University of Georgia Athletics
Greene Credits His ‘Pops’ For Strong Foundation
October 09, 2024 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
Earnest Greene, III didn't have to look far to find his first position coach. He was already in his house, and he shared the future Georgia left tackle's name.
While Greene is big by any measure at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, his father, Earnest II, is 6-8. Earnest II was an offensive lineman at Savannah State before going on to play in the NFL and the Arena Football League before retiring from football in 2001.
"He's a big dude," Greene said of his dad, whom he credits with playing a major role in his development as a person and a player. "Growing up, my pops instilled a lot of stuff in me from a young age, as far as how to be a man on and off the field. I feel like most of that stuff has really stuck with me."
Long before he was a big-time recruit and star lineman for California high school football power St. John Bosco, near Los Angeles, Greene was getting great coaching at home. His dad coached him from Pop Warner through his freshman year of high school, establishing a strong foundation upon which the rest of Greene's development has been built.
"Even before he knew what he was doing, I had him getting into a three-point stance," Earnest II told The Athletic back in 2020, when Greene was a junior in high school.
Always big for his age, Greene often had to play up in age, against older boys who might be closer to his size but had played a lot more football. Father and son started watching film together when Greene was about 7 years old, and he picked up the game and the nuances of playing on the line fairly quickly.
"My dad always told me that football is 90% mental and 10% physical, so that's one of the things he's taught me that really stuck with me," Greene said. "Along with all of the drills I did with him at a younger age to get comfortable and more used to the sport, he really just sculpted my mind and my brain."
Greene remembers a time in middle school when his size, skill and experience first started to show that he could handle what his dad was throwing at him in drills.
"It was kind of like I was growing up in my body and getting more explosive and stuff. He didn't know that yet," Green said with a smile. "He was more surprised and proud of me. He told me he was proud of how I looked and he felt that it looked kind of fluid. It was one of those things where, you can't hold on to your little boy anymore — he's turning into a man.
"It didn't really register with me at the time. I was just a middle school kid trying to prove his dad wrong. With your dad being your coach, he's always going to be hard on you in everything. I'm happy that he did that for me because it made me able to adjust to different coaching styles. He definitely prepared me for everything."
Georgia has had numerous great players from California over the years, including tight end Brock Bowers, one of the greatest Bulldogs ever, and running back Kendall Milton from last season's squad. When Greene was figuring out where to go to college, Georgia rose to the top of his list for a variety of reasons. Among those: his father is from Savannah and they have a lot of family in the state; also, he liked that he was going to have to work hard for every opportunity he got with the Bulldogs.
"The wins aren't just inherited," he said. "They're something that as soon as I got here I realized that everything is for a reason. We work for everything we get, and seeing the amount and preparation that we put in definitely leads to success."
After redshirting during the 2022 season following back surgery, Greene started every game last season and each game so far this season. After All-American lineman Tate Ratledge went out with an ankle injury at Kentucky, snapping a streak of 31 straight starts, Greene's 19 in a row are tied with quarterback Carson Beck for the longest active starting streak on offense heading into the fifth-ranked Bulldogs' game against Mississippi State on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
One of Greene's best friends on the team is the man lined up just to his right, redshirt junior left guard Dylan Fairchild.
"We do almost everything together. We're always together in the facility. We're very similar in the way that we love to compete. We'll sit there and jab at each other sometimes," Fairchild said with a laugh. "It's fun, it's fun being around him. He's a highly competitive person, and I think surrounding yourself with people like that is a great thing.
"We both take pride in what we do and we love the game, so we care. That's one thing I love about E.G., how much he cares. I think surrounding yourself with somebody like him is kind of setting you up for success."
From the coach he had at home to all of the integral coaches and teammates he's had ever since, Greene has been in a great position to succeed throughout his career. But like any player, it was up to him to put in the world needed to make the most of those opportunities — and he has.
As for whether or not he might want to follow his dad's footsteps and get into coaching one day, Greene said it's "a little too early to think about life after football right now," but that doesn't mean the thought isn't "lingering around in the back of my head."
Staff Writer
Earnest Greene, III didn't have to look far to find his first position coach. He was already in his house, and he shared the future Georgia left tackle's name.
While Greene is big by any measure at 6-foot-4 and 320 pounds, his father, Earnest II, is 6-8. Earnest II was an offensive lineman at Savannah State before going on to play in the NFL and the Arena Football League before retiring from football in 2001.
"He's a big dude," Greene said of his dad, whom he credits with playing a major role in his development as a person and a player. "Growing up, my pops instilled a lot of stuff in me from a young age, as far as how to be a man on and off the field. I feel like most of that stuff has really stuck with me."
Long before he was a big-time recruit and star lineman for California high school football power St. John Bosco, near Los Angeles, Greene was getting great coaching at home. His dad coached him from Pop Warner through his freshman year of high school, establishing a strong foundation upon which the rest of Greene's development has been built.
"Even before he knew what he was doing, I had him getting into a three-point stance," Earnest II told The Athletic back in 2020, when Greene was a junior in high school.
Always big for his age, Greene often had to play up in age, against older boys who might be closer to his size but had played a lot more football. Father and son started watching film together when Greene was about 7 years old, and he picked up the game and the nuances of playing on the line fairly quickly.
"My dad always told me that football is 90% mental and 10% physical, so that's one of the things he's taught me that really stuck with me," Greene said. "Along with all of the drills I did with him at a younger age to get comfortable and more used to the sport, he really just sculpted my mind and my brain."
Greene remembers a time in middle school when his size, skill and experience first started to show that he could handle what his dad was throwing at him in drills.
"It was kind of like I was growing up in my body and getting more explosive and stuff. He didn't know that yet," Green said with a smile. "He was more surprised and proud of me. He told me he was proud of how I looked and he felt that it looked kind of fluid. It was one of those things where, you can't hold on to your little boy anymore — he's turning into a man.
"It didn't really register with me at the time. I was just a middle school kid trying to prove his dad wrong. With your dad being your coach, he's always going to be hard on you in everything. I'm happy that he did that for me because it made me able to adjust to different coaching styles. He definitely prepared me for everything."
Georgia has had numerous great players from California over the years, including tight end Brock Bowers, one of the greatest Bulldogs ever, and running back Kendall Milton from last season's squad. When Greene was figuring out where to go to college, Georgia rose to the top of his list for a variety of reasons. Among those: his father is from Savannah and they have a lot of family in the state; also, he liked that he was going to have to work hard for every opportunity he got with the Bulldogs.
"The wins aren't just inherited," he said. "They're something that as soon as I got here I realized that everything is for a reason. We work for everything we get, and seeing the amount and preparation that we put in definitely leads to success."
After redshirting during the 2022 season following back surgery, Greene started every game last season and each game so far this season. After All-American lineman Tate Ratledge went out with an ankle injury at Kentucky, snapping a streak of 31 straight starts, Greene's 19 in a row are tied with quarterback Carson Beck for the longest active starting streak on offense heading into the fifth-ranked Bulldogs' game against Mississippi State on Saturday at Sanford Stadium.
One of Greene's best friends on the team is the man lined up just to his right, redshirt junior left guard Dylan Fairchild.
"We do almost everything together. We're always together in the facility. We're very similar in the way that we love to compete. We'll sit there and jab at each other sometimes," Fairchild said with a laugh. "It's fun, it's fun being around him. He's a highly competitive person, and I think surrounding yourself with people like that is a great thing.
"We both take pride in what we do and we love the game, so we care. That's one thing I love about E.G., how much he cares. I think surrounding yourself with somebody like him is kind of setting you up for success."
From the coach he had at home to all of the integral coaches and teammates he's had ever since, Greene has been in a great position to succeed throughout his career. But like any player, it was up to him to put in the world needed to make the most of those opportunities — and he has.
As for whether or not he might want to follow his dad's footsteps and get into coaching one day, Greene said it's "a little too early to think about life after football right now," but that doesn't mean the thought isn't "lingering around in the back of my head."
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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