[7][9] Still, Griffin was able to continue playing sports without his left hand, competing in track, baseball, and football alongside his brother.

He was also a four-year letter earner in track and field, including the 4x100 relay, triple jump, shot put, and discus.

After winning the triple jump state title, and breaking two Lakewood records, he was named the Tampa Bay Times Track and Field Athlete of the Year in Pinellas County (Florida).

[12] Sources: Shaquem and his brother Shaquill were both offered football scholarships at the University of Central Florida (UCF) by then-coach George O'Leary, with Shaquill rejecting offers from other teams including the Miami Hurricanes, his dream team, to play with Shaquem.

In his second season, playing as a redshirt freshman, Shaquem Griffin had a brief stint as a second-string player on the depth chart before being demoted to third string and then scout team.

Writing for The Players' Tribune, Griffin said that, following his winless third season under O'Leary, "Coach Frost came in and brought me back into the light...

He received the award alongside Maggie Nichols, the first individual to report having been sexually assaulted by Larry Nassar.

He made headlines for performing 20 reps in the bench press while wearing a prosthesis[28] and for running the 40-yard dash in 4.38 seconds, the fastest time for a linebacker since the NFL has released official statistics.

[29] Despite the fact that he was not projected as a first-round pick, Griffin received an invitation to the 2018 NFL draft, which he accepted on March 29, 2018.

[2][3][4][34] On April 28, 2018, he was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the fifth round (141st overall), which they acquired along with Duane Brown in exchange for the 80th pick in the 2018 NFL draft.

Griffin led the Seahawks in total tackles for the entire 2018 NFL preseason with fifteen, tied with fellow linebacker Austin Calitro.

On September 9, 2018, Griffin was named as a starter in the first game of his NFL career due to veteran linebacker K. J. Wright being unable to play.

[39] In the Divisional Round of the playoffs in the 2019 season, Griffin recorded one sack on Aaron Rodgers during the 28–23 loss to the Green Bay Packers.

[40] Griffin was waived by the Seahawks during final roster cuts on September 5, 2020,[41] and signed to the team's practice squad the next day.