Notre Dame: How Houston Griffith commitment elevates football program
Notre Dame gets back in recruiting win column
In the end, Notre Dame will always attract top talent like Griffith, what with its vast football pedigree, beautiful campus and penchant for churning out pros.
But that doesn’t mean that the Irish program wins all the time with recruiting. In particular, getting Griffith to flip from Florida State helps them rebound in a big way from a couple of recent disappointments.
Specifically, running back Markese Stepp (Indianapolis, IN) and wide receiver Geordon Porter (Rancho Cucamonga, CA) both de-committed from Notre Dame last week, re-opening their recruitment to other programs.
On one hand, maybe those moves are best for all involved.
With the commitment of 4-star CB Houston Griffith tonight, #NotreDame moves to No. 6 in the @247Sports Composite Team Rankings. #GoIrish hold 19 commitments, including four prospects in the top 100 https://t.co/nfiLd3bUr2 pic.twitter.com/FhPvwAtqOE
— Football Recruiting (@247fbrecruiting) December 13, 2017
In particular, Stepp, a three-star recruit might want to accept an offer to someplace where he’d have a better shot at playing. Right now, Notre Dame’s stable of running backs is full to bursting.
And while the Irish certainly could use receivers, they do still have Kevin Austin (#73 nationally, #14 WR) and Micah Jones (#376 nationally, #63 WR) on the books. As such, losing Porter won’t necessarily kill them.
Still, landing Griffith brings some buzz back to Notre Dame’s recruiting class. Furthermore, perhaps this good news gives them a bit more pull with other potential recruits.
At the very least, Griffith, Allen and quarterback Phil Jurkovic (#66 nationally, #5 QB) will all be at the Army All-American Bowl verbally in the Notre Dame fold. That’s a solid group to possibly woo any holdouts on Notre Dame’s radar.
For now, though, it just feels good to get a win. And Griffith just gave Notre Dame and Kelly one.