Want to attack every day with the latest Georgia football recruiting info? That’s the Intel. This entry is about the latest with All-American OT Earnest Greene III as he prepares for his upcoming All-American Bowl decision on NBC from the All-American Bowl in Texas.
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SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Earnest Greene III hails from California, has a lot of family in Georgia and is steadfast in his desire to play tackle at the college level.
He’s rated on the 247Sports Composite ratings as the nation’s No. 2 interior offensive line prospect and as the No. 40 overall player in the country.
The 4-star OL from St. John Bosco in California will reveal his college decision out here in Texas at the All-American Bowl. He already signed during the early period but will follow in a familiar path on signing during the early period, keeping it quiet and then announcing live on the NBC broadcast which begins at 1 PM EST on Saturday.
He had whittled that silent decision down to Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State and Texas.
Ohio State recruited him for four years. Former Bosco standout Wyatt Davis went on to star in Columbus. Georgia grabbed some early summer and fall momentum and then Alabama really turned his head lead. Texas climbed into the final group because of the relationships that staff established while they recruited the All-American when they were still at Alabama in 2020.
Greene is a very savvy kid. I remember a long conversation with him earlier this year in which he broke down why a kid from California would have so much interest in the Bulldogs. There was that family connection in Savannah, but he also did his homework.
He had researched that Kirby Smart’s program had produced two first-round draft picks at offensive tackle in the same draft. That was just three years after Isaiah Wynn, a converted guard, also went in the first round in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Greene was impressive yesterday working at the tackle position during the week’s only one-on-ones with the East team. The physical tools were there. 247Sports measured him at just under the 6-foot-4 mark. His weight was recorded at 350 parks with an arm length of 35 inches.
His hands are powerful and he can really strike and latch onto defenders.
What did his decision come down to?
“For me, it just came down to me to player development at my position,” he said on Wednesday. “Offensive tackle. Explosive offenses. Offenses that like to get their big men out in space and play physical.”
He described the process as “really difficult.”
“I’ve just been blessed with the opportunity to have what I have,” Greene III said. “Honestly, quite frankly, you can’t make a wrong choice here. Just having to get deep down into the Xs and the Os. The history of the quarterbacks. The history of the offensive coordinators. O-line coaches. All of that good stuff. I had to do my Xs and Os and my homework to make my decision.”
RELATED: Earnest Greene III discussed his strong family ties and initial strong interest in UGA
Alabama and Georgia made the final group for Earnest Greene III
Alabama. Georgia. Those two schools are playing for the national championship on Monday. They are both also in his final group.
Greene regards that as a pretty special moment in his recruiting process.
“First off, it is a blessing to even be in a position where I can have two of the four schools in my final four in the national championship game playing for a national championship and a ring,” he said. “First and foremost, it is a blessing to be able to do that.”
He had a thought on how the game might go.
“Anybody that plays anything in sports knows I mean it is kind of hard to beat a good team twice,” Greene III said. “But coach Saban always seems to do a good job with those dudes so I don’t know what to expect. I’m just looking forward to watching a good game and watching them go after it.”
What would be the biggest reason why he would have signed to play for Alabama? He chose to put his finger on the resumes of the offensive coordinator and the offensive line coach at Alabama.
“Both Bill O’Brien and coach [Doug] Marrone both have been head coaches at the next level,” he said. “Coach Bill O’Brien always has an explosive offense based off the research that I did. No matter where he was at. He always put a bunch of points up on the board. Quite frankly, it is evident again this year they put a whole bunch of points on the board.”
“Just knowing that the two coaches I would be the closest with on the next level and then the head coach there would be really good preparation for me.”
What about an answer to that same question with Georgia?
Well, he’s got dudes in Athens, too. That’s coach Kirby Smart, coach Matt Luke and assistant offensive line coach Eddie Gordon.
“Coach Eddie, Coach Luke and Coach Smart those are all my dudes,” Greene III said. “I stay in contact with them pretty often. I just like that the way they play on the offensive line. They get the offensive tackles out in space. It is a lot of run-dominant plays but they still get a chance to get into space and make some plays. They get onto some linebackers and some DBs and stuff like that. It is pretty fun.”
“You can watch that Orange Bowl game. The performance that the tackles put on against probably one of the most dominant defensive ends and edge rushing tandems in the country between Aiden Hutchinson and David Ojabo. I think they held them to zero if not any pressures. That just shows me they are doing a lot of work at that position.”
What are those same feelings in regard to Ohio State?
“Well, speaking about relationships I have been talking to coach [Ryan] Day and coach [Greg Studrawa] since my freshman year. I feel like I build a pretty good strong relationship with them. Their pitch to me is they have a need at offensive tackle in the room right now with two or maybe three possibly of their guys going to the draft next year. That has been their pitch to me. I just like their program. I like their football facility. I like their real-life Wednesday program where they offer the football players internships and stuff like that in the summer. It is pretty cool.”
What would have been the biggest reason for him to choose the Longhorns?
“Coach [Steve Sarkasian] and coach [Kyle] Flood are my dudes,” Greene III said. “I feel like I built a really really good relationship with them. They’ve been recruiting me since my sophomore year. You know coach Sark always has a really special offense. Always does a really good job putting points on the board. Coach Flood then, particularly in my personal situation, always puts bigger offensive tackles into the draft.”
“He’s going to have [Alabama’s] Evan Neal go first round. Jedrick Williams went first round. Alex Leatherwood went first round. Plenty of other dudes that I can’t even name off the top of my head but all of those dudes went first round. All of those dudes weigh at 320 plus and stuff. Just knowing that I’m comfortable with the fact he’s produced people like me into the draft pretty much.”
Earnest Greene III: What will be of these four teams be getting?
Greene will report next week as a mid-year enrollee at one of those four top-tier programs.
What type of player will one of those four be getting?
“I would describe my game as a technician but still a physically dominant player,” Greene III said. “I like to say that I like to get out in space a little bit and show my athleticism on the run a little bit. I just like to say I can do a little bit of everything.”
“As far as what I can say what this school is going to get I am going to work hard. I am going to do anything I can to get on the field and stay on the field. I just want to be the best player I can be and the best player at my position.”
DawgNation’s Mike Griffith also went to visit with Greene over the summer out in California. Check out his video interview below.
SENTELL'S INTEL
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