BELLFLOWER, Calif. — Earnest Greene has heard all about the $80 million Georgia football building, and he said he’ll be making an unofficial visit to Athens in June.
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Greene ranks among the top offensive line prospects in the 2022 class, a 6-foot-5, 330-pound specimen at St. John Bosco High School.
“I have unofficials to Alabama and Georgia the 23rd through 27th of next month,” said Greene, whose first unofficial visit will be to Ohio State next month.
The Buckeyes, Greene said, were among the first to show interest in him as a freshman and have told him that he’s a special priority for them.
It’s safe to assume UGA offensive line coach Matt Luke and Kirby Smart will also place a priority on bringing Greene back to his family’s home state to compete in the SEC.
“All the family on my dad’s side is from Savannah, Georgia,” Greene explained. “That’s where he was born and raised.”
Greene, ranked as the nation’s No. 2 interior offensive lineman and No. 3 player in California per the 247Sports composite, said trips to Georgia for Thanksgiving have been commonplace in his family.
It was hard not to notice Greene during an offseason workout at St. John Bosco, a championship-level program that features between 20 to 30 FBS-level players each season.
St. John Bosco plays Mater Dei High School — the alma mater of Georgia star JT Daniels — each year in one of the most pivotal high school rivalry games in the nation.
Either Mater Dei or St. John Bosco has won a share of the high school national championship each of the past four seasons.
Greene was part of the Bosco’s national championship team in 2019, back when current Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei was leading his team.
Indeed, much like Georgia’s last three meetings with Alabama, championships are often at stake.
Greene is the type of player that embraces playing against the best, but he also recognizes the player development that has become commonplace on the Georgia offensive line.
“Georgia, first of all, it’s like an NFL factory, especially in the trenches, they have O-Lineman and D-Lineman ever year,” Greene said. " When they offered me at tackle, both of their tackles went first round that year,”
Indeed, Andrew Thomas was the No. 4 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft while Isaiah Wilson was selected 29th overall
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UGA offensive guard Solomon Kindley was selected by Miami in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft and blossomed into a starter for the Dolphins as a rookie.
More recently, Ben Cleveland was picked in the third round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, and Trey Hill was picked in the sixth round by the Cincinnati Bengals, the sixth center off the board.
Greene’s list of top schools, which in addition to Georgia and Alabama includes Ohio State, LSU, Florida, Texas A&M, Texas, Oregon, USC and Miami, have all had success putting players in the NFL.
But the Bulldogs, coming off a program-record draft and with a 2022 NFL Draft class expected to set more records, stand out to Greene in one of the more important categories.
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“Obviously, player development, that’s the biggest thing,” Green said, asked what differentiates UGA from the other schools. “And they just got a new crazy facility (with) a new weight room. It has the tallest floor out there, so you know you’ll be putting in work in a nice place.”
Green already has a top to match the facility according to his coaches, who say he is often seen wearing a black Georgia.
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“Yeah, I like to wear my black Georgia shirt to work out in,” Green said. “It feels nice.”
Green said he will save his official visits for in-season, and he plans to announce his choice of schools in December, perhaps at the All-American game in San Antonio.
