Griffin Law Among Trio Of Latest UTC Men’s Golf Signees

Griffin Law has been the target of numerous college golf coaches seeking to persuade the East Hamilton High School senior to cast his future aspirations with their program. But in the end, Law decided that there was no place like home.

Law was one of three signees to ink their commitment on Wednesday to the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, adding to the bright future of the Mocs program under third-year coach Blaine Woodruff.

“The key reasons I chose UTC were the coaches, the courses, and the practice facility,” Law said. “What Coach Woodruff has done in the past few years has been incredible. I really connected with him and know that he will help me improve as a player and a person. He is rebuilding the program to where it belongs, and I am excited to be part of that.”

While Law made visits and had offers from several SEC schools and other Division I programs, he was looking to land someplace that was a great fit and offered challenging golf courses to hone his game.

“The courses that we have access to are some of the best in the country,” Law said. “The practice facility is amazing, where you can hit any shot you could think of out there. After considering these factors it wasn’t a hard choice to pick UTC.”

Law has been on Woodruff’s radar since arriving in Chattanooga from Pepperdine University, and bringing him into the fold at UTC was a top priority.

“I’m thrilled we kept Griffin here in Chattanooga,” Woodruff said. “I remember seeing him when I first got the job and he handled himself like a tour pro at 15. He's got a very simple but powerful move and is a great ball-striker. Beyond golf, he's a great kid from a great family that has his priorities in order.

“Everyone around Chattanooga knows what kind of player he is, but they speak about his character first, which shows what type of person he is. Griffin will bring a lot to our program both on and off the course and (assistant coach) Ryan (Hogan) and I can't wait to start this journey with him."

As one of the top Tennessee high school golfers and ranked as high as No. 38 nationally, Law is anxious to continue improving his skills before arriving at UTC next fall.

“I know that college golf is going to be challenging,” Law said. “I will continue to practice and play tournaments to better myself as a player before next year. I am excited to grow as a player through the program that Coach Woodruff is building.”

Also ratifying their commitment to UTC were Conner Brummitt of Abingdon, Va. along with Evan Rogers of Duluth, Ga.

“All three of these guys have been ranked Top 50 in the country in the past year,” Woodruff said. “They're extremely competitive and very talented players. More importantly, they are stand-up young men that will represent the pillars of our program not only on the course but off of it as well. Mocs golf just got better.”

Woodruff had high praise for the addition of Brummitt to the UTC program.

“"I remember seeing Conner in the practice round at The Elite Invitational and it was one of the purest sounds off the clubface I have ever heard,” Woodruff said. “Conner is a competitor but also has a lightness about him that brightens up a room and comes from a great family. He exemplifies everything that we value as a program and will fit in perfectly here as we continue to build towards winning a National Championship. I can't wait to get Conner here in the Scenic City and get started."

Woodruff also views Rogers as a rising star that will be a key piece of the program’s future.

"Evan has really come onto the golf scene strong in the last few years, becoming one of the top players in the country and probably the highest-ranked recruit we have ever gotten at Chattanooga,” Woodruff said. “He's a gritty competitor with a lot of fire who reminds me a lot of (former Moc) John Houk. He's very athletic and is a student of the game, always wanting to learn and get better. He's going to thrive in our competitive environment."

The latest haul of signees takes place in an era where many college golf coaches are limited in their ability to add to their squad because of impending NCAA-mandated roster limits in college golf.

The landscape of college sports is changing thanks to a California court ruling that allows schools to directly compensate athletes via revenue sharing. In addition, scholarship limits are being removed across all Division I sports that opt into revenue sharing.

As a part of that agreement, the NCAA plans to impose roster limits in each sport beginning in fall 2025, which means current players and recruits will experience a shrinking pool of opportunities to compete.

Most Power-4 programs across the country will likely lose at least one roster spot, if not numerous. It means hundreds of student-athletes who are on rosters this year, or thought they were signing to join a school this week, are going to have to find a new place to play in 2025 and possibly beyond.

But the new changes may actually work to the benefit of Woodruff. Mid-major schools that don’t opt into revenue-sharing won’t have roster limits, which allows the Mocs to expand their roster beyond the cap.

“We aren’t “opting in” to the scholarship stuff because you have to do it for the whole department, not just for certain sports,” Woodruff said. “When talk of it first started coming out, I was concerned, but now I think it’s a competitive advantage. We can bridge the scholarship gap through NIL in-house and not be restricted to only eight guys.

Woodruff will be keeping a keen eye on the transfer portal as larger programs are forced to trim their rosters to meet the new limits.

“There's a bunch of good players this offseason that are going to be in the portal due to the cuts and I feel like we are a destination spot for those guys. Our schedule for next year is insanely good, so I’m going to go with probably 12-13 guys.”

Player Profiles

Conner Brummitt | Abingdon, Va. | Abingdon H.S.

• As high as No. 42 on Junior Golf Scoreboard.
• 2-time Mountain District Player of the Year (Fr. & Sr.)
• All-District, All-Region & All-State for all four years.
• Helped lead the Falcons to two VHSL 3A State titles.
• Runner-up at the 2024 Bubba Conlee Junior Golf Tournament.
• Older brother Caleb plays golf at Austin Peay & father Jason was a baseball player at Virginia Intermont.

Griffin Law | Chattanooga, Tenn. | East Hamilton H.S.

• As high as No. 38 on Junior Golf Scoreboard.
• Brother Jackson is a UTC student and father Kevin was a 4-year letterwinner on the Tennessee golf team.
• 3-time member of the Tennessee Junior Cup squad.
• TSSAA State Championship qualifier all four years finishing T4 as a junior and T7 as a senior.
• Double-digit wins in his high school and junior career including District title as a junior and Region Champ as a senior.

Evan Rogers | Duluth, Ga. | Hebron Christian Acad.

• As high as No. 33 on Junior Golf Scoreboard.
• Runner-up at the Granny Junior Invitational along with two top 5s in 2024 on the AJGA Tour tying for fourth at the Will Lowery Junior and fifth at the Discover Puerto Rico Junior Championships.
• Top performer in 2023 on the Southeastern Golf Tour with three wins and seven top 10s in eight events.
• 2024 Georgia High School Champ.
• Top 10 at the North & South Amateur in 2024.

Paul Payne can be emailed at paulpayne6249@gmail.com