The mantra ‘one play, one life’ helps this Notre Dame football cornerback

On January 10, 2025By Littum

SOUTH BEND ― Christian Gray surprised some people in August when he won a starting cornerback position for Notre Dame football out of fall camp.

While the sophomore has had his fair share of ups and downs along the way, Gray feels like he’s finding his footing as Fighting Irish prepare for Penn State in the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl on Thursday (7:30 p.m., ESPN).

“I feel very comfortable — not confident, but I feel like I’m elevating every day in my confidence and my game,” Gray said. “I feel relaxed where I am.”

Bounce back from hard performances

Gray has been the target of recent opponents USC and Georgia, the former at the end of the regular season and the latter in the Sugar Bowl playoff quarterfinals. He struggled for most of the game against USC, but was able to get the legendary last laugh when he recorded a 99-yard pick-six that all but clinched a playoff spot for the Irish.

It looked like Gray would struggle against Georgia when he allowed a 67-yard completion to Arian Smith. However, Gray bounced back from that to help limit the Bulldogs to just 167 passing yards outside of that one big play.

“Sometimes it happens,” Gray said. “Even in the big leagues, you can have a fumble caught on you, or a touchdown caught on you. It happens; it’s football. One play, one life.”

Along with getting support from his mother, Gray relies on advice his grandfather gave him as a child to persevere through difficult moments.

“Growing up, my grandfather always told me to keep my head up even when things aren’t going right,” Gray said. “That’s what being a man is, you know? Even if something goes wrong, even if someone catches a touchdown on you, you keep your head up because you’ve got another game, you’ve got another day, you’ve got another year. Just hang on head high; that’s what I learned from my grandfather, and that’s what I still use.”

Defensive coordinator Al Golden noticed Gray’s rebounding ability during the Indiana game, which came between USC and Georgia contests.

“It was my fault,” Golden said of why Gray struggled with the Trojans. “I put him in a bad position given the circumstances and I had to rethink some things. I put him in a better position (against Indiana) and put him in a better position in a lot of games this year. Didn’t do a good job against USC. I’m sorry it showed up on his plate. It shouldn’t have. But at the end of the day he showed his skill when he made an interception and saved the day for us. God bless him. Nice boy. Fighter.”

Preparation for Penn State

Despite some of Gray’s struggles, Notre Dame has remained consistent in playing most games in man defense. This forces cornerbacks to play one-on-one with receivers for the majority of the time.

“I take it as a compliment, but I take it more than that, because wow, we’re just playing ‘man,'” Gray said. “That means they have an incredible amount of trust in us to get the job done and never let those guys catch the ball.”

The secondary players also rarely come off the field, which Gray also sees as a compliment.

“I don’t really get gassed; it’s just a lot of snaps, that’s fine,” Gray said. “It’s kind of fun, you know? Just knowing that I’m there the whole game. It’s just a blessing.”

The defensive secondary will receive a challenge against Penn State in the form of Tyler Warren, who won the Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end. His stellar season also earned him seventh place in the Heisman Trophy voting.

It’s a task Gray and company are ready for.

“We’ve been hungry ever since NIU,” Gray said, referring to Notre Dame’s 16-14 Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois. “We’ve just got to keep at it and be wild like coach Golden always says.”