Elijah Griffin prepped to become Georgia’s next great defensive lineman
ATHENS — Jordan Davis, Jalen Carter, Devonte Wyatt, Travon Walker — might Elijah Griffin be the next “Great” Georgia defensive lineman?
Griffin, only a sophomore, still weighs 305 pounds, just like he did last season.
But it’s safe to say the former 5-star prospect from Savannah Christian Prep figures to carry more weight for the Georgia defensive line this season.
Griffin, an FWAA Freshman All-American last season, looks to be one of the Bulldogs’ most impactful new starters this season, starting with the opening game against Tennessee State on Saturday.
“Last year, coming in, I didn’t know what to expect,” said Griffin, who was rated the No. 1 defensive lineman in the 2025 class and No. 3 recruit overall by the 247Sports composite. “Now I know … the speed of the game, and I know the playbook a lot better. And development-wise, I feel like I strike blockers better and the little things I could do a lot better.”
Griffin’s weight hasn’t changed, but he has added muscle and reduced body fat, which will help him handle the offensive linemen he’ll be taking on each snap and the quarterbacks and ball carriers he’ll look to chase down.
UGA defensive coordinator Glenn Schumann noted from the start that Griffin arrived from the high school ranks with an uncanny level of maturity.
“He has ... a work ethic to him,” Schumann said last fall. “The capacity with which he’ll be able to help us is really about how he continues to grow and advance.“
Griffin said one of the things he has learned in Georgia’s scheme is that getting to the quarterback for a sack is more than just beating the man across from you and giving chase, as he did 8.5 times as a senior in high school.
“Once you get in college, you have guys that are stronger than you, or just as strong as you, and like I said, the game speed (is different),” Griffin said. “There’s a lot of factors that vary, like high school it was just to get free, you do whatever you want.
“But now, you have a certain role and a certain technique on this certain specific play, so now you have to learn how to maneuver through that.”
Griffin recorded one sack his freshman season, a number he might double through the first two games with Conference USA member Western Kentucky, the Bulldogs’ second game of the season.
Griffin has always preferred being a leader with that sort of action, but this year he’s looking to add a more vocal role to his resume.
“That’s one thing during camp I wanted to focus on, becoming a more vocal leader, and I try to do that day by day,” Griffin said. “But the steps in order to do that, I just have to talk more and put myself in uncomfortable situations.”
One thing for certain, Georgia is banking on putting opponents in uncomfortable positions throughout the season on what’s expected to be one of Coach Kirby Smart’s best defenses in recent memory.