All-State selection at QB,
As a sophomore, he led the Panthers (9-3) to a Region 4-1 Rural playoff win against Chiefland before a loss to eventual state champion Hawthorne in the regional semifinals.
He threw for 2,386 yards with a 58% completion percentage with 26 passing TDs and nine interceptions. He also added 45 carries for 365 yards.
McGriff was a Mainstreet Daily News All Area selection as a quarterback his freshman and sophomore seasons at Newberry.
Last year as a junior, he helped lead Buchholz to the Class 6A state semifinals. Despite missing four games, he finished third on the team for the season with 44 catches for 737 yards and six touchdowns.
One of his best games of the season was in the state semifinals against Osceola (Kissimmee), a 41-35 loss at home, when he had a team-best 14 catches for 162 yards.
He also added a punt return for a touchdown.
McGriff is optimistic about the procedure and bouncing back.
For his high school career, McGriff finished with 6,279 yards (passing, rushing, receiving) with 61 total touchdowns (passing, rushing, receiving, returns). He also had four defensive interceptions.
“I’m going to have a great surgery mixed with tons of hard work rehab-wise after the surgery, and I know I’m going to get through it and come out on the other side,” he said. “I’ll be okay.”
At the conclusion of his junior year, McGriff held offers from Troy, Georgia Southern, Louisville, Delaware and Western Kentucky, as his development at wide receiver was evolving rapidly. He had played quarterback and defensive back until his junior year.
“I’m super excited about the opportunity that I have lined up,” McGriff said. “It definitely helps with the mental part of the injury knowing that I’ll play again. It’s truly one day at a time, but I’m pent-up thinking about the time that I get to play again in college. I’m super excited and ready.”