'18 IL ATH Houston Griffith (Notre Dame Early Enrollee)

Irishize

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We could pluck every transfer S off the portal and still be short on bodies there. Definitely needed regardless

And just b/c a kid in the portal is new to ND doesn’t mean he ends up a better fit than what Griffith can be. New for the sake of new makes no sense. No one is predicting the kid will win the Lott Award or be an AA but if he can be a solid dependable rotation guy, we are in good shape.
 

Sherm Sticky

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Right now, starting safeties look like Hamilton + Griffith/Brown and the "5th" DB in base sets looks like Pryor/Griffith/Liufau depending on the situation. This gives you enough depth for ~1 injury, so still not great, but not as dire as it was a few weeks ago.

CB is more scary, you have Lewis who might be OK + Bracy who got benched but has generally been OK. That's it. Maybe Cam Hart as a flex guy. They're going to be relying on a transfer or one of the unproven players to step up.

Front 7 looks great again on paper so no worries there. Elston/Lea did a fantastic job recruiting both depth and high upside players throughout the defensive front.


Agree. I will say I expect KJ Wallace to make an impact at safety this year. I think he can push Brown for PT. I know the staff like Hart, but he scares me whenever I see him on the field.


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IrishLax

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https://www.si.com/college/notredame/football/houston-griffith-to-return-to-notre-dame-football -- good article from Driskell. Here are the direct quotes:
“The reason why I jumped in the transfer portal is I felt like at this point in my college career I needed to play in a defensive scheme that will highlight all of my capabilities and what I can bring to the table to show all the attributes of what I bring. In the past few seasons I played nickel and corner, and that wasn’t always in my best interest, but I did it for the team. Playing several positions doesn’t always give you a chance to master a position.”

“[Freeman played] a very critical role. I got to know him, I feel like he’s going to put a lot of guys in position to play fast. I feel like as a safety we’re going to be really excited for what Coach Freeman is going to bring to the table.

“We would talk about the positions that he could see me playing, and everything he was saying I could see on tape.”

“Let’s be clear, competition has never been an issue for me. He told me that things aren’t going to be given, and I don’t want things to be given. That’s how I was brought up, it was always about competing. I look forward to competing with the guys in the room and just going out there and making plays and contributing to the defense.

“You can’t promise anybody a spot. For me, I just wanted to be able to show what I could bring to the table and the rest will take care of itself. I’m going to work hard every day and be a leader to help get this secondary and this defense ready to go on Saturdays.”

"Why would I walk away from the University of Notre Dame, one of the most respected universities in the world ... I'm so close, why not finish. I've invested so much, and I feel like I want to invest even more and we'll see what happens."

There is audio at the link. In short, Georgia and Oklahoma were hard after him but Freeman was able to recruit him back into the fold.
 
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Dale

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OU has talked to every transfer in the world it feels like lol
 

Irish du Nord

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Agree. I will say I expect KJ Wallace to make an impact at safety this year. I think he can push Brown for PT. I know the staff like Hart, but he scares me whenever I see him on the field.


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I feel similarly, but not because of anything he does, just the idea of a tall guy recruited to play receiver playing corner seems like a dangerous situation. This is probably an unfair assessment on my part, especially as he gets more experience.
 

Luckylucci

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Right now, starting safeties look like Hamilton + Griffith/Brown and the "5th" DB in base sets looks like Pryor/Griffith/Liufau depending on the situation. This gives you enough depth for ~1 injury, so still not great, but not as dire as it was a few weeks ago.

CB is more scary, you have Lewis who might be OK + Bracy who got benched but has generally been OK. That's it. Maybe Cam Hart as a flex guy. They're going to be relying on a transfer or one of the unproven players to step up.

Front 7 looks great again on paper so no worries there. Elston/Lea did a fantastic job recruiting both depth and high upside players throughout the defensive front.

This. At 6' 2 1/2" 207 lbs. hopefully Hart is moved to S or a flex position in this defense. That's too good of an athlete profile to just stick in neutral at Boundary CB.

Hopefully 1 of Riley or Barnes is ready to compete at Boundary CB. I'm pretty high on that duo so I think one of them gives us a freshman year like Lewis just did at Field CB.
 

irishandy

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Great news for the Irish, I wasn't surprised that he entered the portal, hopefully he and Freeman can get on the same page & we see results on the field.
 

Irishnuke

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[TWEET]https://mobile.twitter.com/___HG3/status/1478070223517327361[/TWEET]
 

irishff1014

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I really don't know what this does for us other than depth. He isn't quality at all.
 

stpeteirish

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He'll never be the player his recruiting rankings said he would, can't cover man on man. Maybe the "IMG effect" whereby a guy peaks before even going to college. But I like the idea of having him back if for no other reason than telling Watts and Henderson where to line up.
 

Dale

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I’d file him under a similar category as Takacs, unexpected but given how the 2022 class/season panned out, a welcomed surprise. Berrong and Raridon off injuries. Zero true safeties in the 2022 class.
 

Whiskeyjack

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None of our DBs is a difference maker, but where would you rank Griffith among Henderson, Brown, Lewis and Hart? Couldn't find anything on Pro Football Focus about them.
 

FightingIrishLover7

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While he certainly wasn't a "playmaker" he at least didn't get beat as badly as DJ Brown at times.
I really like him back given his experience, assuming the coaches aren't overly loyal. Ala, Kelly/Schmidt in the past. If a young guy beats him out, then he needs to sit. I trust Freeman and Co here.

Now, maybe, just maybe year 2 with Freeman Houston will get to his original potential? That would be a huge blessing. But that was my same hope last year, so I won't hold my breath.

Excited to see what Houston does!
 

Whiskeyjack

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While he certainly wasn't a "playmaker" he at least didn't get beat as badly as DJ Brown at times.
I really like him back given his experience, assuming the coaches aren't overly loyal. Ala, Kelly/Schmidt in the past. If a young guy beats him out, then he needs to sit. I trust Freeman and Co here.

Now, maybe, just maybe year 2 with Freeman Houston will get to his original potential? That would be a huge blessing. But that was my same hope last year, so I won't hold my breath.

Excited to see what Houston does!

That was kind of my point. Despite falling short of his recruiting hype, he's still arguably our most consistent DB, so getting him back is a big deal with how thin we are in the backfield.
 

irishtrooper

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At very least with Henderson and Watts back there, it gives depth…regardless of how many snaps each get. I really think Lewis should move to safety as well. Coach up the CBs and live with early mistakes opposite Cam Hart. I like the odds of significant improvement next season
 

Irish#1

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That was kind of my point. Despite falling short of his recruiting hype, he's still arguably our most consistent DB, so getting him back is a big deal with how thin we are in the backfield.

Sometimes you need that stable experienced plow horse to show the thoroughbreds how it's done.
 

IrishRazor82

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That was kind of my point. Despite falling short of his recruiting hype, he's still arguably our most consistent DB, so getting him back is a big deal with how thin we are in the backfield.

For a player who remained at his position/DB, and never suffered a lower body injury, I cannot figure out how he was a borderline 5-star DB recruit. He's not out there a ton and I don't pay close attention, but he seems well below average speed for a P5 DB. Just don't understand how he got his rating but hopefully he puts together a solid super senior year and earns himself some tryouts next spring!
 

T-Boone

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DJ Brown missed a couple tackles but at least he was in good position.
congrats to Houston he is a good kid
 
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