SOUTH BEND —Seven months after the fact, Notre Dame football cornerback Christian Gray has no problem talking about the Jeremiah Smith Play.
In the immediate aftermath, that 56-yard rainbow from Will Howard to a wide-open Smith down the right sideline was too painful for Gray to contemplate.
However, with the benefit of time and the support of family, friends, spiritual advisors, coaches and teammates, Gray has found the growth point in that third-and-11 breakdown that sealed a 31-23 loss to Ohio State in the CFP national championship.
“I do watch over it,” Gray said as training camp wound down. “I watch over some messed-up tape. I go over it just by myself sometimes, and I watch that play.”
There’s no shame, of course, in getting spun around by an All-America wide receiver, one already being projected near the top of the 2027 NFL Draft, but the stage on which it happened has necessitated a proper response.
What could Gray have done differently in the moment?
“I should have just really not let him get on my toes,” Gray said. “He closed the space as far as he could. I was just trying to protect my leverage.”
Easier said than done against a freak athlete like Smith.
“All I can definitely say is I should have opened up and turned as quickly as possible,” Gray said. “That’s why we know (what happened) from there on.”
Ohio State play remains ‘huge motivator’ for Christian Gray
All cornerbacks must be resilient. They’re the ones who live on the island, white-hot stadium LEDs burning down like Klieg lights.
Gray, however, has proved to be as resilient as any cornerback in recent Notre Dame history. His ability to move on quickly from glaring disappointment to rapid response has been on display at several points in his young career.
It will no doubt be tested again on Sunday night, Aug. 31, against an overhauled Miami receiving corps and a veteran quarterback in Georgia grad transfer Carson Beck.
“They’re some talented kids, that’s for sure,” Gray said. “Their pass offense is good; I just know it’s going to be a good game against those guys. There’s going be some great athletes for sure, off their film.”
Even as sophomore cornerback Leonard Moore earns consensus first-team preseason All-America honors, Smith’s offseason praise for Moore only raising the bar, Gray is determined to lock down his side of the field as well.
Asked if Smith’s long reception — his only catch of the second half — has served as offseason motivation, Gray nodded.
“Oh, yeah, it’s a big motivator for sure,” he said. “I’ll definitely say that. But then I also will say it’s not the end of the world for your life, you know what I mean? I know it was a big game. It was a big emotional (letdown) for everybody and everything.
“All I can say to myself (is) I had a little problem with it, of course. It’s a huge motivator, you know?”
In what ways?
“To be better, strive for better, do something better,” Gray said. “You know what I mean? That play just taught me what this game is. It’s just one play, reload, make yourself better. Keep going, keep working hard and then you’ll be better.”
Christian Gray found support, not abandonment, in Notre Dame locker room
The physical side of Gray’s game will be better, he insists, especially after another offseason spent working with defensive backs coach Mike Mickens. Just as vital, though, are the improvements Gray has made on the mental side.
“I learned a lot about my technique, but most importantly I would say I learned more about mental space,” Gray said. “I found out after the last game, of course. I just saw a real brotherhood, a real love I found in this space.
“I thought I was going to be alone. I thought everybody was going to walk away from me. I thought the world was ending, and I just found out B-Mo was there, X was there, Lenny was there.”
Benjamin Morrison and Xavier Watts are now NFL rookies after being drafted in April. Moore is right there with Gray on this journey, as is third-year safety Adon Shuler, voted a team captain last week.
“Everybody was there for me,” Gray said. “I found out that mental space is so important in this game of football and especially in this life. … I feel like I just got stronger in every way.”
His teammates recognize it as well.
“Just the attention to detail,” Moore said. “He’s playing the same game he was last year, but not giving up anything over his head. It’s crazy to see, honestly. He’s sitting on the underneath routes but also playing the fade ball.”
Christian Gray: ‘One catch won’t destroy who you are’
Moore is a year younger than Gray, but he’s right there with the others boosting his friend’s morale. Nothing makes the Irish secondary prouder than seeing the way Gray has bounced back from the public firestorm that followed Smith’s catch.
“You see all this stuff on social media,” Moore said. “You try not to look at it, but people are sending stuff your way, people in your comment section. We let him know that we know what he’s capable of. He knows what he’s capable of.
“And we wouldn’t have been at that point in the season without him. We know what he’s going to come out here and do this next year, and we’ve got 100% confidence.”
Between the ears and within his heart, Gray also has found solace in the wisdom of church leaders back home in St. Louis.
“In my headspace I learned to think like: ‘One catch won’t kill you. One catch won’t destroy who you are or what God meant you to be,’ “ he said. “That’s what I really took from it. Especially going to my church about it too. My church always helps me about it.
“They say (at Notre Dame), ‘One play, one life.’ We say it in the Bible: ‘Holy Spirit-filled.’ If something bad happens, God will fill that back up with the Holy Spirit. I just start thinking that in my head every time. I just adopted that in my headspace.”
Mike Berardino covers Notre Dame football for the South Bend Tribune and NDInsider.com. Follow him on social media @MikeBerardino.
This article originally appeared on South Bend Tribune: Notre Dame football rallies around junior CB Christian Gray after Ohio State setback
Reporting by Mike Berardino, South Bend Tribune / South Bend Tribune
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
