Tech adds more defensive line help with portal commit from Griffin
Georgia Tech’s staff went into this portal cycle knowing they needed to add a lot of bodies to the roster up front on the defensive side, and Brent Key and company continued in that pursuit on Thursday with the commitment of former Cincinnati DL Tim Griffin.
Griffin, a player Tech defensive line coach Jess Simpson and OLB/defensive ends coach Kyle Pope see as a versatile option that could play inside or outside, announced his commitment to the Jackets via social media on Thursday following an official visit to The Flats. Griffin said the plan the staff laid out for him on his previous visit last week along with the honesty from the coaching staff and the big academic opportunity at Tech were the main reasons he chose the Jackets.
“(I really like) the staff and the plan they have for me. They’re really not just looking for right now. They’re looking at my future. That’s why I was all about it. That’s why I want to play for them,” Griffin told JOL earlier this week before making his decision public. “And the academics and the Georgia Tech degree is a big part of it too. I think I will have a great financial future based off that and get to play the game I love and have a passion for. That’s what me and my family is looking for is a great future.”
“They think so highly of me being a versatile player for them,” added Griffin. “A lot of colleges say that, but they really showed me when I spent a lot of time with outside linebackers and ends Coach Pope and also inside D-line coach, Coach Simpson. They were both great. As soon as I got there, it just felt real. They didn’t just tell me what I wanted to hear. They were real honest with me and told me what I did wrong, what I did right, where I can get better, what I can work on. I just felt like I can really develop there because they really kept it honest with me.”
Griffin is returning close to home as he attended Alcovy High in Covington, Georgia to play his prep ball before signing with Cincinnati as a 3-star (86.98) defensive lineman in the 2025 recruiting class according to the On3 industry rankings. He chose the Bearcats over several other offers, including Power-4 schools Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss as well as one from Notre Dame. He didn’t play in his one season at Cincinnati, where he was listed at 6-foot-5, 275 pounds, and will have four years of eligibility remaining once he arrives on The Flats.
Griffin said he’s ready to play at the ACC level and continue to develop and a big part of that is going to be the way he goes about the game off the field and in the film room.
“I know the ACC produces a lot of top talent, and Georgia Tech not only produces smart players but they produce NFL players,” said Griffin. “That’s where I want to go, and I’m so ready to play. I feel like I’m going to develop as I play more. A lot of players really play off of instinct, but I really stay watching film and studying because I want to know what’s going to happen on the field before it happens. I think that will allow me to be the best player I can be by knowing everything that I can before getting out on the field so I can go attack it.”
Griffin is Tech’s 15th commitment of this portal cycle and sixth on the defensive front along with defensive tackles Vincent Carroll-Jackson (previously at UConn) and Tawfiq Thomas (previously at Colorado), defensive end/edge Jordan Walker (previously at Rutgers) and edges Noah Carter (previously at Alabama) and Taje McCoy (previously at Oklahoma State) as Simpson and Pope continue to add depth and talent to their position groups.
