ESPN names Georgia pass rusher among ‘freshmen to watch’ for Week 1
By Jacob Moss
Published:
In the current landscape of college football, it’s become very common for freshman to get playing time early on in their careers, especially if they were highly rated 5-star recruits.
The Georgia Bulldogs are no strangers to recruiting highly-touted prospects and they are also not afraid to play these players early and often if they demonstrate they are ready for the big stage.
One player that fits this mold is defensive lineman Elijah Griffin. The Georgia native and highest-ranked recruit in the Dawgs’ 2025 class has been turning heads all season, and ESPN believes he’ll make some serious noise in week one.
ESPN highlighted 5 true freshman “to watch” in Week 1 and Griffin made the cut. Here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Eli Lederman:
Like many of the elite defensive line talents before him at Georgia, Griffin possesses top-end traits — speed, physicality, and SEC-ready size at 6-foot-4, 310 pounds — that have had onlookers drawing comparisons to former Bulldog Jalen Carter throughout the spring and summer. Griffin’s maturity and ability to pick up the defense have also stood out as he vies for snaps along a revamped Georgia defensive line that returns multiple starters from a year ago.
There’s no denying the immense talent that Griffen possesses, and it’s hard not to draw comparisons to some of the elite pass rushers that have come through Athens in recent years.
Only time will tell if the freshman will be able to live up to the lofty standard set by his forbearers, but the hype certainly appears to be very real heading into the 2025 season.
