Yellow Jacked Up takes a look at another RS Senior for the third 2017 player preview: #14 Corey Griffin
The GT secondary has received a lot of hype as of late, and at the center of it is Redshirt Senior safety, Corey Griffin.
The early years
Griffin attended the same high school as Calvin Johnson, AAAA powerhouse Sandy Creek in Tyrone, Georgia. Surprisingly, he wasn’t heavily recruited out of high school even after going 56-2 with 2 state championships and earning a First-team all-state selection. Griffin was listed as a two-star recruit according to Rivals, Scout and 247, and received offers from Western Carolina, UAB, Ball State, Indiana, and Georgia Tech. CG committed to UAB on January 8th, 2013, but surprised Yellow Jacket fans when he committed and signed on national signing day.
After redshirting in 2013, Corey Griffin saw a substantial amount of playing time in the 2014 season, seeing the field in all 14 games and starting in one against Virginia on November 1st. He finished the season with 15 total tackles, 2 deflected passes and one diving interception vs Virginia Tech. Griffin’s 2015 season went rather similar to his first one, and he finished the year with 21 tackles including six vs Alcorn State.
2016 was a breakout year for the 6 ft 2, 195-pound safety:
The RS Junior made the most of his trip across the pond, recording six tackles and an interception in the team’s first game in Ireland, and he didn’t slow down. #14 finished the season as the Yellow Jacket’s leading tackler with 82 total tackles, including five tackles for loss. He also added a fumble recovery, three deflected passes and two interceptions. If you weren’t impressed enough, CG had two games where he recorded double digit tackles. (10 vs Ga Southern, 12 vs North Carolina)
What to expect in 2017:
Corey Griffin, along with the Austin twins, will be leading the secondary in 2017. Though the backfield saw vast improvement throughout the 2016 season, we expect to see Griffin have similar numbers in his final year in the white & gold. CG’s speed and talent makes him a threat anywhere in the secondary, so keep an eye out for #14 next year.