BREAKING: Griffith Commits To Notre Dame

Persistence pays off.

Notre Dame started recruiting Houston Griffith‍ when he was a freshman at Mount Carmel High School in Chicago. It wasn’t the typical preliminary recruiting stuff either. No, from the start Griffith was identified as a future national prospect in the Class of 2018.

Forming that early relationship kept the Irish in the running as Griffith did indeed turn into a national prospect who would go on to receive scholarship offers from schools like Ohio State, Florida State and Nebraska among dozens of others while becoming a standout at IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla.

But it didn’t allow Notre Dame to win that race, at least not initially, as Griffith ended up committing to Florida State in October even after an impressive official visit to South Bend a month earlier.

But the Irish never truly gave up and remained in contact with Griffith following his verbal commitment to the Seminoles.

Griffith told Irish Sports Daily that Notre Dame was the only other school he was still in contact with, so when he announced his decommitment from Florida State last week, it was clear where this one was headed.

Today, that became official as the 6-foot, 185-pounder announced his commitment to Notre Dame.

The opportunity to earn playing time right away played a major role in Griffith's decision, but the team effort by the Irish staff led by Todd Lyght, Mike Elko, Autry Denson and Brian Kelly was huge.

“At the end of the day, it comes down to people pretty much,” Griffith told ISD. “That’s what it really is for me.”

Griffith gives the Irish 19 current verbal commitments in the Class of 2018 and a star at a key position as he joins Florida’s Joe Wilkins Jr.‍ and California's Tariq Bracy‍ at cornerback.

A high four-star prospect who is a member of ISD’s Fab 50, Griffith is the third-highest rated player in Notre Dame’s class on our board, behind only quarterback Phil Jurkovec and safety Derrik Allen.

ISD expert Jamie Uyeyama breaks down why Griffith's commitment is huge for the Irish

Hear from Griffith himself on why he chose Notre Dame over his other options