2021 USC Football Roster
Roster
Ben Griffiths
- Height:
- 6-7
- Weight:
- 240
- Class:
- Redshirt Junior
- Hometown:
- Melbourne, Australia
CAREER: He has averaged 43.5 yards on 114 punts in his career, with 48 punts pinning opponents within the 20-yard line, 26 traveling at least 50 yards and only 10 touchbacks. He had a punt of at least 56 yards in 10 games in his career (including 6 in a row over the 2020 and 2021 seasons). He also has a tackle. He has appeared in 31 games, all as the starter.
2021: The Aussie Griffiths was USC’s punter for a third season as a junior in 2021. He averaged 45.0 yards on his 44 punts in 2021, of which 17 pinned opponents within the 20, 11 traveled 50-plus yards (with a 71-yarder) and only 5 were touchbacks. He was 22nd nationally in punting (45.0, fourth in Pac-12). He made 2021 All-Pac-12 honorable mention, Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 first team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 fourth team. He won USC’s 2021 Special Teams Player of the Year Award and was a team co-captain.
He averaged 45.6 yards on his 5 punts against San Jose State, with a long of 58 yards and pinned the Spartans inside the 20 once. He averaged 48.5 yards on his 4 punts versus Stanford (with 2 pinning the Cardinal within the 20), including 58- and 54-yarders, to earn Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8 notice. He averaged 45.7 on his 3 punts at Washington State (with a 57-yarder and 2 pinning the Cougars within the 20). He averaged 45.0 yards on his 3 punts against Oregon State, with 2 pinning the Beavers within the 20-yard line and he had a 57-yarder. He averaged 43.0 yards on his 3 punts at Colorado (with 1 pinning the Buffaloes within the 20). He averaged 46.2 yards on his 5 punts versus Utah, including a 71-yarder (the longest by a Trojan since Tom Malone’s 72-yarder versus Arizona State in 2002), with 3 pinning the Utes within the 20 to earn Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8 notice. He averaged 49.5 yards on his 2 punts (with a 52-yarder) at Notre Dame and averaged 39.3 yards on his 3 punts against Arizona. He averaged 43.8 yards on his 5 punts at Arizona State, with 2 pinning the Sun Devils within the 20 and 1 traveling 59 yards. He averaged 43.8 yards on his 5 punts versus UCLA, with a 60-yarder and 1 pinning the Bruins within the 20. He averaged 49.0 yards on 4 punts against BYU (with a pair of 59-yarders and 2 that pinned the Cougars within the 20). He averaged 36.5 yards on his 2 punts at California (with 1 pinning the Bears within the 20).
2020: Griffiths was USC’s punter again as a sophomore in 2020 and exhibited a strong leg. Overall in 2020 while appearing in all 6 games, he averaged 46.4 yards on his 18 punts and he made a tackle. His 46.4 punting average was the highest by a Trojan since Tom Malone’s 49.0 in 2003. Nine of his 18 punts pinned opponents within the 20-yard line, 7 traveled at least 50 yards and only 2 were touchbacks. He made 2020 All-Pac-12 honorable mention, AP All-Pac-12 first team, Pro Football Focus All-Pac-12 first team and Phil Steele All-Pac-12 third team.
He averaged 46.0 yards on his 3 punts, with a pair of 50-yarders and 2 inside the 20-yard line, against Arizona State. He averaged 47.7 yards on his 3 punts at Arizona, with 2 traveling 50-plus yards (61 and 58 yards) and 1 pinning the Wildcats within the 20. He averaged 43.8 yards on his 4 punts at Utah, with a 50-yarder and 3 pinning the Utes within the 20. He averaged 40.0 yards on his 2 punts against Washington State. He averaged 51.0 yards on his 3 punts (with a 57-yarder) at UCLA, with 1 pinning the Bruins within the 20. He averaged 48.7 yards on 3 punts against Oregon (with a 61-yarder).
2019: Griffiths, who enrolled at USC in the spring of 2019 after a career playing professional Australian rules football, was impressive as the starting punter job as a redshirt freshman in 2019. Overall in 2019 while appearing in all 13 games, he averaged 41.2 yards on 52 punts. Of his 52 punts, 22 pinned foes within the 20, 8 traveled at least 50 yards and only 3 were touchbacks. He made the 2019 AP All-Pac-12 second team.
He averaged 37.0 yards on his 3 punts against Fresno State in the first American football game at any level he has played. He averaged 42.0 yards on his 2 punts (with a 51-yarder) against Stanford. He averaged 38.5 yards on his 4 punts (with 3 pinning the Cougars within the 20) at BYU. He averaged 42.2 yards on his 4 punts, including a 50-yarder (with 2 pinning the Utes within the 20), against Utah to earn Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8 honors. He averaged 41.0 yards on 6 punts, with a 54-yarder and 4 that pinned the Huskies within the 20, at Washington. He averaged 42.2 yards on his 5 punts (with a 50-yarder and 1 pinning the Irish within the 20) at Notre Dame. He averaged 44.3 yards on his 6 punts (with 3 pinning the Wildcats within the 20) and he had a pair of 50-yarders against Arizona. He averaged 46.0 yards on 4 punts, with 1 pinning the Buffaloes within the 20, at Colorado to earn Ray Guy Award Ray’s 8honors. He averaged 36.3 yards on his 3 punts against Oregon and all 3 pinned the Ducks within the 20. He averaged 36.2 yards on his 5 punts and he put 3 within the 20 (all from the 10-yard line, including 1 at the 1-yard line) at Arizona State. He averaged 50.3 yards on his 3 punts (with a pair of 50-yarders, including 1 midway through the fourth quarter that pinned the Bears at the 2-yard line) at California. He averaged 40.7 yards on his 3 punts against UCLA. He averaged 38.2 yards against Iowa, with 1 within the 20.
AUSTRALIA: He played forward for 8 seasons (2010-17) for the Richmond Tigers, a professional Australian rules football team in the Australian Football League. He was the team’s second round draft pick in 2009. He played in 63 games in his career, getting 42 goals. He retired in early 2018 because of injuries and concussions.
He then trained to punt with Prokick Australia, an Australian-based kicking academy.
He studied at the Trade Institute of Victoria (getting a building construction certificate) and Swinburne University of Technology in Melbourne.
PERSONAL: He is a psychology major at USC with a 3.37 GPA. He made the 2020 and 2021 Pac-12 Academic Honor Roll. He got married during USC’s bye week in the 2021 season to former (2017-21) USC women’s lacrosse player Natalie Byrne. He has volunteered with the Australian Working Dog Rescue. At 30, he is one of the oldest Trojan football players ever (born Sept. 17, 1991).
