Notre Dame Football: Top 5 spring 2019 breakout candidates
By Jacob Wilson
3. Houston Griffith, CB
While he did see a decent amount of playing time last season, cornerback Houston Griffith is in the position to take his game to a whole new level as the starter across Troy Pride Jr. Griffith, who competed for snaps with Nick Coleman in 2018, has been running with the top defensive unit for much of this spring.
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Considering Griffith played many meaningful snaps as a freshman, it would be reasonable to consider last season to be somewhat of a breakout year. However, with unproven talent across the board behind Pride, Griffith has been awarded the opportunity to prove himself on the biggest stage.
Griffith, who was recruited as a safety, will make his second position change since arriving in South Bend. The four star product out of Florida was quickly plugged into the nickel equation after the loss of Shaun Crawford, and it has been his experience there that has given him a leg up on his teammates in the boundary corner competition.
All things considered, Griffith finds himself firmly planted as a breakout candidate after struggling at times in 2018. A new position will likely bring about new challenges, but a year under his belt should serve Griffith well in the long run. Pride has reported great chemistry with Griffith, suggesting the potential for a productive duo if the latter does indeed earn the starting job.