Evander Holyfield's son a highly-prized football recruit

His dad was a highly-prized young athlete in the boxing ring decades ago, and now Elijah Holyfield is looking to launch his own career under the lights. 

The highly-recruited youngster, son of famed boxer Evander Holyfield, is a four-star running back attending Woodward Academy high school in Atlanta. 

So far he has more than 30 scholarship offers. He's listed by Rivals as the sixth-ranked high-school running back in the nation, and 247Sports calls him the 19th-ranked back in the nation.

"Elijah is in good shape,” Evander told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution's Michael Carvell. “He’s one of those kids that does the proper things. He loves working hard. When I was a kid, I loved working hard. He’s the same way. He pushes himself to do whatever’s necessary to be the best he can be.”

The younger Holyfield is a 5-foot-9, 200-pound back known as a bruiser - to no one's surprise, as Carvell noted.

“He’s good at running back,” said his father, who played cornerback as a kid. “He made up his mind to be a running back because he used to play linebacker, too. He likes to hit. He’s physical. And he has the speed to be a good back.”

While Georgia is heavily courting the young rusher, Michigan has also been listed as a favorite to win his heart. 

“I’ve realized that the most important thing is that he has got to find a team where he’s going to play,” Evander said. “Sometimes with the top teams, you don’t know what direction they’re going to go in. Anything can happen to change a situation."

When Georgia came calling for his son, though, Holyfield approved. 

“I was happy about that offer because I’m a Georgia fan,” he said. “And then I found out that he liked Georgia, so that offer was a good thing.”