The transfer portal picks up, and the transfer portal delivers – or rather – Houston Griffith returns to Notre Dame. The increase in senior security reportedly removed his name from the database less than three weeks after entering it, reinforcing the Irishman in a position of doubt and potential in 2021.
Yahoo’s Pete Thamel first reported Griffith’s new intentions, crediting newly hired defensive coordinator Marcus Freeman and Notre Dame head coach Brian Kelly for persuading Griffith to try the starting position alongside future junior Kyle Hamilton.
Revisiting what this space said when Griffith entered the transfer portal to start 2021, the points of uncertainty still remain.
“Griffith’s Irish career included him jumping back and forth between nickel, cornerback and security, but by 2020 he finally seemed to settle down safely, the position that earned him four star status in his recruitment. He made 14 tackles this season, starting in two games and playing in all 12. His beginnings (South Florida, Florida State) came when Notre Dame overcame a coronavirus outbreak, although his most notable job may have been in the second half in North Carolina after second-year star safety Kyle Hamilton was expelled.
“Griffith’s inconsistent development in safety led Shaun Crawford to move from the cornerback in pre-season training, and as the season progressed, DJ Brown saw more playing time than Griffith, even at that time on Tobacco Road, the two left for a spring competition to start alongside Hamilton.
“Instead, that would be Brown’s job to lose, with four-star recruit Khari Gee, suddenly looking for a good chance to contribute with pops.”
While the full sales pitch to bring Griffith back to the stronghold will color the stories this spring and pre-season, Brown still appears to have pole position in this race to start alongside an inevitable preseason All-American. He made 243 defensive shots in 2020, compared to Griffith’s 215, including Brown making 23 shots in that North Carolina game in place of Hamilton. On the other hand, Griffith made 14 tackles in 2020, compared to Brown’s eight.
Statistical comparisons can come and go for longer than a January recap deserves. Griffith made more tackles in part because he gave up seven receptions on eight targets, while Brown interrupted two passes (Griffith: 0).
In other words, the competition to be Hamilton’s racing companion will be something to watch this spring, especially with no one prominent involved. Second-year cornerback Ramon Henderson can move to safety, Junior Litchfield Ajavon hasn’t had a defensive chance yet, colleague KJ Wallace has made even less of an impact and freshmen Gee and Justin Walters would need to quickly impress Freeman to be part of the conversation.
Perhaps that was Griffith’s selling point: he either starts or is Brown and Hamilton’s main backup.
Another of the 2020 race notes – my depth chart spreadsheet includes years of race notes on each player. No player on the 2020 depth chart had more cells dedicated to him than Houston Griffith.
Just a nut #NotreDame it couldn’t break, so to speak.– Douglas Farmer (@D_Farmer) January 14, 2021
Even that extra role would be a step forward for Griffith. A sample of these notes:
– A number of concerns about him in the cornerback before 2019.
– Looking at former Irish defensive coordinator Clark Lea, he publicly pointed out that it was not productive for him to berate Griffith for being severely beaten, indicating that this happened enough to qualify as a practice trend.
– Included in this trend, distinct moments from Chase Claypool, Kevin Austin, Joe Wilkins, Isaiah Robertson and Chris Finke beating Griffith.
– Repeated thoughts that Griffith’s difficulties may be due to being in the wrong position in the cornerback. He must be a security guard.
– Re: truncated spring of 2020, “Your display in practice of a spring was impressive, a missed opportunity to build on that.”
And this is just a sample; the sheer number of these notes makes it clear that Griffith was at the top or near the top of conversations about Notre Dame’s potential. Now, another defensive coordinator will have a chance to make this a reality.