by PRESS RELEASE WRITTEN PER ST. IGNATIUS SID JOE MERTENS
Cleveland – On Wednesday, December 4, Saint Ignatius High School is excited to celebrate a pair of
student-athletes participating in NCAA’s Early Signing Day. Cody Haddad will continue his academic and
football career at The Ohio State University, and Grant Washington will continue his academic and football
career at the University of Minnesota. The pair of Wildcats will represent Saint Ignatius in the BIG10.
Washington becomes the first Wildcat since Matthew Trickett ’18 to compete at the University of Minnesota.
Washington had a three-year varsity career for the Saint Ignatius Football program. The running
back finished with 1,651 career rushing yards at Saint Ignatius, the eighth-best in program history. In his
senior season, Washington rushed for 785 yards on 137 carries and had two touchdowns.
Since 1990, Saint Ignatius has produced 21 student-athletes who have played for the Ohio State football
program. Haddad will become the 22nd as he becomes the first Wildcat since Tommy Eichenberg ’19 to
play for the Scarlet and Gray. Former Wildcat names that went on to play at Ohio State include LeCharles
Bentley ’98, Anthony Gonzalez ’03, and Dre’Mont Jones ’15.
Haddad was a three-year varsity member and played multiple positions, performing on both sides of the football. In five games his senior year, Haddad collected 45 tackles, one pass breakup, and one forced fumble from his safety position.
The Early Signing Day event will occur in the Atrium at Saint Ignatius High School, located next to Loyola
Hall. It will begin at 3:30 p.m. when Athletic Director Rory Fitzpatrick ’88 will address the families of Cody and Grant and the football program. Both Cody and Grant will be signing their Letters of Intent to play at the Division I level.
