Freshman Corner Kendall Griffin Growing Up Fast for the Cowboys
LARAMIE, Wyoming - While most freshman football players spend their first year seeing little to no game action, Kendall Griffin didn't have to wait long to learn what college football was all about.
The Wyoming freshman cornerback enrolled early, spent his first spring ball in Laramie, and quickly worked his way into a role on the Cowboys' defense. His early arrival helped him earn a spot to make an impact.
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Two games into his college career, that impact is already showing.
Griffin has recorded seven tackles - five of those solo, through Wyoming's first two games.
For a player who was lining up against high school receivers less than a year ago, the adjustment has been significant.
"It's been a blessing just getting snaps, seeing the game, adjusting to the college level. It's a blessing," Griffin said.
The 5-foot-11 cornerback grew up in Chicago and attended Morgan Park High School, where he developed into one of Illinois' top defensive back prospects. Griffin was rated as a three-star recruit by both 247Sports and Rivals after recording 45 tackles and five pass breakups during his senior season.
Griffin started playing football at 4 years old and became a versatile defensive back at Morgan Park, playing safety and cornerback while also seeing time at receiver and punt returner.
What’s the biggest difference from the high school field he was playing on less than a year ago, and the Division I level that he’s playing at now?
"The biggest difference, I'd say the I'd say the speed of the game was faster, bigger people. I'd say the physical aspect," Griffin said.
Learning on the fly
Colorado State and Northern Colorado each provided Griffin with an immediate education.
Instead of dwelling on individual plays, Griffin said his first two games have reinforced the importance of consistency, confidence and moving on quickly when something goes wrong…having a short memory.
"These two games taught me to be consistent and have a great next-play mentality, and to have a fast memory. It also taught me to be confident and trust my technique, as well as my ability. I'm just going to keep stacking," Griffin said.
That short memory is particularly important at cornerback, where one mistake can quickly turn into a big play.
"It just comes with confidence. It's a big confidence thing, just knowing that you got beat and knowing that you're going to line up again and try your best," Griffin said.
Head coach Jay Sawvel has seen some of those growing pains.
Sawvel said Monday that Griffin had an OK game against Northern Colorado, but a major factor was in the analysis. Griffin had a cast put on his hand last Friday, one day before the game against UNC…this was due to a small fracture. Griffin entered the game on Saturday without ever practicing with it.
"Kendall gets a cast on for the first time on Friday because he's got this little mini fracture in his hand, and it's gotten to the point where they had to put a cast on it. He never even ever practiced with this cast on. He goes out and plays in the game," Sawvel said.
Sawvel expects Griffin to become more comfortable with it as the week progresses.
"So I think he'll get back in the swing [of things] pretty well once he gets through another week of getting used to [the cast]," Sawvel said.
The Cowboys have been high on Griffin since well before the season began. During the offseason, Sawvel grouped Griffin with fellow freshman defensive back Therman "Boogie" Williams when discussing the future of Wyoming's secondary.
"In the long term, if I said, ‘OK, in our freshman class Kendall Griffin and Boogie Williams are two of our corners,’ that’s a pretty good group," Sawvel said.
Finding a home in Wyoming
Chicago and Laramie offer dramatically different surroundings, but Griffin said Wyoming's fans helped make the transition easier. The wind and cold might be similar!
"I love the people here. They're big football fans. They show a lot of love. I love the fan base," Griffin said.
He got his first full taste of a Wyoming home game against Northern Colorado.
The Cowboy Walk, the crowd, the pregame flyover, and finally running onto Jonah Field at War Memorial Stadium gave Griffin one of the moments he envisioned when he chose Wyoming.
"Saturday was a great experience. I feel like this is what I came here for, for those moments, you know, so it was crazy," Griffin said.
His mother and sister were in Laramie to see it.
This weekend, the audience gets considerably larger.
‘My pop-out party’
Wyoming travels to Mount Pleasant, Michigan, on Saturday to face Central Michigan, and the trip means even more for Griffin.
His family won't have to travel nearly as far.
"Pretty much my whole family is coming out to Central Michigan. So it's going to be a big game for me," Griffin said.
There is another connection.
Central Michigan recruited Griffin out of Morgan Park and offered him. CMU wasn’t the only one throwing interest: Bowling Green, Buffalo, and Cornell were among the programs that recruited him.
Griffin ultimately headed west and became a Cowboy.
Less than a month into his freshman college season, he gets an opportunity to return to the Midwest with Wyoming and play in front of much of his family against one of the schools that wanted him.
He already has a name for the occasion.
"It's definitely a time for me to show who I really am. My pop-out party," Griffin said.
Since arriving at Wyoming as an early enrollee, Griffin is thankful for teammates who showed the new guy the ropes.
He credits veteran safety Travis Franklin with helping him navigate his first months in the program.
"Travis Franklin really helped me out a lot," Griffin said.
Now comes his first long road trip - and a chance to play close to home.
"I'm excited just to keep stacking with my guys. I know where we are going; I know we're going to keep grinding and get better. We're just taking it day by day," Griffin said.
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