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And so begins another round of “This Guy Plays Notre Dame Football” here on OFD. The Notre Dame Fighting Irish have a roster full of players, and we want to talk about them all. One Foot Down’s player profile series will take a look at every single one of them, and hopefully we all learn a little bit more about these guys, and Notre Dame’s chances for the upcoming 2019 season.
#3 Houston Griffith, CB
Hailing from Chicago, but playing at IMG academy in Bradenton (hometown of my Mrs.) Houston Griffith is a rising sophomore defensive back for the Irish. Griffith came into Notre Dame as a highly rated corner back, who enrolled early and looked to make a special teams/backup impact as a true freshman. After struggling at corner, they moved him to safety amidst depth/skill concerns (which turned out to be non issues thanks to Alohi Gilman and Jalen Elliott). Following an injury to Shawn Crawford during fall camp, they slotted Griffith in at starting nickel, which he played on a off all season. He struggled at times, though to his credit this is one of the most challenging positions on the field. He showed enough promise from a toughness and a footwork perspective that it caused me VERY little worry about his future.
Taylor Swift, Bon Jovi, or Chicago
Too Easy. “lighting on my feet”. Also, I hope he takes this one to heart as he received some criticism this fall for his coverage as he was prematurely thrust into a starting role. He will also get beat this year, but will need to “shake it off” to become a leader in what could be one of the top secondaries in the country.
Hey Dog HEY!
Doing our best to make sure you know which one of man’s best friends match each Notre Dame player.
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Anyone who has played boundary corner knows you have to be a DOG. The Pitbull is intelligent, loving, but also fierce. He will need to be physical and make some big time tackles and plays in the boundary this year, and HE WILL.
2019 Outlook
Enter Spring 2019. Griffith was moved to Boundary Corner after the departure of Julian Love to the NFL. He struggled at times in the spring, but this was expected as he switched positions again. The coaching staff is very high on his abilities, as well as his physicality. After watching his feet in the spring game, I am also still VERY high on him. He has incredible footwork and is a very strong tackler. He will definitely get beat this year, but will also make a lot of plays. He is a guy who will benefit from a summer full of 7 on 7s and more film. Look for Jalen Elliott, Alohi Gilman, and Troy Pride Jr. to coach him up all summer as they can potentially be the best secondary in the country if he can step up. He will have a solid year, but will emerge as a playmaker by years end. He is my waay to early All American pick for 2020.
YouTube Hot Fire
I love this interview. He is honest about his abilities and his need to grow. This is a very mature outlook for a 19 year old. He is not cocky and constantly talks about competing. I love it.