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Rebooted Houston Griffith Charging Hard For Starting Safety Job

Asked what led him to backpedal out of the transfer portal this January, Houston Griffith impressively melded diplomatic and genuine into his answer.

“I appreciate the question,” said Griffith, a Notre Dame safety. “Really, right now, my focus is being present where my feet are.”

They’re planted at Notre Dame, where they started, in a quest to make his senior year something his first three weren’t: consistent and heavily involved. A player who for three weeks in January thought his future was somewhere else radiated comfort when discussing his present and future in South Bend, even though Notre Dame’s coaching staff made no guarantees regarding his 2021 role when re-recruiting him.

Houston Griffith is back at Notre Dame and vying for a starting job after contemplating a transfer.
Houston Griffith is back at Notre Dame and vying for a starting job after contemplating a transfer. (BGI)
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Notre Dame, in a way, offered him a fresh start too. A new defensive coordinator in Marcus Freeman. A new position coach in Chris O’Leary. New voices and new points of emphasis. A senior leader opportunity in a secondary that has few clear answers.

“This scheme, having this leadership role now is something I enjoy, been able to challenge me,” Griffith said. “I’m trying to put confidence in the other guys in front of me and bring the best out of myself and the other 10 guys on the field.”

Like last offseason, there’s an opening at safety on Notre Dame’s defense. This time around, though, it seems as if there’s a different version of him vying for it. One who’s a more serious contender because, through seven spring practices, his long-acknowledged physical tools are finally the primary theme around him. Griffith credits an increased passion for watching film and a strong bond with Freeman and O’Leary as major reasons for it.

“I’ve felt like two things needed to happen for Houston,” Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly said. “Opportunity and making the best of opportunity. What is making the best? What does that equal? For me, a lot of that has been awareness of the situation that he’s in and using what I think is outstanding athletic ability and applying it to the particular situation.

“At times, he was using a hammer when he needed a screwdriver on particular plays. Here, where we’re at now, I feel like he’s playing the game with a high football IQ. To me, it’s just coming easier to him.”

For a while, it hadn’t. Despite those physical tools, he spent the last two seasons in an anonymous sub-package spot on the defense, stuck in a stagnant trajectory. He entered the transfer portal on Jan. 4, three days after Notre Dame’s season ended.

None of this was in the plans for a top-50 recruit and the highest-rated member of Notre Dame’s 2018 class. Griffith filched the nickel back job as a freshman and played more snaps (197) that year than anyone in his class.

Upward momentum ended there. In the seasons since, Griffith has tried to punch his way into a job with more responsibility, only to see those attempts to land feebly. He couldn’t hammer through a perceived cap on his role, perhaps because he wielded a hammer too much.

The opportunity to fill Alohi Gilman’s vacated spot last year never really materialized. COVID-19 sideswiped spring practice after one session, and sixth-year senior Shaun Crawford moved from cornerback early in fall camp and took control of the job.

Griffith ended up as the dime back, ceding primary nickel duties to classmate D.J. Brown. He started twice as an injury or COVID-19 fill-in. The highlight of his season was replacing All-American Kyle Hamilton after a targeting ejection at North Carolina and holding his own against a potent offense.

Freeman arrived three days after Griffith entered the portal and worked to pry him out. Kelly joined him in the efforts. Each had a phone conversation with him expressing their desire to keep him around. There was no begging. No promises.

“We didn’t promise him a starting position,” Kelly said. “All we said was that we believe this is the right place for you and we want you to be here. This is much more about Houston’s decision to want to be here than articulating to him our want for him to be here.”

It was enough for Griffith to see Notre Dame offered him a reset comparable to one he’d find elsewhere. He’s also on track to graduate in May. On Jan. 22, he returned to the program

“I’ve never been afraid of competition,” Griffith said. “Having that conversation with coach Freeman and coach Kelly, just knowing I have a home and they really wanted me to come here, come compete. I couldn’t turn that down.”

Notre Dame won’t turn down his ascent. Among the most important areas for Kelly and staff to address this spring was the secondary — which has Hamilton, sophomore-to-be corner Clarence Lewis and a lot of unknown.

The Irish have 16 defensive backs for 2021, and 11 of them have played 90 or fewer college snaps on defense. Griffith taking a starting job is one development that feels like a ceiling-raiser for the defense if it happens. It would also lessen the need for help from the portal.

“We’ve always seen the physical tools he has,” Kelly said. “He’s a lot more confident. He has the opportunity. He’s getting a lot of work and a lot of reps. That has to be taken into consideration, because he didn’t get as many reps as he’s getting now. This football awareness piece is really starting to show itself as to why he can continue to excel and ascend.”

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