New coach Skip Holtz and Louisiana Tech received a gift Monday, courtesy of USF, Holtz's former employer.
Wide receiver Sterling Griffin (6 feet, 194 pounds), who graduated from USF this past weekend, has transferred to Louisiana Tech and will be eligible immediately. Holtz coached Griffin at USF from 2010-12.
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Actually, injuries limited Griffin to only 10 games while Holtz was at USF. Injuries cost him the 2010 season and all but two games last season; thus, it's likely that if Griffin petitions the NCAA for a sixth season of eligibility, he will get it.
As a true freshman at USF in 2009 under then-coach Jim Leavitt (now linebackers coach with the San Francisco 49ers), Griffin started 10 games and had 14 receptions for 265 yards and two touchdowns.
He missed the 2010 season with an ankle injury, then played in eight games in 2011 before breaking his foot. He was productive when he was on the field that season, making 43 catches for 530 yards and three TDs. Griffin started the first two games last season before suffering a season-ending knee injury in a victory over Nevada.
Griffin runs well and showed the ability to be a deep threat with the Bulls, which is something Louisiana Tech needs. The Bulldogs lost their top three receivers from last season, and while they return three receivers that had at least 24 receptions, none of them seem cut out to be a go-to guy. Griffin could vie with senior D.J. Banks, who had 33 receptions for 434 yards and two TDs, to be the No. 1 receiver. That assumes that Griffin is healthy, which obviously never is a given.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.
