Photo by: Charlie Wright / Georgia Southern Athletics
The Extra Down: How Elijah Fears Found His Edge
9/17/2026 10:30:00 AM | Football
STATESBORO – For defensive tackle Elijah Fears, football has always been about one thing: loving the game.
What started as a sport he picked up because his older brother played has turned into an opportunity Fears once never imagined – playing college football.Â
But when Fears first began receiving college offers, he didn't know much about the world he was entering.
"I didn't even know what the NCAA was. I didn't know what the SEC was, the ACC or even the Sun Belt. I didn't know what any of that stuff was," Fears said. "All I knew was I had a chance to play football somewhere else, so I was like, 'Let me take that chance and go play.'"
Fears' love for football began because he was inspired by his brothers.
"My brothers played it, so I was like, 'OK, let me go and play it with them,'" Fears said. "Then I just fell in love with it. Just kept on playing."
He initially found himself on the offensive side of the trenches, playing offensive line through his early high school years. But after moving to Georgia and attending Irwin County High School, Fears got an opportunity to try something different.
He moved to the defensive side of the ball and found his home at nose tackle.
"From the ninth grade and below, I played O-Line," Fears said. "Then I moved up here to Georgia, I told them I played defensive nose. So they gave me a shot, and they liked me at tackle. So I started playing there ever since."
The aggressiveness of the position was part of what drew Fears to defense.
"The reason why I left the offense was that I was the one being hit," Fears said. "I didn't like that. I wanted to be the one to apply pressure on that guy."
Fears was a multi-sport athlete in high school, competing in football, track and wrestling. He had opportunities to pursue them at the collegiate level, but Georgia Southern stood out because of the people who welcomed him into the program.
Especially one person: Rip Rowan.
"I could have gone to college for either one of them, but I love the guys here, man," Fears said. "The coaches here – they just brought me in, especially Coach Rip. That was the guy right there who's really the reason why I'm here."
Rowan, Georgia Southern's former defensive line coach, played a major role in bringing Fears to Statesboro.
Despite never visiting campus, it was the sense of family surrounding the program that ultimately solidified his decision.
"It was the family vibes, if that makes sense," Fears said. "They didn't even know who I was. They've only spoken with me on the phone. They've only seen me in the games. They haven't actually met me yet. This is the place I want to be at over everywhere else. Some coaches were like, 'You should come here," but they didn't show me that they actually want me."
One moment at a Georgia Southern camp helped make the decision even easier.
"Coach Rip, when I was here at the camp, hugged me in the middle of the field and said, 'I want to coach you,'" Fears said. "I was like, 'OK, this is where I need to be.' That's what made me sign."
The transition from high school to college football wasn't easy.
Fall camp in particular tested Fears in ways he hadn't experienced before.
"It was definitely hard. It was my first fall camp ever," Fears said. "That was probably the hardest thing ever."
But as the season progressed, the game began to slow down.
"As the year just went on, as the months kept going, it just started getting easier and easier," Fears said. "Thanks to the strength and conditioning coaches getting us right inside the weight room, they made it easy to come out here and put our all into the sport."
Fears played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2025, eventually earning a starting role in the final five games of the season.
At the time, his mindset was simple.
"I never really knew what any of the stuff was – in regard to schemes," Fears said. "As long as I got a chance to get on the field and go hit somebody, that's all I cared about."
That mentality helped him get on the field, but Fears quickly realized there was much more to becoming the player he wanted to be.
Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Fears' approach to football changed.
The brotherhood he developed with his teammates through mat drills, lifts, practices and film sessions helped him understand that individual improvement was tied to the success of the entire defense.
"When I first came in here, it was really like, believe it or not, sort of every man for themselves," Fears said. "But going into my sophomore year, the whole mentality of Georgia Southern just changed."
Players began spending more time together, watching film and helping one another understand the defense.
Fears specifically points to teammates Eli Anders and Kebba Secka as two players who have helped accelerate his development.
"Eli Anders – that was a guy who's talked to me this year, who's told me about the schemes, who's taught me what duo was, all that good stuff," Fears said. "Another one is Kebba. That's our leader in my opinion. He texts me. He tells me what I need to fix on film. He tells me how to get better."
But Fears also realized that his growth couldn't depend solely on what happened during team activities.
He needed to put in the work when nobody was watching.
"I didn't understand the importance of putting in the work off the field," Fears said. "It took me till, I believe, February of this year to really lock in and come out here and do my own drills."
That extra work began paying off. Fears entered his sophomore season looking like a different player.
The confidence, preparation and extra work culminated in a career performance against Clemson in Death Valley.
The atmosphere didn't faze him. Neither did the weather delays.
But getting his first career sack did.
"The atmosphere was nothing. I don't let that stuff get to me," Fears said. "But definitely getting that sack, it was a different feeling. Hearing the crowd just go wild after getting that sack. I had to do my little celly. It was definitely amazing."
Fears finished the game with a career-high four tackles and his first collegiate sack.
Then came the celebration – a signature belly rub that carried a simple message.
"It's just saying, 'I'm hungry. I want more sacks,'" Fears said. "That's the only meaning of mine. I came up with it when I was practicing a lot, and then I finally got a chance to do it, and I took that chance."
The celebration is fitting for a player whose approach to football has evolved from simply wanting the chance to play to understanding what it takes to continue improving.
Fears' journey to Georgia Southern wasn't built on knowing exactly where football would take him. In fact, when the journey started, he didn't even know what the NCAA or the conferences he would eventually compete in were.
He just knew he loved football.
For younger athletes who are where he once was, Fears doesn't offer a complicated formula.
His advice is simple: keep playing and appreciate every moment.
"My advice would be just keep doing it, because you don't know when that day will come when you can't do it anymore," Fears said. "Take advantage of each day. Don't worry about the future. Just go day by day and do what you love to do."
Â
What started as a sport he picked up because his older brother played has turned into an opportunity Fears once never imagined – playing college football.Â
But when Fears first began receiving college offers, he didn't know much about the world he was entering.
"I didn't even know what the NCAA was. I didn't know what the SEC was, the ACC or even the Sun Belt. I didn't know what any of that stuff was," Fears said. "All I knew was I had a chance to play football somewhere else, so I was like, 'Let me take that chance and go play.'"
Fears' love for football began because he was inspired by his brothers.
"My brothers played it, so I was like, 'OK, let me go and play it with them,'" Fears said. "Then I just fell in love with it. Just kept on playing."
He initially found himself on the offensive side of the trenches, playing offensive line through his early high school years. But after moving to Georgia and attending Irwin County High School, Fears got an opportunity to try something different.
He moved to the defensive side of the ball and found his home at nose tackle.
"From the ninth grade and below, I played O-Line," Fears said. "Then I moved up here to Georgia, I told them I played defensive nose. So they gave me a shot, and they liked me at tackle. So I started playing there ever since."
The aggressiveness of the position was part of what drew Fears to defense.
"The reason why I left the offense was that I was the one being hit," Fears said. "I didn't like that. I wanted to be the one to apply pressure on that guy."
Fears was a multi-sport athlete in high school, competing in football, track and wrestling. He had opportunities to pursue them at the collegiate level, but Georgia Southern stood out because of the people who welcomed him into the program.
Especially one person: Rip Rowan.
"I could have gone to college for either one of them, but I love the guys here, man," Fears said. "The coaches here – they just brought me in, especially Coach Rip. That was the guy right there who's really the reason why I'm here."
Rowan, Georgia Southern's former defensive line coach, played a major role in bringing Fears to Statesboro.
Despite never visiting campus, it was the sense of family surrounding the program that ultimately solidified his decision.
"It was the family vibes, if that makes sense," Fears said. "They didn't even know who I was. They've only spoken with me on the phone. They've only seen me in the games. They haven't actually met me yet. This is the place I want to be at over everywhere else. Some coaches were like, 'You should come here," but they didn't show me that they actually want me."
One moment at a Georgia Southern camp helped make the decision even easier.
"Coach Rip, when I was here at the camp, hugged me in the middle of the field and said, 'I want to coach you,'" Fears said. "I was like, 'OK, this is where I need to be.' That's what made me sign."
The transition from high school to college football wasn't easy.
Fall camp in particular tested Fears in ways he hadn't experienced before.
"It was definitely hard. It was my first fall camp ever," Fears said. "That was probably the hardest thing ever."
But as the season progressed, the game began to slow down.
"As the year just went on, as the months kept going, it just started getting easier and easier," Fears said. "Thanks to the strength and conditioning coaches getting us right inside the weight room, they made it easy to come out here and put our all into the sport."
Fears played in all 13 games as a true freshman in 2025, eventually earning a starting role in the final five games of the season.
At the time, his mindset was simple.
"I never really knew what any of the stuff was – in regard to schemes," Fears said. "As long as I got a chance to get on the field and go hit somebody, that's all I cared about."
That mentality helped him get on the field, but Fears quickly realized there was much more to becoming the player he wanted to be.
Between his freshman and sophomore seasons, Fears' approach to football changed.
The brotherhood he developed with his teammates through mat drills, lifts, practices and film sessions helped him understand that individual improvement was tied to the success of the entire defense.
"When I first came in here, it was really like, believe it or not, sort of every man for themselves," Fears said. "But going into my sophomore year, the whole mentality of Georgia Southern just changed."
Players began spending more time together, watching film and helping one another understand the defense.
Fears specifically points to teammates Eli Anders and Kebba Secka as two players who have helped accelerate his development.
"Eli Anders – that was a guy who's talked to me this year, who's told me about the schemes, who's taught me what duo was, all that good stuff," Fears said. "Another one is Kebba. That's our leader in my opinion. He texts me. He tells me what I need to fix on film. He tells me how to get better."
But Fears also realized that his growth couldn't depend solely on what happened during team activities.
He needed to put in the work when nobody was watching.
"I didn't understand the importance of putting in the work off the field," Fears said. "It took me till, I believe, February of this year to really lock in and come out here and do my own drills."
That extra work began paying off. Fears entered his sophomore season looking like a different player.
The confidence, preparation and extra work culminated in a career performance against Clemson in Death Valley.
The atmosphere didn't faze him. Neither did the weather delays.
But getting his first career sack did.
"The atmosphere was nothing. I don't let that stuff get to me," Fears said. "But definitely getting that sack, it was a different feeling. Hearing the crowd just go wild after getting that sack. I had to do my little celly. It was definitely amazing."
Fears finished the game with a career-high four tackles and his first collegiate sack.
Then came the celebration – a signature belly rub that carried a simple message.
"It's just saying, 'I'm hungry. I want more sacks,'" Fears said. "That's the only meaning of mine. I came up with it when I was practicing a lot, and then I finally got a chance to do it, and I took that chance."
The celebration is fitting for a player whose approach to football has evolved from simply wanting the chance to play to understanding what it takes to continue improving.
Fears' journey to Georgia Southern wasn't built on knowing exactly where football would take him. In fact, when the journey started, he didn't even know what the NCAA or the conferences he would eventually compete in were.
He just knew he loved football.
For younger athletes who are where he once was, Fears doesn't offer a complicated formula.
His advice is simple: keep playing and appreciate every moment.
"My advice would be just keep doing it, because you don't know when that day will come when you can't do it anymore," Fears said. "Take advantage of each day. Don't worry about the future. Just go day by day and do what you love to do."
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Players Mentioned
Tuesday, September 15
Monday, September 14
Tuesday, September 08
Monday, September 07
