ATHENS — Despite Thursday being the first fall practice of Elijah Griffin’s Georgia career, he already looks right at home on a college defensive line.
Despite being a freshman, Griffin arrives in Athens with a college-made frame. Listed at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds, it’s easy to see why so many have Griffin pegged as an instant impact freshman.
“He’s going to be a dude, EG,” linebacker Raylen Wilson said of Griffin. “I feel like our whole defensive line unit is going to be good this year. And EG is a young guy that showed flashes in the spring, and I feel like he’s going to do good for us.”
Griffin was the No. 1-ranked defensive prospect in the country in the 2025 recruiting cycle. With how young Georgia is on the defensive line, Griffin has the potential to earn playing time that isn’t usually afforded to young defensive linemen.
Consider that all five defensive linemen Georgia signed in the 2024 recruiting cycle ended up redshirtting last season. That includes Joseph Jonah-Ajonye, a five-star signee in the 2024 recruiting class. Like Griffin, Jonah-Ajonye looked every bit like one of the most physically impressive players on the team.
“Well, I’d have to say for all the younger defensive linemen, like, they’re here at the University of Georgia,” Georgia offensive lineman Micah Morris said. “They got recruited here to come to the University of Georgia, so obviously they’re ready for it. They’re big-time players. Elijah, along with all the defensive linemen here are ready to go and they’re taking great strides.”
Jordan Hall, another former five-star defensive lineman, is hoping to break through on the Georgia defensive line this season. He isn’t quite as young as Griffin or Jonah-Ajonye, but Hall’s next tackle for loss will be his first.
The reality is that Griffin can’t be the only promising defensive lineman to stand out this fall.
Georgia is going to need the collective defensive line to play well.
“If we’re going to be good up front and we’re going to stop the run, it starts with that group,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “I mean, it’s everybody, but it really starts with the defensive line and what kind of mentality that room has.”
Christen Miller and Xzavier McLeod are the most proven defensive linemen on Georgia’s team. Miller, though, missed much of the offseason as he recovered from shoulder surgery, while McLeod is entering his second year in the program after transferring in from South Carolina.
That Georgia has someone like Griffin able to step into a meaningful role as a freshman explains a lot of the excitement around the Pooler, Georgia, native.
But if this Georgia defensive line is going to play up to Smart’s standard, Griffin will have to deliver on that promise and potential very early in his Georgia career.
