Here’s the breakdown of one of UGA’s newest commitments by former Bulldogs’ great Terrence Edwards for the AJC:

Player: Elijah Holyfield, Running Back, College Park, GA

Specs: 5-foot-10, 195 pounds

College: Committed to UGA over Auburn

The first thing that jumps out to me on film: The first thing that stands out to me is Elijah’s vision and burst. When Elijah sees an opening he makes a quick decision and bursts through the hole at full speed. Elijah is very patient at the line of scrimmage and he allows his offensive linemen to set up blocks so he can find the correct hole. Another thing I notice is that Elijah is quicker than straight-line fast. He has very quick feet that allow him to stay patient at the line of scrimmage. When you are a patient runner, you are not running up your offensive lineman’s back and can get everything out of the original design of the play.

What I like: Elijah is a very physical runner, and it’s hard for the first defender to get a solid tackle on him. When you have a back that can break the first tackle, it demoralizes a defense and takes a toll on them for 48 minutes during a football game. I love that he’s able to be effective in the passing game as well. He looks very natural catching the football out of the backfield. In today’s game, it’s a must that a running back can catch the football out of the backfield in order to be an every-down back.

What he needs to improve upon before he gets to UGA: Every young running back has to be able to pass-protect if he’s going to be successful at the position. Young running backs will struggle at first in the pass protection game. In high school, they are not asked to pass-protect as much as they will be in college. When you are asked to pass-protect in high school it’s not an SEC-caliber linebacker that you have to block in the passing game. Once Elijah understands the pass protection, I think he has an opportunity to be a successful running back for Georgia.
Is his ranking fitting? I think Elijah’s 4-star rating is very fitting for his abilities.
How I expect UGA to use him: I expect UGA to use Elijah just like the rest of the running backs at UGA are used. He’s a downhill one-cut running back who has great vision and the burst to be very effective in the SEC.
Who he reminds me of that played at UGA: The player that Elijah reminds me of is Nick Chubb. I know people will look at me sideways, but they are very similar because they are both one-cut and burst running backs. They both have great vision and are very patient at the line of scrimmage. Will Elijah produce the same type of numbers as Nick Chubb? Probably not, but they have similar traits as a running back.

Terrance Edwards starred at UGA from 1999 to 2002, finishing his Bulldogs career as the SEC’s all-time leading receiver in yards and No 2 in receptions. Edwards still holds several UGA receiving records. He played for the Atlanta Falcons in 2003, and recently retired after nine seasons in the CFL.