Elijah McAllister: Dedicated to being a difference-maker

Elijah McAllister, a former Auburn University football captain who was a star on and off the field, is currently pursuing his doctorate to elevate himself academically while continuing to be a difference-maker in the community.

McAllister, a native of Asbury Park, New Jersey, played five seasons of football at Vanderbilt University, during which he was a two-time team captain and made the 2021 Allstate AFCA Good Works Team. He graduated with a bachelor’s degree in medicine, health and society and a master’s in education, diversity and urban studies before transferring to Auburn for the 2023 season.

“One of the main reasons why I chose Auburn was because I wanted to elevate myself from an academic standpoint,” McAllister said. “At Vanderbilt, they don’t have rolling admission for Ph.D. programs, and here, they were able to help me out in getting things started with my Ph.D.”

McAllister played football for one season on the Plains while pursuing his doctorate in the Education Leadership Program. He was a team captain, made the SEC Community Service Team and was awarded the fall 2023 PNC Achiever Award.

He also was awarded the 2024 Cliff Hare Award, on Sept. 21 in front of a packed Jordan-Hare Stadium crowd.

“To be able to represent the Cliff Hare family, my family and Auburn as a whole was amazing,” McAllister said. “It’s an honor to be nominated for awards and be selected. I saw the list of names of the previous recipients, and it’s just an honor to be mentioned in the same space as those people.”

The Cliff Hare Award is presented annually to a male senior student-athlete for academic and athletic success, as well as leadership, integrity and courage. McAllister was successful at balancing academics and football, while also taking the time to serve and lead others and impact the community.

“A lot of people use their free time to play video games or hang out with friends,” McAllister said. “I still hang out with friends, but I try to use my free time to give back to other people and also elevate from a personal standpoint, whether that’s learning, asking questions, reading or doing schoolwork.”

Foundation work

McAllister is able to give back to others and serve the community through his nonprofit organization, All4:1and1ForAll foundation. The mission is to foster a strong and vibrant community through efforts in developing youth, both athletically and academically, while also basing growth on religious principles.

“I have a passion for helping people,” McAllister said. “I grew up in a church, and I grew up in a house with my grandma and 12 cousins, so helping people has always been important. We sacrificed to help people in church or in my family, so I started it because I wanted to give back to the next generation.”

Overall, his goal with the foundation is to promote positive change in the community while empowering youth to reach their full potential. He has hosted various youth camps and back-to-school drives to provide resources and opportunities to those within the Auburn community. McAllister recalled the success of the drive at the Boys and Girls Club of Auburn prior to the 2023 football season.

“It was amazing. Food trucks, bounce houses and flag football. Aubie showed up, and we gave over 200 kids backpacks and school supplies for the upcoming school year,” he said. “It was a day to be around the next generation and impact them in a positive way.”

Earning another fellowship

After finishing his football career, McAllister continued to work toward completing his doctorate. His athletic achievements here, on top of his academic achievements, have allowed him to be a recipient of the C.L. “Shot” Senn Fellowship for the second year in a row.

It is a $1,000 fellowship awarded annually to an Auburn graduate student or incoming graduate student, with a minimum GPA of 3.0 and was a former Auburn D-I athlete whose NCAA eligibility has ended.

“To be nominated for that was a blessing, and to be awarded it is an even bigger blessing,” McAllister said. “It takes a village to do anything in life; nobody in life gets anywhere alone, so any help you can get while continuing to pursue your dreams, pursuing the purpose God has set for you, is important.”

One person in particular who helped McAllister throughout his time on campus is Associate Professor David Marshall. He challenged McAllister in the classroom, taught him research methods that he still uses to this day and helped McAllister adjust to Auburn when he first arrived.

“I can’t speak enough good words,” McAllister said of his faculty mentor. “He challenged me to speak up, ask questions, learn more about myself and not get too comfortable. He allowed me to see what Auburn was like outside of the football facility and the Haley Center.”

Marshall also holds McAllister in high regard.

“Elijah is a natural leader in everything he does,” Marshall said. “The example he has been to other student-athletes and the rest of his peers is something you don’t see every day. Elijah has a vision that is larger than what I see in most students, and I have no doubt he is going to do big things over the course of his career. The world could use more people like him.”

In the future

McAllister currently is working on his dissertation, focusing on how different frameworks used in academics can be applied to athletics and used for positive change within an organization or team for success. Associate Professor Amy Serafini has helped facilitate his dissertation work and everything he has had to do within his studies, along with keeping him on track. She also has been a great resource for him to lean on throughout his doctoral work.  

McAllister plans to graduate in spring 2026 and after would like to be a university athletic director, as the job combines his passions for athletics, student-athlete experience, the elevation of academics and building culture. He’s also imagining careers as a general manager for an NFL team, a professor at Auburn or a college dean.

“I’m not creating this artificial timeline for myself and what I want to do, things I’m not passionate about,” McAllister said. “God’s given me an ambitious heart, and I’ve never been shy about expressing that, because I think it’s important for people to be able to see what will guide the story in your heart.

“I just want to be able to impact people, build culture and lead but also implement the things I’ve learned academically.”