University of Georgia Athletics
‘Young Guys Learn, Older Guys Lead’
August 10, 2026 | Football, The Frierson Files
By John Frierson
Staff Writer
After his freshman year at Georgia, Earnest Greene, III "just wanted to go back home" to Los Angeles for the summer, the fifth-year Bulldog offensive lineman said. Now, it's a much different story.
Greene, whose 32 career starts for Georgia are the most of any current player, started embracing the team's summer workouts after his second year in the program. He's seen how beneficial they can be, and he loves being with his teammates, working toward a common goal.
"I definitely migrated a little bit more toward what you need to do versus what you want to do," said Greene, who was voted preseason first-team All-SEC by the media and is also on the preseason watchlist for the Outland Trophy.
In 2022, Greene enrolled in January and redshirted during the Bulldogs' run to a second straight national championship. The following year, he started all 14 games at left tackle, making the SEC All-Freshman Team and The Athletic's Freshman All-American first team.
Greene started nine more games in 2024, and last season, he started all nine games in which he played, earning third-team All-SEC honors. Between his experience and his personality, Greene is built to be one of the Bulldogs' leaders heading into this season. It's a role he doesn't take lightly.
"You know, it's awesome just being able to have that," he said. "I don't even want to say burden, but you have it on your shoulders. When I came in, guys like Warren McClendon, Sed Van Pran, Xavier Truss, those were essentially my O.G.s, and they showed me the ropes, showed me how to do everything — what to do and what not to do.
"Just being able to do that for other people, young guys coming in, I feel like it's only right, because people did it for me."
It was the same way back at St. John Bosco High School in L.A., he said.
"They're kind of the same type roles that just sort of always perpetuate themselves, where young guys learn, older guys lead," he said.
Being one of the older guys with the Bulldogs doesn't guarantee anything. Despite all of his experience, his past excellent play and his accrued knowledge, Greene knows he has to bring his best every day or else someone is going to take his place.
"It's a blessing as far as being able to spread knowledge and help everybody else develop and uphold the culture and the standard," he said. "But at the same time, you can't get complacent."
Linebacker Chris Cole said the Bulldogs don't have to worry about Greene getting complacent.
"He's definitely a hard worker," Cole said. "Going against him every day, I feel like he helped me be a better pass rusher. His sets are different, and he knows so much about the game, so I just try to do stuff on him. We compete every day, and he's a great competitor. I love going against him."
In the 2022 spring football media guide, the 6-foot-4 Greene was listed at 330. Now, he's listed at 320. He's fitter, quicker and stronger than he was when he first got to Georgia, but he said his most dramatic change in his time with the Bulldogs has been "between the ears."
"Obviously, physically, at a place like this, you get bigger, faster, stronger every year. But I honestly think where I've developed the most is all between the ears," he said. "Just the speed you're able to play with when you're more confident in what's going on. When I first got here, I was just sticking to kind of what I know best and just blocking people, but that stuff doesn't always get you where you want to go as far as the techniques that it takes to play at a high level, at the next level and this level.
"It's the stuff between the ears as far as how you approach every rep and things like the offseason."
When asked about his favorite moment from his career so far, Greene thought for a few moments before giving an answer that said a lot about who he is and what kind of teammate he is. The moment came against Florida in 2024, when running back Dwight Phillips, Jr., who is often called Peanut, scored the first touchdown of his career on a 4-yard run on his only carry of the game.
"Besides the national championship my freshman year, I would say my favorite moment, one that always just pops up, is that Florida game in '24, when Peanut got in and scored on the little sweep play on the goal line," he said. "You saw this whole sea of red and the whole offense just kind of swarmed the end zone, and from the sideline, too.
"I just feel like that embodies what we do. We put in all this hard work every day, and see guys get to succeed, it really exemplifies what our program's all about."
Staff Writer
After his freshman year at Georgia, Earnest Greene, III "just wanted to go back home" to Los Angeles for the summer, the fifth-year Bulldog offensive lineman said. Now, it's a much different story.
Greene, whose 32 career starts for Georgia are the most of any current player, started embracing the team's summer workouts after his second year in the program. He's seen how beneficial they can be, and he loves being with his teammates, working toward a common goal.
"I definitely migrated a little bit more toward what you need to do versus what you want to do," said Greene, who was voted preseason first-team All-SEC by the media and is also on the preseason watchlist for the Outland Trophy.
In 2022, Greene enrolled in January and redshirted during the Bulldogs' run to a second straight national championship. The following year, he started all 14 games at left tackle, making the SEC All-Freshman Team and The Athletic's Freshman All-American first team.
Greene started nine more games in 2024, and last season, he started all nine games in which he played, earning third-team All-SEC honors. Between his experience and his personality, Greene is built to be one of the Bulldogs' leaders heading into this season. It's a role he doesn't take lightly.
"You know, it's awesome just being able to have that," he said. "I don't even want to say burden, but you have it on your shoulders. When I came in, guys like Warren McClendon, Sed Van Pran, Xavier Truss, those were essentially my O.G.s, and they showed me the ropes, showed me how to do everything — what to do and what not to do.
"Just being able to do that for other people, young guys coming in, I feel like it's only right, because people did it for me."
It was the same way back at St. John Bosco High School in L.A., he said.
"They're kind of the same type roles that just sort of always perpetuate themselves, where young guys learn, older guys lead," he said.
Being one of the older guys with the Bulldogs doesn't guarantee anything. Despite all of his experience, his past excellent play and his accrued knowledge, Greene knows he has to bring his best every day or else someone is going to take his place.
"It's a blessing as far as being able to spread knowledge and help everybody else develop and uphold the culture and the standard," he said. "But at the same time, you can't get complacent."
Linebacker Chris Cole said the Bulldogs don't have to worry about Greene getting complacent.
"He's definitely a hard worker," Cole said. "Going against him every day, I feel like he helped me be a better pass rusher. His sets are different, and he knows so much about the game, so I just try to do stuff on him. We compete every day, and he's a great competitor. I love going against him."
In the 2022 spring football media guide, the 6-foot-4 Greene was listed at 330. Now, he's listed at 320. He's fitter, quicker and stronger than he was when he first got to Georgia, but he said his most dramatic change in his time with the Bulldogs has been "between the ears."
"Obviously, physically, at a place like this, you get bigger, faster, stronger every year. But I honestly think where I've developed the most is all between the ears," he said. "Just the speed you're able to play with when you're more confident in what's going on. When I first got here, I was just sticking to kind of what I know best and just blocking people, but that stuff doesn't always get you where you want to go as far as the techniques that it takes to play at a high level, at the next level and this level.
"It's the stuff between the ears as far as how you approach every rep and things like the offseason."
When asked about his favorite moment from his career so far, Greene thought for a few moments before giving an answer that said a lot about who he is and what kind of teammate he is. The moment came against Florida in 2024, when running back Dwight Phillips, Jr., who is often called Peanut, scored the first touchdown of his career on a 4-yard run on his only carry of the game.
"Besides the national championship my freshman year, I would say my favorite moment, one that always just pops up, is that Florida game in '24, when Peanut got in and scored on the little sweep play on the goal line," he said. "You saw this whole sea of red and the whole offense just kind of swarmed the end zone, and from the sideline, too.
"I just feel like that embodies what we do. We put in all this hard work every day, and see guys get to succeed, it really exemplifies what our program's all about."
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.
Players Mentioned
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