Offensive lineman Luke Griffin de-commits from Georgia
One of Georgia’s longest-held commits, 2019 offensive lineman Luke Griffin, will no longer be a part of the Bulldogs’ class.
Griffin took to Twitter to announce that he would be re-opening his recruitment:
Please respect my decision!! pic.twitter.com/BJqVVu6jIr
— LukeGriffin54 (@Griffin54Luke) April 8, 2018
Griffin originally committed to Georgia in 2016, when he was still a freshman in high school, and before Kirby Smart coached his first game with the program.
A 4-star according to 247Sports, Griffin was ranked as the 356th-best player in the class of 2019, and the 34th-ranked offensive tackle. A Chatsworth, Ga. native, Griffin boasts an SEC-ready frame at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds.
Griffin sat out the entirety of his junior season in 2017 following a knee injury, which may have played a role in the decision for he and the Bulldogs to part ways. Because he committed to Georgia so early, Griffin has gone through the recruiting process to a much lesser extent than his similarly-ranked peers in the class of 2019.
Griffin is expected to be fully recovered from his injury soon and is likely to be pursued by a handful of other SEC heavyweights. Florida recently offered, and teams like Alabama, Clemson, Florida State and others have been rumored to be pursuing Griffin, even before the de-commitment. Following this news, however, the attention Griffin receives is likely to be ratcheted up another notch.
Griffin’s departure leaves Georgia with seven commitments for 2019, though he was — impressively from UGA’s standpoint — the Bulldogs’ lowest-rated commitment. Even without Griffin in the fold, Georgia can still claim the top-rated class for 2019 at this early point.
And while Griffin was the program’s only commitment along the offensive line, the Bulldogs are sure to have no shortage of big-time targets in the coming weeks and months. If there is one thing Kirby Smart has proven thus far — beyond justifying the somewhat controversial choice to move on from Mark Richt — it’s that he will seldom be defeated on the recruiting trail.
