Georgia Bulldogs’ defense takes major blow for rest of 2025 season

It’s time for five-star freshman Elijah Griffin to really make his mark.

Kelsey Kramer — College Football & NFL Trending News Writer
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defensive lineman Jordan Hall (44) is helped off the field during the first quarter of an NCAA football game, Saturday, Nov. 1, 2025, at EverBank Stadium in Jacksonville, Fla. [Corey Perrine/Florida.
Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union-USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The Georgia Bulldogs are taking a major blow to their defense for the rest of the 2025 College Football season.

According to On3’s Pete Nakos, starting defensive lineman Jordan Hall will miss the rest of the year with a knee injury, which he suffered during the first quarter of Georgia’s narrow 24-20 win over the Florida Gators last Saturday.

When head coach Kirby Smart was asked about Hall’s status ahead of Georgia’s matchup with Mississippi State, he admitted the injury didn’t look promising, though he couldn’t provide a clear timeline for his return.

“Jordan will be out for some time,” Smart told reporters. “Not sure how long, but he’ll be out for some time. Jordan is a tough one because that kid’s been through a lot injury-wise. He fought to get back last year by the end of the year, and he wasn’t even 100% healthy then. Then he had a good offseason and was really leading and competing and playing well for us. Just a tough injury for him to sustain and we’ll see what the timeline is once we know more later today and tomorrow.”

Hall has been one of Georgia’s main contributors this season, putting together a strong comeback season after missing time last year. He leaves for the sidelines after recording 12 tackles, including two for loss.

With Hall out, the Bulldogs will be forced to rely on Elijah Griffin, JJ Hanne, and Nnamdi Ogboko.

We’ll officially see what the defense looks like without Hall when Georgia takes on Mississippi State at Noon ET on Saturday, Nov. 8.

It’s Elijah Griffin’s time to shine

Elijah Griffin may just be a freshman, but he’s been turning heads in Athens since G-Day.

And this is the perfect time for him to come to the rescue and really make his mark. Griffin has seen some action, making nine tackles (including one for loss) and a QB hit.

Griffin, a 6-foot-5, 285-pound defensive lineman from Pooler, Georgia ranked as the nation’s No. 1 player at his position and the No. 4 overall prospect across all positions in the class of 2025, according to 247Sports.com. Heading into his senior year, Griffin had 46 scholarship offers from elite programs nationwide, including Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, and Oregon, so when the Dawgs were able to lock him in, it was easy to see why fans were so stoked. 

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