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Point-Counterpoint: Notre Dame And The Transfer Portal

Despite a dozen Notre Dame players entering the transfer portal since last fall, the overall Fighting Irish roster balance remains strong. By out count, the 88 current scholarship players include 42 on offense, 42 on defense and four kicking game specialists.

There is not an acute lack of numbers at any one position, but with the NCAA declaring that 2020 was basically a "free year" with eligibility because of COVID-19, more than 60 percent of the Irish roster technically could have four years of eligibility remaining.

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Senior safety Houston Griffith entered the transfer portal shortly after the College Football Playoff loss to Alabama.
Senior safety Houston Griffith entered the transfer portal shortly after the College Football Playoff loss to Alabama. (Twitter)

That has resulted in more players seeking an opportunity to play elsewhere. Among them have been former regulars such as running-back-turned-receiver Jafar Armstrong, linebacker Jack Lamb, safety Houston Griffith and defensive end Ovie Oghoufo.

Armstrong and Lamb have had numerous health setbacks, Griffith has not quite been able to find a niche, and Oghoufo has been caught in a logjam at his position.

If a change of heart occurred among these four, who could be most valuable for Notre Dame in 2021?

Team Need/Untapped Talent Make It Houston Griffith: By Todd Burlage

When a top-50 prospect out of high school can’t crack the starting lineup during three years in a college program, and ultimately transfers because of it, blame for this failed football marriage falls on both the player and his coaches.

Such is the case for Irish defensive back Houston Griffith, who this month added his name to the NCAA’s transfer portal and could finish his career elsewhere.

Rated by Rivals as the No. 4 safety and the No. 43 overall prospect in the 2018 recruiting class, Griffith, a Chicago native, endured a rocky ride during his three seasons at Notre Dame.

A nickel in pass coverage as a freshman in 2018, then a cornerback turned safety as a sophomore, and then a backup safety in 2020 behind sixth-year graduate Shaun Crawford, these position switches have stunted Griffith’s growth and kept him from ever finding “his spot” in the secondary.

Nothing was guaranteed for Griffith in 2021 — the 6-0, 204-pounder was projected to be a starter at safety in 2020 — but with Crawford now gone, this upcoming season set up perfectly for Griffith to finally feel comfortable at a single position, shed any preconceived notions with a new defensive coordinator and safeties coach to evaluate him, lock down a starting spot, and finally answer the recruiting hype he brought to college out of football-factory IMG Academy in South Florida.

And given the player need Notre Dame faces in its secondary — especially at safety — Griffith will be missed more than any other Irish transfer.

Ovie Oghoufo Could Still Help On The Edge: By Lou Somogyi

Over the past three years, Notre Dame has featured exceptional four- and even five-man rotations at defensive end that have helped keep legs fresh during the season.

Even after graduating current NFL players Julian Okwara and Khalid Kareem — plus the effective Jamir Jones — at the end of the 2019 campaign, the Irish still had a quality fifth-year duo in 2020 with Ade Ogundeji and Daelin Hayes, who like Okwara and Kareem were selected team captains.

Ogundeji and Hayes are now also off to the pros, which leaves a new void at defensive end — and the somewhat surprising decision by junior Ovie Oghoufo to enter his name into the transfer portal.

A quick-twitch player in the mold of Okwara, the former three-star linebacker recruit was on a five-year plan much like Ogundeji and appeared to be “on schedule,” as Ogundeji was after his third season, including 149 snaps by Oghoufo this year (18 versus Alabama). How easy it is now to forget that it wasn't until his fourth season in 2019 that Ogundeji began to blossom while gradually increasing his playing time.

Current sophomore Isaiah Foskey is the future linchpin with star potential at end. He could line up at vyper or even the strong side, while junior Justin Ademilola might be the heir at strong side end if Foskey is not utilized there. Regardless, going into his senior year, Oghoufo was in line to be featured more, along with current freshman vyper Jordan Botelho.

While safety Houston Griffith’s loss definitely stands out more because of the fanfare with which he arrived, Oghoufo’s absence also is a bit of a surprise because of the track record of development at the position among those who stay.

If second-team All-Big Ten Illinois transfer Owen Carney Jr. opts to play at Notre Dame in 2021, then Oghoufo's loss could be mitigated.

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