UW recruit gets burger named after him
1 of 2 | Elijah Durr, a local UW football commit, stands on the football field at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma, which he currently attends. He’s embraced Tacoma and the Pacific Northwest after moving up here from... (Ellen M. Banner / The Seattle Times)
By Andy Yamashita Seattle Times staff reporter
For many, the pinnacle of human achievement might be having a local restaurant name a menu item after them.
It might be a sign of importance. Recognition of patronage. Perhaps the realization of an unimaginable feat of the human stomach. Or acknowledgment of a specific type of genius, one that imagined combinations of flavors previously inconceivable.
And while some wait years, or even decades, for such an opportunity, Elijah Durr might accomplish it before he leaves Mount Tahoma High.
He envisions a burger with two smash patties smothered in cheese, piled high with bacon, grilled onions, lettuce, tomatoes and Secret Burger Kitchen sauce with a side of fries. He’s already got the name picked out, too, even if it’s not yet on menus.
“We’re still working on it,” he said. “The DurrBurger.”
On Aug. 13, Durr and junior quarterback Sione Kaho became one of two high-school football players to sign name, image and likeness (NIL) deals to endorse Secret Burger Kitchen, a Tacoma restaurant that also has a location in Seattle. Kaho was a straightforward choice. The junior signal caller is the state’s top prospect in the 2027 recruiting cycle and has started each of the past three seasons at Lincoln High, one of Tacoma’s predominant football programs.
Durr was not. The senior cornerback, who committed to Washington on March 10, has lived in Tacoma for a little more than three years. But he’s already gained the trust and love of the community.
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“He’s in our area code,” said Boe Ervin, Secret Burger Kitchen’s content curator and community engagement organizer. “Even though he’s not born and raised here, he’s a Tacoma athlete.”
Diverging from the beaten path
A mere four years ago, Durr’s path through high-school football looked fairly conventional. Originally from Carson, Calif., he’d expected to attend Southern California powerhouse St. John Bosco High, the Trinity League program that produced former Huskies like Keith Price and Trent McDuffie, among many others.
Durr’s direction was shaped by his father, Alfred Durr, who’d played cornerback at Portland State and San Jose State. He coached Elijah’s teams throughout the young defensive back’s time playing in the Snoop Youth Football League, where his son played alongside current St. John Bosco players like running back Ashton Keys, safety Dillon Davis, twin linebackers Justin and Ethan Coach and cornerback Jailen Hill.
But in 2022, the Durr family came across an unexpected opportunity when Alfred’s wife, Patrece Durr, was offered a job in Washington. They were already considering leaving Los Angeles. Alfred grew up in Compton, Calif., a few miles north of Carson. He knew the challenges his children, and especially his twin sons Elijah and Joshuah Durr, might face, as they prepared to enter high school.
Alfred also had some connections to the area. One of his college teammates had grown up in Tacoma, and they’d visited him in University Place during the COVID-19 pandemic. Alfred said the family had enjoyed the slower pace of Tacoma compared to Los Angeles.
“We could’ve moved anywhere in the state,” Alfred said. “But that’s where we were like that feels right. University Place just felt right.”
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It took some time, however, for the family to settle into their new surroundings. Elijah and Joshuah originally enrolled at Curtis High, and while the football team was a decent fit, Alfred said, the boys weren’t happy. Joshuah, in particular.
So the family started looking for a new situation. Alfred said Elijah was confident he’d be able to play anywhere, so he let Joshuah, a 5-foot-10, 175-pound defensive back, choose whether they’d leave Curtis, a Class 4A school, and find a new program or stay.
The brothers ended up at Mount Tahoma, a Class 3A program nearby. Keith Terry, the Thunderbirds coach, said it was immediately apparent that Elijah possessed the size and skills to be a Division I athlete. Once he saw the young cornerback had the mentality to match his 6-1 frame, Terry said he knew Elijah had everything he needed to attract college attention.
“He’s not OK just being the best,” Terry said. “He wants to show you he’s the best. He doesn’t run from competition.”
Elijah had a chance to start early at Mount Tahoma. Terry said the Thunderbirds were able to ease him into the lineup, almost exclusively playing cornerback because the team had good receiver depth. Elijah played 11 games during his first season at Mount Tahoma, making 53 tackles, three tackles for a loss, two interceptions, five pass breakups and blocking a field goal, according to MaxPreps.
Terry credited Elijah’s drive to his upbringing in Los Angeles, where the amount of players with extensive football pedigrees creates an extremely competitive environment among high-school recruits vying for college attention. Terry said Elijah introduced teammates at Mount Tahoma to his mindset, motivating them to reach new levels of expectations for themselves, and he added that the young cornerback’s attitude has been refreshing and contagious.
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During his junior season, Elijah was asked to play both sides of the ball — something top recruits in Southern California aren’t always needed to do because teams have enough high-level contributors.
He registered 26 catches for 445 yards receiving and eight touchdowns as a wide receiver while making 29 tackles, three interceptions, five pass breakups and two fumble recoveries as a cornerback. Elijah said playing receiver helped improve his ball skills and has given him a better understanding of timing and which routes an opponent might be running.
“Now he’s in a role where his snaps have doubled, but his production level has to be the same,” Terry said. “He adjusted really well to that.”
Elijah’s performances as a junior gained him more recruiting attention. He was considered a three-star prospect by 247Sports and the No. 8 player in Washington. Elijah received scholarship offers from Arizona, Arizona State, California, Cincinnati, Illinois, Michigan State and Wisconsin, among others.
His relationship with UW secondary coach John Richardson, however, made the Huskies an easy choice. Elijah expects to enroll at Washington in January.
“We keep everything transparent,” Elijah said. “He tells me the truth all the time. He doesn’t lie to me. I like that in a coach. He coaches hard. Shows that he cares.”
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The right person for the job
When Ervin was considering creating NIL deals with local high-school athletes, he knew Secret Burger Kitchen had to find the right type of kid.
He was looking for someone who represented the community well. Who understood the responsibilities that came with an endorsement deal. Who might benefit from a little experience utilizing their NIL rights now before heading off to bigger stages and bigger checks. Who had the support system around them to correctly manage their new financial situations.
All of those traits led him to Elijah.
“His morals and values are on point,” Ervin said. “Great student beyond athlete. And he’s the next big deal. His actions speak louder than his words.”
High-school athletes in Washington have been allowed to profit off their NIL since October 2022. Perhaps no one was more surprised by Secret Burger Kitchen’s offer than Alfred.
The former college football cornerback has visceral memories of trying to be a high-achieving athlete while fueling himself primarily with Top Ramen supplemented with canned tuna and eggs. A far cry from the DurrBurger.
Alfred recalled looking forward to game days simply because it was the one day per week the athletic department was allowed to feed the players and said many of his former teammates had reached out after Elijah signed his endorsement deal with a simple message.
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It’s about time.
Alfred added the agreement is a nice reward for the hard work his son — who once hopped the fence at Mount Tahoma’s stadium in the middle of a snowstorm to work out — put in to reach this position. He said it feels particularly notable that Elijah earned this opportunity in a community like Tacoma.
“Things you do, good or bad, word spreads fast,” Alfred said. “He’s never been in any trouble. He’s always shown flashes of potential on the field. He did what he was trained to do.”
The money has also come with some lessons, Alfred said. Elijah’s learning that the responsibilities that come with his endorsement deal have reinforced he can’t be a regular teenager.
Elijah, however, has taken these changes in stride, his father said. He spent some of the money he earned on some new clothes — fashion and streetwear is his main creative outlet — but has generally stayed fully focused on football.
“I just go step by step, honestly,” he said. “That helps me keep everything in order.”
Andy Yamashita: ayamashita@seattletimes .com. Andy Yamashita is a sports reporter at The Seattle Times, primarily covering Washington Huskies football.
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