Georgia football added a seventh player to its 2021 recruiting class recently when defensive end Elijah Jeudy committed to the Bulldogs.
The quarantine may have canceled spring practices, but it hasn’t slowed down recruiting. Four-star defensive end Elijah Jeudy from Philadelphia, Penn. committed to Georgia football on Sunday, April 19.
Jeudy is Georgia’s seventh commit overall and the third on defense. Jeudy chose Georgia over Alabama, Florida and LSU, among other successful power five schools. Does Elijah Jeudy’s pass rushing prowess live up to the hype and what can he bring to Georgia football?
Future of Georgia’s pass rush
A seldom talked about, but important trait of any pass rusher is timing. How does that defender time the snap to get into the backfield cleanly? Elijah Jeudy times the snap very well and makes a lot of stops in the backfield without a blocker to disrupt him.
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After the snap, Jeudy doesn’t stop impressing. He has an arsenal of moves to get passed blockers including swim moves, spin moves and even a bull rush against weaker offensive linemen, though he will need to get stronger in college if he’s going to utilize a bull rush at the next level.
Jeudy’s most impressive trait is how relentless he is. Jeudy does not stop fighting in the trenches. His junior season highlight reel has more than one play of him making a tackle despite being held by an offensive lineman. Once removed from the blocker, Jeudy doesn’t stop chasing the ball carrier until the play is over. His relentlessness produces plenty of sacks and tackles for a loss, but will also turn big plays on offense into a short gain.
There’s still a lot Jeudy needs to add to his game in college. He spends most of his time around the line of scrimmage so he needs to improve in pass coverage and playing in the second level. Jeudy has a strong lower body, but he needs to gain some power in his upper body.
Once he becomes stronger and shows proficiency at playing in the second level, the sky really is the limit for Elijah Jeudy. The relentless play style, fantastic timing of the snap and the knowledge of multiple pass-rushing techniques are traits that translate to any level of football.
Georgia football is one of the best programs in the nation when it comes to working in the weight room and its defensive coaching staff might be the best group of player developers in the game. There’s no reason to think Jeudy won’t complete his game once he gets to Georgia.