Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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46 MARCH 2018 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED 2018 FOOTBALL RECRUITING ISSUE BY DAVID MCKINNEY Notre Dame signee Houston Griffith made a decision at a young age that he was going to play major college football and become one of highest-rated players in the class of 2018. Griffith said he set that goal men- tally in eighth grade, but making a mental objective doesn't mean a lot in the Griffith family. Once a goal is verbalized in his house, it goes from an ambition to a requirement. " S p e a k i n g t h i n g s into existence is a really big part of my family," Griffith stated. "Every- thing we say, we work hard for it and usually the outcome is it all occurs." The Irish early enrollee said that mantra of speaking things into existence has been his creed for as long as he can remember. "When I was younger, I talked about getting of- fers in eighth grade and being one of the top players in the nation," Griffith said. "I think about speaking things into existence, and everything I said has come true." And that's accurate. Griffith wanted to get scholarships and be one of the best players in his class. When he signed with Notre Dame Dec. 20, he claimed more than 30 offers and was ranked by Rivals as the No. 43 overall player in the class. There's a sense o f p r i d e t h a t comes with the offers, rankings and accolades, and deservedly so. But Griffith is ready to turn the page now that he's enrolled at Notre Dame. "It means a lot to me," Griffith said. "Everything I've said, I've done on the high school level. Now I have an opportu- nity to make some new goals and try to make those come true." Thanks to his upbringing, Griffith may be a bit more prepared to make good on those goals than most col- lege freshman. Griffith is the son of former NFL fullback and two-time Super Bowl champion Howard Griffith, so foot- ball was in his DNA. According to Griffith, his father didn't pressure him into the sport, but Griffith wasn't about let his dad be the only athlete in the family. "My dad didn't really care if I played football, but I made the de- cision that I wanted to," he said. "I wanted to continue the family legacy, but create my own legacy as well." While the elder Griffith spent his playing days blocking and carrying the ball, his son was groomed as de- fensive back. Griffith said he's looking for- ward to making a name for himself on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage. "I'll be on the defensive side, so I'll be creating my legacy on that side of the ball," Griffith said. "I have shoes to fill with my dad's name, but he's going to support me." Coming out of high school, Griffith's father didn't have the of- fers his son does, so he walked on at Illinois, carved out a role at fullback and went on to set the NCAA record for touchdowns in a single game with eight. The younger Griffith has been the more acclaimed athlete at the high school level, but has plenty of work to do if he wants to outdo his father's college and professional accomplishments. "I've done things that he wasn't able to do out of high school," Griffith explained. "I had a bunch of scholarships and he walked on, but he al- ways jokes with me saying that he's won a Super Bowl." One factor that may help Griffith in that endeavor is the past two years he spent at Bradenton (Fla.) IMG 'Speak It Into Existence' Is The Motto For Houston Griffith Griffith, the son of former NFL fullback and two-time Super Bowl champion Howard Griffith, said he's looking forward to making a name for himself as a defensive back. PHOTO COURTESY RIVALS.COM