Second-year surge: Georgia OL Earnest Greene

The summer is here and Kirby Smart’s eighth Georgia football team is putting in a lot of work behind closed doors. The entire 2023 class has arrived on campus and the Bulldogs are marching toward history.

A third consecutive National Championship, in the modern era, is unprecedented. But so was a back-to-back titles in the playoff era. In order for Georgia to stay on top of the mountain, it’ll have to rely on some players heading into their second season.

With that in mind, DawgsHQ is rolling out a series where we look at every scholarship player who is entering year two. Next up is yet another player who could find himself in a starting role.

OT Earnest Greene

Size: 6-foot-4 330 pounds

On3 Industry Ranking: No. 48 overall, No. 3 interior offensive lineman, No. 3 in California

2022 Stats: Greene took a redshirt in 2022 and did not play in a game. He had surgery early in the year to correct an issue with his back and did not return.

Greene’s strengths and weaknesses…

It’s never a bad thing when an offensive lineman has a guard’s mindset and a tackle’s skillset. That’s what Greene brings to the table. Those close to the program will tell you that he’s a fierce competitor and people mover at the point of attack. He loves to run block and he wins a lot of those battles.

But he’s also long and light on his feet with the natural ability to mirror the man in front. Greene probably has a little stiffness and he’s not the prototypical left tackle from a height standpoint, but he makes up for it with great length, heavy hands, and good instincts. The Golden State native can work on his balance and staying off the ground but overall he’s a tremendous talent who can play multiple positions.

The Buzz…

The stiff is high on Greene’s potential and has been for awhile. When preseason camp began in 2022 there was talk of him competing for the starting job at left guard. That was before the back issue slowed him down.

We’re told that the back isn’t much of a problem anymore but that he’s still getting himself in the kind of shape he’ll need to be in to start at left tackle. He’s going to have to battle hard for that job.

In 2023…

We’re talking about a guy who, if healthy, will be part of Georgia’s tackle situation in 2023. There’s confident that he can learn both the left and the right side. He has a good chance of starting on the left side with Amarius Mims on the right.

Austin Blaske, however, might have something to say about that. The fourth-year junior had a strong spring and is the better of the two when it comes to pass protection. Blaske and Greene, no matter who wins the job, are both expected to play and do so quite a bit.

The post Second-year surge: Georgia OL Earnest Greene appeared first on On3.