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WATCH: Kirby Smart makes grand entrance to see 5-star Georgia target

On3 imageby:Jake Rowe•01/17/24•

JakeMRowe

Kirby Smart Georgia
Photo: @SCPSAthletics

The NCAA’s dead period ended late last week and Georgia head coach Kirby Smart has been burning up the recruiting trail since. Outside of Saturday and Sunday when Smart returned to Athens to host recruits, he has been on the road and that includes Wednesday when he was technically in the air.

The ninth-year Georgia head coach hopped on a helicopter and made his way to Savannah Christian Prep, the home of five-star defensive lineman Elijah Griffin. The chopper landed on a nearby baseball diamond. Smart is expected to take that same vehicle when he makes the seven-mile trip to Calvary Baptist Day School a little later.

Griffin was on Georgia’s campus this past weekend for an unofficial visit and brought multiple close family members, including his grandmother. The Bulldogs hold a commanding lead for the elite prospect according to the On3 Recruiting Prediction Machine (RPM). Georgia has 86.6 percent after a recent submission from On3 Director of Recruiting Chad Simmons. South Carolina sits at 6.9 percent and Clemson has 1.1 percent.

Scouting report on Elijah Griffin…

At 6-foot-4 270 pounds, Griffin is ranked as the No. 3 overall prospect in America per the On3 Industry Ranking, a weight average that includes all four websites that assign recruiting rankings and ratings. Griffin is the nation’s No. 1 defensive lineman and No. 1 prospect in Georgia.

“Highly athletic, disruptive defensive lineman who looks like the top defensive prospect in the 2025 cycle early on. Measured at 6-foot-3.5, 270 pounds with a 10-inch hand prior to his sophomore season. Has the size of an interior defensive lineman with the high-end twitch and athleticism of a top pass rusher. Flies off the snap and darts into the backfield to create disruption with regularity. A very loose and fluid athletic, particularly at his size. Griffin plays with outstanding leverage and body lean. Shows advanced hands at the point of attack and quickly neutralizes offensive linemen. Has the speed in pursuit to track down running backs from the back side. Phenomenal production as a sophomore with 14.5 sacks and 30 tackles for loss. Shows his functional strength and short area explosion in track and field, where he threw the shot put over 50 feet as a sophomore. Projects as a top defensive lineman with the ability to line up and disrupt from multiple spots on a defensive front.”

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