Dream come true for Griffis as he joins brother Mitch

Tuesday was a dream come true for Va. QB Brett Griffis.

After not playing football this season due to COVID-19 shutting things down in the state of Virginia, Griffis saw his recruitment develop slower than many might have expected.

The offer from Wake Forest in late November was game-changing for Brett and his family, to the point his commitment felt more like a "when" moment and not an "if" moment.

Griffis will join his brother Mitch in Winston-Salem, and is the second commitment of the 2022 cycle for the Demon Deacons.

Stay tuned to DeaconsIllustrated for the latest on this story, and all your Wake Forest news.

"Today is a big day for us," said Brett in an interview with DI. "Honestly, I thought about waiting until after my junior year. We haven't had a football season here yet because of COVID-19 and everything. We aren't supposed to play until the spring, so I thought about waiting until after the season, like June."

"But I couldn't wait. That opportunity at Wake, to commit, could be gone then. Someone else could commit in that spot, or we could end up never playing this season, you never know. Wake has felt like home."

"I've been to four games so far this season, including one away game. Overall, I have been there (to Wake) 20 times to see Mitch. We go out there to see him every other week, and got the chance to see some games."

"I loved the atmosphere there. Even when there were no fans, the stadium is still awesome, and the campus is still beautiful."

"Coach R and I have had a relationship since my brother was being recruited by them. They (Wake coaches) do a thing where they come to dinner, and meet the family. I have known him ever since, and then of course I have heard stories from Mitch. A few months ago he DM'd me on Twitter, and we have been building a very strong relationship ever since."

"It is hard to think of it like competition," said Brett about the opportunity to work with his brother at the collegiate level. "We're both going to be pushing each other. It has been a dream of both of ours to play ACC football together since we were six years old, so it is a bit of a celebration tonight that we have accomplished that. We may have to compete in the years to come, but I'm not looking to take his spot from him or anything like that soon (he has to win the starting job first) but you get that anywhere you go. No guaranteed playing time anywhere you go. You gotta compete."

"I think that being the head of the class, the natural leader, the first skills position guy in the class, I can be all over Twitter. Trying to get guys to join us, seeing who is gaining Wake offers, and go from there on trying to get them to join us for Orange Bowls, Conference titles, or whatever else comes. I'll always be trying to recruit guys to join me at Wake Forest, whether it be in my area, or all over."

The Wake commitment for Brett is the culmination of a ton of hard work, and it comes just about two years after a moment in which he didn't know what the future would hold in regards to athletics.

"January 2019, I had a medial epicondyle avulsion, which is where the ligament tears off the bone. it is the inverse of Tommy John. Luckily, it wasn't TJ. My injury was 6-7 months instead. I didn't have an off-season going into my sophomore year, which is why my game-tape isn't nearly where I am now. I couldn't throw in the off-season, so I could not work on improving my accuracy. Throughout the pandemic, I have been throwing four times a week, so I would say my arm strength and accuracy has improved a great amount.