On Texas Football: Lifetime Longhorn Cedric Griffin talks Texas

On3 imageby:Steve Habel05/26/23

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On the latest video episode of On Texas Football, Inside Texas’ Bobby Burton welcomes in lifetime Longhorn Cedric Griffin, a national championship winner as a cornerback at Texas and a veteran of seven NFL seasons to talk about the football team and other happenings on the 40 Acres.

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Griffin, who is retired and living in the Austin suburb of Lago Vista, is busy helping raise his five kids, two of whom are playing football and running track.

Griffin recently sent a tweet to Inside Texas after seeing recruit Jelani McDonald competing in the triple jump in the UIL State Track Meet in Austin. McDonald, a four-star athlete from Waco Connally, has signed with the Longhorns, and impressed Griffin with his demeanor and focus.

“I don’t know him personally,” Griffin said about McDonald, “but I’ve seen him online and I’ve seen his recruitment and stuff like that. He was talking to one of his teammates or his parents and the words that’s coming out his mouth in that conversation – he’s very articulate, and I can tell that he’s smart, I can tell that he’s determined. 

“And he’s a big guy, you know, and he’s super athletic, and I just seen his presence. And I knew that, you know, he can be something just because of the way he was talking, about how he’s acting and the way he just walked around on his very nonchalant and his demeanor was just so cool, man. I love athletes who just know who they are, but at same time they’re not beaming with that arrogance.”

The input of former Longhorns players who have competed at the highest level of the game is appreciated because those players understand what it takes to succeed – game recognizes game. 

Burton said when Griffin was impressed it carries weight because he has a sense for those guys and what it means whether it’s because they take their jobs seriously or if they’re ready to go to work. 

Burton asked Griffin about the 2005 championship season and about the focus of the team during the run to the title in the 2006 BCS Championship Game in the Rose Bowl. The former player credit secondary coach Duane Akina for instilling expectations in his unit.

“We had the mentality to go in and just fly around like our head was on fire and just knock folks down and get balls out and run for touchdowns,” Griffin explained. “So it definitely was the mentality. We knew we had the talent, but we had to put it together as players, not the coaches. The coaches gave the advice, but then we went up there on our own and just put it down.”

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There’s plenty more to hear and see from the conversation between Burton and Griffin, so go check it out.

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