Justin Greene thrives under the spotlight of being UGA commit
LAWRENCEVILLE, Ga. (BVM) — American culture has an infatuation with the big hit in football. And so does Justin Greene.
As a fourth grader, he came across compilation videos of these on YouTube and it did not take long for him to get hooked after that.
“I was like, ‘You can sign up for this?’, Greene said. “That’s how it started.”
Now Greene is putting together highlights of his own.
Our Class of 2024 #Rivals100 Watch List was released this week.
Check out the 100 prospects that made the list, including Georgia DL Justin Greene @justingreene95https://t.co/dPokzO7ifY pic.twitter.com/Eu2CxvbrKf
— Rivals (@Rivals) September 23, 2021
He stands at 6-foot-4, 275 pounds and is the No. 128 player in the country for the 2024 recruiting class according to On3. Greene racked up 120 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks over the course of his sophomore and junior seasons at Mountain View High School.
The defensive lineman had offers from some of the nation’s best and ultimately decided to stay in-state with the back-to-back national champion Georgia Bulldogs.
#GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/PcHGn1wJT4
— Justin Greene ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (@justingreene95) June 6, 2023
“The development of their front seven is pretty insane to me,” Greene said. “After sitting down and talking to coach (Tray) Scott, I realized that I could really be a part of that. That’s all it took for me.”
When Greene steps onto the field, there’s a bit of an added spotlight. Players, coaches and fans are well aware of what type of talent he is and where it is taking him. But for the future Bulldog, that does not change a thing.
4-star Georgia commit Justin Greene with a solid pass rush rep. #GoDawgs pic.twitter.com/dn20zYSc2W
— Jeremy Johnson (@JeremyO_Johnson) July 18, 2023
“There’s a little bit of pressure to perform, but that comes with the stars and the praise. That’s inevitable,” Greene said. “I like pushing myself anyways, so I’ve never really seen that as a distractor.”
Greene tries to model his game after some of the NFL’s best in Myles Garrett and Nick Bosa, but it is not just for their supreme ability to get to the QB, it is because they do not have any weaknesses.
“They’re versatile in their game,” Greene said. “They’re not just pass rushers, they can also stop the run on double teams.”
The Lawrenceville, Georgia, native may not have any defensive player of the year awards or Pro Bowl appearances on his resume like those guys do, but he has built quite the reputation not only in the Peach State but across the country as well.
Justin Greene giving great effort! He’s from Mountain View HS @justingreene95 @UANextFootball @RecruitGeorgia pic.twitter.com/EeWaJeBpmy
— Brian Smith (@fbscout_florida) February 28, 2022
Greene has aspirations of getting those types of accolades one day and that’s the standard he holds himself to.
“I don’t feel like I’ve accomplished too much,” Greene said. “I’m just getting started.”
Anyone rushing the passer at the University of Georgia has that type of ceiling, giving Greene a chance to cross off those long-term goals. But in the meantime as a high school senior, he is hoping to average a sack per game before he heads to Athens.
