NEW ORLEANS — Perseverance.
That’s the word freshman DL Elijah Griffin keyed in on while describing the story of his freshman season.
“Because, you know, early on, I got hurt against Austin Peay (with an ankle injury),” Griffin said. “I wasn’t really able to play my best up until the Florida game, in my opinion. I still haven’t played my best game. So I am just taking process over results and taking things day by day.”
Griffin, a former AJC Super 11 selection who was the highest-rated prospect of the 2025 signing class, was able to discuss his first year in Athens with the media at the Sugar Bowl team press availability.
Because UGA freshmen do not speak to the media after games or during the season, this was the first opportunity for Griffin to discuss his freshman season.
He was quite colorful in describing his “welcome to Georgia” moment with the team.
“I have multiple ‘welcome to Georgia’ moments,” he said. “This guy named Micah Morris, our left guard, came on a pull play. My eyes were in the wrong spot. I think this was during fall camp.”
The tackle had arched in a different direction. Griffin turned his gaze to follow that blocker for a hiccup or two. That’s when he saw Morris coming his way.
“Then I saw him coming down the line, and it was too late,” Griffin said. “He obliterated me. I’m not going to lie.”
The former Savannah Christian star was the No. 1 defensive tackle prospect in the nation for his class. He was basically the top prospect at his position from the moment he was first ranked.
Griffin has played in all 13 games this season. He has 18 tackles, 2.5 TFLs and a sack. He made the freshman All-America teams for the Athletic, On3, PFF and the freshman All-SEC team.
His immediate success came with learning some lessons.
“I would say the process of knowing things and the playbook,” he said. “Actually wanting to learn your stuff compared to high school.”
The highlight for him was getting his first sack, against Charlotte.
“Against Texas, I played one of my best games, but I still didn’t execute,” he said. “It is just looking back at that.”
Griffin, at 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds, has changed his body through Georgia’s renowned strength and conditioning program. His body fat is now around 20%.
The former 5-star from Pooler already knows what he needs to improve for his sophomore season. The first thing would be his eye discipline.
“I would definitely say my eyes and, you know, confidence, really,” Griffin said. “I feel like confidence is key. If you go out there and you’re not confident, you’re not going to play well. I would just say being more confident and playing with good eyes.”
Griffin shared an interesting story about his former Savannah Christian teammate LaDamion Guyton, who was the nation’s No. 1 edge in 2027 but reclassified to the 2026 cycle and signed with Texas Tech.
At this time last year, many thought Guyton would end up in Athens. Texas Tech won Guyton’s commitment based on one unofficial visit and a significant financial investment.
Did Griffin think he was going to play with Guyton in Athens?
“I did,” he said. “Honestly, I really did. But I told him, ‘Hey, it is your decision. You’re walking in your own path.’ So I was like, ‘Do what’s best for you, because nobody is going to be going to workouts with you. Nobody is going to do x-y-z. It will just be you. You just have to make the right decision for yourself.’ So I told him all that.”
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
Credit: Jason Getz / Jason.Getz@ajc.com
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