How one Notre Dame player can set a program record in the Gator Bowl
Defensive tackle Kurt Hinish’s grip on the Notre Dame record for career games played is set to be broken after one season, as expected. But not by the player initially pegged to leap him.
Grad student linebacker Bo Bauer needed to play in 12 games this season to surpass Hinish’s record of 61, set last season. A torn ACL ended Bauer’s season and career after five games this year and 56 overall, though, wiping out his pursuit of the record. His injury opened the door for someone else to do it.
That player is grad student safety Houston Griffith, who tied Hinish when he appeared in the Nov. 26 regular season finale at USC. He can move into sole possession of the record if he plays Friday in the Gator Bowl vs. No. 19 South Carolina (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN). He has played in every game since 2019 and all but one contest since his freshman season in 2018. The only game in which he did not play in that span was the 2018 opener vs. Michigan.
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Griffith has started twice this year and logged 304 defensive snaps. His playing time on defense has dwindled in recent weeks with junior Xavier Watts’ second-half ascent. He has averaged 16.4 snaps over the last five games and played a season-low 8 against USC. He is one of Notre Dame’s core special teams players, with 172 snaps. That ranks third on the team. All but seven of those snaps have come on either kickoff coverage, punt return and punt coverage.
All told, Griffith has 33 tackles – tied for eighth on the team – and 1 tackle for loss. He has 104 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery in his career.
Hinish blew past the previous record of 52, held by four players at the time, because he used the COVID-19 waiver to play a fifth full season of college football. That option was given to all players on 2020 FBS rosters. Bauer and Griffith also returned for their fifth seasons using the COVID-19 exemption.
Safety Matthias Farley (2011-15), defensive end Romeo Okwara (2012-15), linebacker Drue Tranquill, (2014-18) and defensive end Daelin Hayes (2016-20) hold the record for players who had normal eligibility.
Friday will be Griffith’s final game at Notre Dame. He is out of eligibility after the season. The Chicago native was the highest-ranked recruit in the Irish’s 2018 class, at No. 43 overall in the On3 Consensus. He played two years at Mount Carmel Academy in Chicago before transferring to IMG Academy in Florida. He enrolled in classes in January 2018.
It’s possible Griffith will hold sole ownership of the program’s career games played record for just one year. Defensive end Justin Ademilola can use the COVID-19 wavier to return for a sixth season in 2023. Assuming Ademilola plays in the Gator Bowl, he will end this season at 50 career games. He would need to play 12 to tie Griffith and 13 to pass him if he comes back. He has not announced his plans. Ademilola and Griffith were both part of Notre Dame’s 2018 class. Ademilola took a redshirt in 2018, while Griffith did not.
