Kirby Smart expects ‘big back half of the season’ from this 5-star freshman
ATHENS — Defensive tackle Elijah Griffin is no stranger to great expectations.
He was the No. 1-ranked defensive prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle. The crown jewel of Georgia’s 2025 recruiting class, which ranked second in the country.
The Pooler, Georgia native embraced the idea that he would be the next Jalen Carter or Jordan Davis, as unfair as that might be for someone who was playing high school football this time last year.
Griffin has fit right in on the Georgia defense. He’s played in every game thus far, notching 12 tackles and a tackle for loss.
And he’s doing something neither Carter nor Davis did when they first got to campus.
“He’s really quick,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He can be disruptive. We’re trying to utilize his skill set. He’s playing more and more snaps. He’s probably maybe our, I don’t know, second or third leading snap-getter in the front as a freshman, and I don’t know that that’s ever happened. So, he’s getting snaps, and he’s getting better each and every week.”
While there’s been no standout effort from Georgia’s defensive front, the group has been strong in stopping the opposing running game. Georgia ranks 11th in the country in rush defense, up from 36th last season.
The Bulldogs held Ole Miss to a season-worst 88 rushing yards last week. Griffin played 24 snaps in the win, third among Georgia’s defensive line.
The Georgia defense did surrender touchdowns on its opening five possessions of the game, leaving plenty to work on as it enters the closing stretch of the season.
While the Georgia secondary gave up big pass plays, Smart doesn’t put all the struggles on the maligned secondary.
“You’ve got to be really careful how you do things and what you respond to in terms of are we getting better at us and what we do,” Smart said. “Are we getting better at tackling? Are we getting better at free access? Are we getting better at second-and-long so that we have more third-and-longs? There’s so many things that go into it that we got to improve on. But I don’t look at it and say, ‘Oh, we’ve got a poor secondary.’
“I don’t think that at all. I think we’ve got really good cover guys, and we’ve got to put them in situations to be able to be successful.”
A further breakout from Griffin could help the secondary, as the Bulldogs would be asking their defensive backs to cover for less time.
Griffin’s game to this point is more strength-based than speed, which sets him up to excel in the run game.
As he gets more reps — something Georgia’s off week will provide — in a Georgia uniform, he’ll get closer to turning into a dominant player.
Something Smart very much believes Griffin is capable of becoming, as Davis and Carter did before him.
“I just love the kid’s work ethic,” Smart said. “He still has some plays that he might not execute the right way, but, I mean, I love the way he plays. I love the kind of energy he brings to that group, and he’s so humble. I’m expecting him to have a big back half of the season.”
About the Author
Connor Riley has been covering the University of Georgia since 2014 before moving to DawgNation full-time before the 2018 season. He helps in all areas of the site such as team coverage, recruiting, video production, social media and podcasting. He graduated from the University of Georgia in 2016.
