Redemption Island: How Notre Dame CB Christian Gray Turned Pain into Purpose
Notre Dame cornerback Christian Gray experienced the highest of highs and the lowest of lows in the final two games of the season.
In the Orange Bowl, Gray helped send Notre Dame to the national title game by picking off Drew Allar late in the fourth quarter, which set up the game-winning Mitch Jeter field goal. 10 days later, Al Golden left Gray on an island against Jeremiah Smith and the Buckeyes took advantage to seal a title.
The St. Louis native leaned on his family to help him move past the play and it hasn’t distracted him this offseason.
“Sometimes it happens,” stated Gray. “You win or lose. Unfortunately, Ohio State got the best of me. I ain’t going to lie. It was a good play. It was a good play by them in every way, but we’ll be back there this year.
“The ups and downs of it, I just didn’t pay attention to anything, the media or anything. I turned off everything. My whole family took care of me. My family took care of my media and everything. I just didn’t worry about it. After that, I just wanted to get better.”
Gray tallied 35 tackles and three interceptions in 2024, which has allowed him to step into a leadership role this spring despite being just 19 years old.
“I’m happy to be a leader of this team and the corners room in every way,” explained Gray. “I know what the standard is, what coach’s standard is for leading them. Play with great effort, play fast and be violent in every way. We’re just going to hold it up the best we can, me and Lenny (Leonard Moore).
And yes, there have been some old head jokes made by the cornerback room, which Gray has embraced.
“I turn 20 in May, so I’m still the youngest, but like the oldest at the same time, who knows the most,” Gray laughed. “It’s kind of cool. Everybody calls me the oldest but I’m not the oldest.”
Early enrollee Cree Thomas is one of the youngsters Gray will be tasked to mentor this year. Thomas, who hails from the same high school program as Benjamin Morrison, has quickly turned heads through nine practices.
“He’s BMo 2.0,” Gray stated. “He’s just like BMo. I think he can be better than both of us.
“I don’t know what’s in the water over there. I just know it’s crazy water.”
As it relates to his own game, Gray is focused on mastering the field corner position. It’s a position he didn’t fully transition to until last fall as he worked in the boundary in the spring.
Gray now has experience at field corner, so this offseason is about working on the challenges of playing in more space.
“I’ve got intermediate goals and I’ve got ultimate goals,” explained Gray. “My intermediate goals are trying to get better in every way and don’t let anything distract you. Get my foot better. Get my academics done in every way and don’t worry about anything else.
“My ultimate goal is to always keep God first in my life and to always show the glory of God and show the world what God can do for you. The big-time goal is to get to the NFL.”
It’s not easy to play in space, but communication is the key. Gray has always had a voice, so film study and recognition are the emphasis heading into his junior season.
“You’ve got to know zone because you want to know where everybody is going, so you know where your help is,” Gray said. “But we’ve got to know alignments, the receivers, the quarterback. We’ve got to tell them calls, it’s crazy hard. (Moore) balled out against Louisville. He did great. He told me after the game, ‘You’ve got to come back right now, bro.’”
Defensive backs coach Mike Mickens has seen growth in Gray, which could lead to Notre Dame having one of the top cornerback duos in the country once again.
”He’s in the details of everything now,” stated Mickens. “How’s his footwork, his recognition, how can he play faster by recognizing the splits and formations. Technique. How to finish on the ball. That’s where he is in his game. He understands what to do in a call, but how can I perfect my game?”
Notre Dame is installing an in-depth zone defense this spring, which has been new, but overall, Gray hasn’t noticed too much of a change in defensive styles under new defensive coordinator Chris Ash.
“It’s the same as it ever was,” said Gray. “We all agree with each other. You communicate with each other. It’s just the same standard all the time.”
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