University of Georgia Athletics
Quick Chat: Earnest Greene, III
December 29, 2023 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
When was the last time you thought about the height of the shower head in your (or any) bathroom? If you're average-sized or smaller, you've probably never thought about it. But if you're well over six feet, you're likely always having to duck to rinse your head.
At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Georgia offensive lineman Earnest Greene, III is by most every standard a really big guy. And he is always having to duck in the shower. At home, however, Greene isn't close to the tallest person in his family. That's because Greene's father, Earnest Jr., an NFL lineman in the 1990s who went to two Super Bowls, is 6-8.
Greene, a redshirt freshman from Los Angeles, has started every game this season for the No. 6 Bulldogs, who will wrap up their season on Saturday against No. 5 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Greene was named to both the SEC All-Freshman Team and The Athletic's Freshman All-American first team.
During a recent Quick Chat, Greene talked about Christmas in L.A., his funniest teammates, life as a big guy, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What is Christmas like in L.A.?
Greene: Christmas back home is more about the whole vibe of Christmas and getting into the Christmas spirit because we obviously don't have the snow or the really cold weather. It will just be more like lights — back at home, at my house, we would have reindeer and Christmas lights and that kind of stuff.
Frierson: Is there a family Christmas tradition that means a lot to you?
Greene: One thing is, we always had a pretty big tree, because my dad's thing was, the tree had to be taller than him — and my dad's 6-8. So we always had a pretty big tree in the house.
Frierson: By every measure, you're a really big guy — but compared to your dad, maybe not so much.
Greene: That's right. Compared to my dad, I'm a little guy. He played the same position I played, and he was my coach all the way through my freshman year of high school.
Frierson: Do you remember the last time you touch the ball during a game?
Greene: I know I had a fumble recovery in high school. I had an attempted fumble recovery against Georgia Tech, but I didn't get the ball. I felt it, though — it touched my fingertips.
Frierson: Football is odd in that it's maybe the only sport in which only a handful of guys on the field will ever touch the ball.
Greene: The little guys.
Frierson: Do you wish maybe they could come up with a play to get the ball in your hands? Maybe line you up in the backfield like they did with Jordan Davis?
Greene: [Laughs] I don't know about the backfield! I've definitely seen some cool (trick) plays, like throwbacks and stuff like that. Little stuff like that is a great way to get an O-lineman the ball in the game and show them some love.
Frierson: Earlier this month, you experienced your first loss in your time here at Georgia. How quickly do you move on from something like that?
Greene: Obviously after stuff like that happens, experiencing my first loss, it was kind of a bitter experience, as you could expect. But honestly, after that it's just, keep going, get back on track, and get focused. The main goal is to just finish the season off right for the seniors, so they can be the winningest class (in program history). That's really the motivation.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Greene: My funniest guy on the team isn't here anymore, he recently hit the (transfer) portal, and that's Aliou Bah. He's one of the funniest dudes I've ever met in my life. From the current, active roster, Mykel (Williams) is pretty funny. Percy, Christen Miller, is also really funny; Jordan Hall — most of the D-line room is typically kind of funny.
Frierson: Jordan Davis was obviously really funny, as was Devonte Wyatt, and you just named a few current defensive linemen. Is there something about defensive linemen that makes them funny?
Greene: I really think so, but it might just be a bigger person thing. We've got some pretty funny guys in the O-line room, too. Xavier Truss is one of the funniest dudes — just natural, just being funny all the time. Truss is one of the funniest guys; he could do stand-up if he wanted to. So it might just be a big guy thing.
Frierson: Is that maybe because everyday life for you guys can be a bit ridiculous, as far as having to duck in a lot of doorways, squeeze your way into airplane seats, and things like that? The world isn't really built for guys your size, so maybe you have to have a sense of humor about things.
Greene: I guess it kind of goes with aspects of that, like a shower head never being over your head.
Frierson: I've never even thought about that. I'm hoping the showers in your locker room are much higher than normal.
Greene: Oh, yeah, the showers in the locker room are pretty tall. Just the typical ones, like in the hotels or your dorm, they'll always be at your chest.
Frierson: I'm guessing there are a lot of things that come with being really tall that us average-sized folks don't ever think about.
Greene: Some people never see what's on top of their fridge, or never use the cabinets above the refrigerator. I remember one time I was talking to somebody, and they said they didn't like where their couch was. And I was like, just move it, and they were like, it's too big for them to move. Little stuff like that is just different.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Greene: I'm a big wing guy. I love wings. Also, my momma's peach cobbler. My mom turned me into a big peach cobbler advocate.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Staff Writer
When was the last time you thought about the height of the shower head in your (or any) bathroom? If you're average-sized or smaller, you've probably never thought about it. But if you're well over six feet, you're likely always having to duck to rinse your head.
At 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, Georgia offensive lineman Earnest Greene, III is by most every standard a really big guy. And he is always having to duck in the shower. At home, however, Greene isn't close to the tallest person in his family. That's because Greene's father, Earnest Jr., an NFL lineman in the 1990s who went to two Super Bowls, is 6-8.
Greene, a redshirt freshman from Los Angeles, has started every game this season for the No. 6 Bulldogs, who will wrap up their season on Saturday against No. 5 Florida State in the Capital One Orange Bowl. Greene was named to both the SEC All-Freshman Team and The Athletic's Freshman All-American first team.
During a recent Quick Chat, Greene talked about Christmas in L.A., his funniest teammates, life as a big guy, and much more. Here's some of what he had to say:
Frierson: What is Christmas like in L.A.?
Greene: Christmas back home is more about the whole vibe of Christmas and getting into the Christmas spirit because we obviously don't have the snow or the really cold weather. It will just be more like lights — back at home, at my house, we would have reindeer and Christmas lights and that kind of stuff.
Frierson: Is there a family Christmas tradition that means a lot to you?
Greene: One thing is, we always had a pretty big tree, because my dad's thing was, the tree had to be taller than him — and my dad's 6-8. So we always had a pretty big tree in the house.
Frierson: By every measure, you're a really big guy — but compared to your dad, maybe not so much.
Greene: That's right. Compared to my dad, I'm a little guy. He played the same position I played, and he was my coach all the way through my freshman year of high school.
Frierson: Do you remember the last time you touch the ball during a game?
Greene: I know I had a fumble recovery in high school. I had an attempted fumble recovery against Georgia Tech, but I didn't get the ball. I felt it, though — it touched my fingertips.
Frierson: Football is odd in that it's maybe the only sport in which only a handful of guys on the field will ever touch the ball.
Greene: The little guys.
Frierson: Do you wish maybe they could come up with a play to get the ball in your hands? Maybe line you up in the backfield like they did with Jordan Davis?
Greene: [Laughs] I don't know about the backfield! I've definitely seen some cool (trick) plays, like throwbacks and stuff like that. Little stuff like that is a great way to get an O-lineman the ball in the game and show them some love.
Frierson: Earlier this month, you experienced your first loss in your time here at Georgia. How quickly do you move on from something like that?
Greene: Obviously after stuff like that happens, experiencing my first loss, it was kind of a bitter experience, as you could expect. But honestly, after that it's just, keep going, get back on track, and get focused. The main goal is to just finish the season off right for the seniors, so they can be the winningest class (in program history). That's really the motivation.
Frierson: Who is the funniest guy on the team?
Greene: My funniest guy on the team isn't here anymore, he recently hit the (transfer) portal, and that's Aliou Bah. He's one of the funniest dudes I've ever met in my life. From the current, active roster, Mykel (Williams) is pretty funny. Percy, Christen Miller, is also really funny; Jordan Hall — most of the D-line room is typically kind of funny.
Frierson: Jordan Davis was obviously really funny, as was Devonte Wyatt, and you just named a few current defensive linemen. Is there something about defensive linemen that makes them funny?
Greene: I really think so, but it might just be a bigger person thing. We've got some pretty funny guys in the O-line room, too. Xavier Truss is one of the funniest dudes — just natural, just being funny all the time. Truss is one of the funniest guys; he could do stand-up if he wanted to. So it might just be a big guy thing.
Frierson: Is that maybe because everyday life for you guys can be a bit ridiculous, as far as having to duck in a lot of doorways, squeeze your way into airplane seats, and things like that? The world isn't really built for guys your size, so maybe you have to have a sense of humor about things.
Greene: I guess it kind of goes with aspects of that, like a shower head never being over your head.
Frierson: I've never even thought about that. I'm hoping the showers in your locker room are much higher than normal.
Greene: Oh, yeah, the showers in the locker room are pretty tall. Just the typical ones, like in the hotels or your dorm, they'll always be at your chest.
Frierson: I'm guessing there are a lot of things that come with being really tall that us average-sized folks don't ever think about.
Greene: Some people never see what's on top of their fridge, or never use the cabinets above the refrigerator. I remember one time I was talking to somebody, and they said they didn't like where their couch was. And I was like, just move it, and they were like, it's too big for them to move. Little stuff like that is just different.
Frierson: What is something you could eat every day and never get tired of it?
Greene: I'm a big wing guy. I love wings. Also, my momma's peach cobbler. My mom turned me into a big peach cobbler advocate.
(This Q&A was lightly edited for length and clarity.)
Assistant Sports Communications Director John Frierson is the staff writer for the UGA Athletic Association and curator of the ITA Men's Tennis Hall of Fame. You can find his work at: Frierson Files. He's also on Twitter: @FriersonFiles and @ITAHallofFame.
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