THE LATEST: USC Remains Serious Option for 5-Star Georgia Defensive Lineman
Among the top USC targets visiting nearly two months ago on March 23 were two Five-Stars Elijah Griffin and Justus Terry, Justin Hill, Corey Adams, Dilan Battle, Landon Rink, Marco Jones, Malachi Goodman, Karson Cox, Maki Stewart and Isaiah Gibson.
Although there will be a few recruiting weekends prior to any official visit happening, all of the Spring Official Visits left with USC will happen in June.
On June 21-23, several of the March 23 unofficial visitors will return to Los Angeles for their USC official visits, including Griffin. There are 16 official visitors scheduled to visit that June weekend.
Grffin and Terry will headline a group that includes, Edge Jared Smith, CB Chuck McDonald, Safety Jontae Gilbert, WR Phillip Bell, WR kelshaun Johnson, OL Malachi Goodman, DL Trajen Odom, WR Tanook Hines, DL Brandon Brown, OL Henry Fenuku and USC DL commit Gus Cordova.
Why USC for Elijah Griffin?
Much like Justus Terry, USC wasn’t really pursuing Griffin prior to Eric Henderson’s hiring. Henderson, aka Coach Henny, is looking to add the best of the best to his and Shaun Nua’s room, regardless of where they’re from or which schools are chasing them.
One of the first players Coach Henny stopped by to see after joining Lincoln Riley’s staff in January was Griffin.
“He (Henderson) was the first one from USC to reach out and make that first impression on me,” said Griffin. “You know, coming down to the school and then talking to me, talking to my mom and building that relationship. Before Coach Henny came by, I wasn’t really looking at USC.”
Coach Henny’s January visit to Savannah Christian led to Griffin’s March unofficial visit.
“I just wanted to see how he work with his players and how he coaches them,” Griffin said. “He coached one of the best defensive players to ever play the game. To see that in action kinda is kinda crazy, you know? So, I just wanted to see for myself.
Griffin and the other March 23 visitors were able to experience a USC practice, despite the challenging weather that day. We asked Griffin if the way Coach Henny coaches is really that different from other coaches?
“Yes sir, it is completely different,” said Griffin. “The way he actually dials in on a specific player’s needs, because everybody’s different. Some person might not understand visually. They might understand in another way being demonstrated or whatnot. You know, just getting to know the way guys think and how each individual operates.”
Why Griffin’s returning to USC
Getting the caliber of players USC hosted on campus prior to June was vital in the Trojans actually having a shot of signing them. While Griffin saw and experienced a lot in. Los Angeles two months ago, his mother wasn’t with him on that visit.
“What I just really want is for my mom, my little sister and my grandma to see what I experienced, because last time just my uncle came up with me,” Griffin told WeAreSC. “So it was just me and him. So, I want my family to feel the vibe I did and understand what’s going on in this process.
“You can’t go wrong with L.A. The beaches, the weather is really nice and great food obviously. School wise, they have one of the top business schools in America. I’m looking into business management. So, I always look into the business aspect of the school regardless of what’s going on.”
What’s important
What is going to be really the most important components into the decision that you’re gonna ultimately make here?
“Honestly, I would just say how I fit in as a player slash student and then the university itself,” said Griffin. “Development, that’s number one, because the goal is to make it to the NFL and be a first rounder. Also relationships. As time goes on, I look at how a coach has talked to me, how he treats me, how he treats my family and stuff like that.”
Adding elite players matters
As is often the case, top ranked players want to play with others like them. Griffin is no different in that regard.
“I feel like if you get one guy, you could bring multiple in,” Griffin said. “Especially bringing in high-caliber guys…means a lot. Everybody wants to compete and practice with the best. Iron sharpens iron. So Yeah, I to practice against the best. So, when you play the games, it’s easy.”
Official visits
As of now, Griffin plans to only take the USC (June 21-23) and Miami (June 7-9) official visits prior to his senior season. The current plan is to take more visits during the season, or perhaps even after the season.
“I definitely plan to visit Georgia, Clemson, maybe South Carolina and Oregon,” said Griffin.
The post THE LATEST: USC Remains Serious Option for 5-Star Georgia Defensive Lineman appeared first on On3.
