Griffin Eifert Is Heading To Notre Dame On His Own Mission
Griffin Eifert had his pick of attending a family member’s alma mater.
He could choose Purdue, where his father, Greg, and brother Grady played basketball. His sister Morgan is also an alum. Or there was Notre Dame, where his brother Tyler was an All-American tight end and turned into a first-round NFL Draft pick who now plays for the Jacksonville Jaguars.
He chose the latter, at no one’s behest or with no prodding.
“They let me do my thing,” Eifert said.
Truth is, wherever Eifert ended up there would be nothing that comes by coincidence. He may not have known his destination until committing as a preferred walk-on wide receiver in March, but he understood his path, his goals and his objective long before making the decision.
Notre Dame wasn’t the choice so he could reap the halo effect of being an NFL player’s brother. Purdue wouldn’t have been the choice so he could live in his Grady’s and his father’s shadows.
No, Griffin Eifert was going to go where he felt he could be Griffin Eifert. In the end, that was Notre Dame.
“It’s definitely cool to say Tyler is my brother, but I want to leave there by people knowing what I’ve done there in my four years,” Eifert said. “I just hope it’s a positive time and I can make the most of my opportunity.”
Tyler was, of course, stoked.
“I’m super excited. The whole family is super excited,” Tyler told a local TV station in the family’s hometown of Fort Wayne, Ind. “I can’t wait for him to get out there and get going with everyone.”
Eifert saw the up-close life of a Notre Dame football player through his brother’s lens, the relationships and opportunities opened from it. This, he said, was a big reason he chose the Irish as a football player himself. He also considered Miami (Ohio), which offered him a preferred walk-on spot.
Eifert’s own experience, though, will be different. He enters with different goals and a different reality, one he has already embraced. The point isn’t to necessarily to climb the depth chart – though of course he wouldn’t turn it down – but to create an impact in any way he can.
“It’s making everyone else better around me, making friendships,” Eifert said. “If I see the field, I see the field, but nothing is expected. That’s what I have to set my goals as and work hard.”
He has a blueprint for walk-on life, too. Grady went to Purdue in 2015 as a walk-on basketball player, an undersized forward without a clear position fit.
Each year, though, Grady’s minutes increased as he simply tried to help any way he could. It didn’t matter if he was a tweener. He played in 36 games as a junior, starting two, on a 30-win team. The next year, he was a 36-game starter and averaged 5.2 points, 5.5 rebound and 1.6 assists per contest. He shot 43.8 percent on three-pointers. He led the country in offensive rating, per KenPom.com.
“He definitely worked hard and knew his role going into Purdue,” Eifert said. “Didn’t expect to play that much, but if he kept working maybe something would come. That’s exactly what he did and ended up becoming a starter and team captain.”
As a senior at Fort Wayne’s Bishop Dwenger High School, Eifert caught 30 passes for 478 yards and seven touchdowns. His team went 11-2 and reached the state semifinals.
The second semester has been memorable for a different reason. The Eiferts have been stuck in Delray Beach, Fla., for about a month. It could be worse. Griffin has been doing workouts provided by a trainer.
“Just getting after it,” Eifert said. “It’s a little different. A lot more up-tempo, not a lot of breaks and a lot of resistance stuff, resistance running and lateral.”
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