Louisville football's MJ Griffin is grateful to be back in action after his injury

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — In football at any level, it is inevitable that injuries of varying degrees will occur. The upcoming 2024 season for the Louisville football program may still be more than two weeks away, but several players have already suffered serious injuries during fall training camp.

Lance Robinson is out for the rest of the season after getting injured in the first practice. Guys like Jimmy Calloway, Keyjuan Brown and Thor Griffith were also limited in their participation in the camp's public practices after injuries.

This time last year, Louisville suffered a major injury setback in fall camp as they prepared for their first year under new head coach Jeff Brohm. Safety MJ Griffin suffered a left knee injury early in camp and was subsequently forced to sit out the Cardinals' entire 2023 season.

But now, fast forward to the present, Griffin is back on the practice fields for fall camp and preparing for his final collegiate season. After not playing in a game since the 2022 season, the redshirt senior is ready to return and is thankful to be back to practicing at full speed.

“Man, it's a blessing,” Griffin said Wednesday. “It's a great feeling to be back out there after a year. It was tiring sitting there and watching everybody do what they're doing. But now it's my turn to help my teammates do what we all need to do.”

The return of the 6'1″, 200-pound free safety for 2024 gives Louisville's secondary a huge boost, as he played a key role in turning Louisville's defense around during the 2022 season and his final year under then-head coach Scott Satterfield.

Griffin came from Temple in the offseason and played almost exclusively on special teams in the first five games. However, when starter Kenderick Duncan was injured, he was promoted to free safety.

Griffin kept that spot for the rest of the season, and his elevation to starter was instrumental in Louisville significantly reducing the number of big plays allowed. The Cardinals allowed an average of 210.4 passing yards per game before Griffin was introduced to the starting lineup, and an average of 188.6 afterward.

Although the Ypsilanti, Michigan native only played significant defensive time in eight of 13 games this year, he finished seventh on the team with 45 tackles, while also recording two interceptions and a forced fumble.

Although Griffin needed some adjustment after his long time off the field and may not have the playing experience with the defensive system that some of the veterans returning to Louisville have, the coaching staff is excited to have a weapon like Griffin back at their disposal.

“What stands out is he makes plays,” said Ron English, defensive coordinator and safety coach. “He plays hard, he tries hard. He has a great attitude. He really wants to be good, and I can coach him as hard as I want. It's just good to have that. And like I mentioned, before he got hurt, I thought he was going to be the best guy in the secondary.”

Of course, there are certain hurdles you have to overcome in order to recover from a season-ending injury. Of course, there is the physical hurdle of getting back into shape in terms of your physique and conditioning.

But there is also a mental hurdle. You have to not think about the possibility of another injury, you have to get used to the defensive system on the field after learning it for so long on the sidelines, and you have to not dwell too much on making a mistake on the first few repetitions.

While English says it's “still to be determined” whether Griffin has cleared the mental hurdle – and that question won't be answered until Saturday, August 31, with the Cardinals' season opener against Austin Peay – Griffin himself is absolutely convinced that he will clear that hurdle with ease.

“It was tough at first. It was very tough,” Griffin said. “You sit out there, not doing much except watching and learning the playbook. I feel like my mental state has gotten a lot stronger since then.”

The physical hurdle is still there, too. Griffin has been actively running with the runners during fall camp and says he feels “very strong” after his surgery. He won't say he's “100 percent” healthy yet, but he's close.

But as the saying goes, time heals all wounds. And he needs to continue to strengthen his lower body.

“It's just time,” Griffin said when asked what he needs to truly feel 100 percent healthy. “I feel like an injury like this just takes time to heal. I also need to constantly train to strengthen my legs.”

(Photo of MJ Griffin: Jamie Rhodes – USA TODAY Sports)

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