Tim Griffin once proudly wore gold as a standout defensive lineman at Alcovy High School. Now, he will don gold once more as a Georgia Tech Yellow Jacket.

On Jan. 15, Griffin announced his commitment to Georgia Tech after entering the transfer portal following his freshman season at Cincinnati. He chose the Yellow Jackets over other schools in his top five such as Jax State, Virginia Tech, UCLA and Oklahoma State.

When tasked with making a final decision, Griffin said that the Yellow Jackets provided him with a great opportunity to succeed once his playing days are over.

“I felt this is the right choice for me because life after football is going to be amazing with a Georgia Tech degree,” Griffin said. “You know, with this being one of the best educational schools in the country.”

On the field, Griffin says his formal visit and communication with outside linebackers and defensive ends coach Kyle Pope and defensive line coach Jess Simpson instilled confidence that he would play a key role in the Yellow Jackets’ defense.

“Coach Pope and Coach Simpson—they have a great plan for me where I can be versatile and play both positions. Coach Pope sees me being a good defensive end because I have good length and a good strike… Coach Simpson sees me being a great defensive tackle in the future because of my body frame. I’m 18, 275 lbs and I can already move.

“I see my future here and I like the plans that they have.”

If those two selling points weren’t enough, Griffin will be just 40 minutes away from where he made his name known at Alcovy High School.

“To be honest, that was a plus. I feel like coming back home to Georgia Tech was amazing for my family,” Griffin said. “It’s only 40 minutes for my mom and dad to go to the games. And the whole family can pull up and watch us win a championship.”

It’s only apropos that Griffin’s next collegiate destination is a short trip up I-20.

Griffin is a lifelong Covington native who turned heads as a student-athlete throughout his time at Newton County Schools. He was a two-sport player for much of his journey, with a particular niche for basketball. During his junior season, he led the Tigers in three-point percentage on a team that had two-time All-Cov News MVP Nick Durham on it.

But while Griffin was getting buckets in the winter, he was developing even quicker on the gridiron in the fall. His raw size and speed led him to a productive senior season with 25 tackles and five tackles for loss. 

During his senior year, he went up against some of the best the state had to offer, including 2024 All-Cov News MVP, Eastside alumnus and Georgia Tech teammate Jayden Barr.

Barr, a childhood friend and teammate of Griffin's, also gave the newest Yellow Jacket some much-needed advice.

“I never really came on campus, but I started asking about how he was living,” Griffin said. “He would just give me information and keep it real with me. That’s all I could ask.”

Griffin’s standout campaign garnered the attention of schools across the country. A total of 14 schools made an offer to the Tiger great, leaving him with a difficult decision.

In the end, Griffin chose Cincinnati over Alabama, Ole Miss and Florida State on Nov. 23, 2024 in a crowded signing ceremony at Alcovy. During the ceremony, Griffin said that Cincinnati “felt like home.” 

Over a year later, Griffin says he still has no regrets about his decision.

“I feel like I still made a great choice going to Cincy out of high school,” Griffin said. 

Outside of becoming bigger and stronger through Cincinnati’s strength and condition program—bulking up from 250 pounds to 275 pounds—Griffin credited his former defensive line coach Walter Stewart as an integral part of his journey on the gridiron.

“Coach [Walter] Stewart developed my mind so much more than he developed my body,” Griffin said. “I feel like I’m a much smarter football player because of Coach Stewart. He taught me a lot.”

After wrapping up his lone season with the Bearcats, Griffin is now fully committed to his new home with the Yellow Jackets. He’s already enrolled in classes and reacclimating himself to the Georgia lifestyle.

But Griffin knows that the work is only beginning.

“I’m looking forward to diving deeper into the playbook,” Griffin said. “Coming out of my freshman year, I had to worry about putting on weight and getting my body right. But now I feel like I’ve gotten that out of the way, I’m working on the mental side of the game. I’m just trying to get my head into the film room and watch a lot of my favorite NFL players and just become an all-around player.”

In general, there is a lot of buzz around the Georgia Tech football program as a whole leading into the 2026 season.

The Yellow Jackets are coming off of a respectable 9-4 season that featured an 8-0 start. But like a lot of other teams in college football, Georgia Tech will see some sizable shifts in talent and personnel on both sides of the ball.

That’s where Griffin comes into play. With four years of eligibility, the tangibles that scouts rave about and a renewed focus in playing at home, the Alcovy great turned Yellow Jacket figures to be a key part of the future and the present of Georgia Tech football.

“I’m a Georgia native so I know how to play Georgia hard nose football,” Griffin said. “I feel like Georgia’s one of the best places to play football, that’s high school, college or wherever. With UGA being on top for so long, Georgia Tech going to eight overtimes in 2024, you know we know how to play ball.

“I know what it takes to play Georgia football and I want to do whatever it takes to win and bring championships to my city.”