Film Room: Elijah Groves

Kentucky’s recruiting efforts took a week off before things heated up again on the trail. On Saturday, the Cats added another defensive piece from Middle Tennessee. Elijah Groves has joined the fold and could bring some unique positional versatility to the defense.

Defensive coordinator Brad White has recorded his first lead recruiting win of the 2024 high school cycle after Groves picked the Cats over Purdue and NC State. The high-level basketball player is a high-upside linebacker prospect with some tantalizing physical tools.

Let’s dig into the tape and see what Groves will bring to Lexington.

Big athlete with twitch

Playing for Cross Plains (Tenn.) East Robertson, Elijah Groves is a top option on offense at wide receiver and a very productive player on the basketball floor. On defense, East Robertson uses Groves in an assortment of off-ball alignments allowing the young athlete to hunt and find the ball.

On tape, the physical traits stand out for Kentucky’s latest commit. Groves has some legitimate twitch that gives him numerous playmaking opportunities.

Elijah Groves flashes some big-time closing speed from an off-ball linebacker position, uses instincts to diagnose quickly and then trigger downhill. Groves consistently flashed unique raw athletic tools that give the prospect real playmaking potential.

At a listed 6-foot-5 and 210 pounds, it’s hard to currently project where Groves will play at Kentucky but the skill set is obvious.

Kentucky keeps betting on traits

Kentucky wants to get bigger on defense. Kentucky wants to be faster on defense. How do we know this? Look at the takes we’ve seen to this point in the 2024 cycle.

Atlanta (Ga.) Westlake linebacker Antwan Smith is a track star with some explosive speed testing. Macon (Ga.) Westside defensive back Jiquavious Marshall owns tremendous length at cornerback to go along with good ball skills. Caleb Redd is a true EDGE with play speed and a playmaking track record. Elijah Groves becomes the third defensive recruiting win for Kentucky in the traditional SEC footprint with a size plus athleticism combo that can be hard to find.

Kentucky will ask Smith and Marshall to play some different positions at the next level. The same could be true for Groves. The linebacker prospect could play one of the two-off ball spots or could slide outside at Sam to give the Cats a bigger option at the hybrid medium (Sam/Nickel) spot. If there happens to be some serious weight gain in UK’s strength and conditioning program, a full move to EDGE could be on the table.

Groves has numerous intriguing traits highlighted by his frame and movement skills. Development will be needed, but this is another high-ceiling prospect that Kentucky has added on defense. The twitch is real, and the striking gives you something to build off of. There is legitimate NFL Draft upside with Elijah Groves.

Kentucky now has a pair of blue-chip prospects in the fold to start July.