UNC cornerback Tony Grimes developing ahead of schedule
North Carolina’s Tony Grimes should still really be in high school right now. And his father said had it not been for the COVID-19 pandemic, he would be.
When his Virginia Beach, Va., school district decided to cancel football in the fall, he made the decision to reclassify and join the Tar Heels. So instead of experiencing all those rites of passage as a senior in high school this spring, he’s ascending the depth chart and establishing himself as one of Carolina’s top cornerbacks.
“My expectations for this season is to be the best corner I could be,” Grimes said. “Just trying to be the No. 1 corner everyone talks about on ESPN, SportsCenter. Just try to be that dude that everyone talks about, so that’s my expectations. I’m coming in hot, I’m trying to be the best CB in the country.”
Grimes has been that before, at the high school level. He was listed as the nation’s best cornerback in the Class of 2021 by 247 Sports composite rankings before he reclassified. That’s not something that happens by chance.
Plan of attack
Grimes’ father, Deon Glover, also served as his position coach at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach. Glover said as far back as the eighth grade Grimes told him he wanted to be the best cornerback in the nation. Glover made clear the amount sacrifice and hard work it would take to get there. Then, the two carved out a plan.
“Everything is regimented with Tony, he likes things in order, a structure,” Glover told the News & Observer. “He sets his days like he has to set time to do this, have to do this next, have to do this after. So when you’re planning, that’s how you set the preparation. You set it according to the way he is, you don’t try to force a circle into a square.”
Carolina didn’t force things with Grimes either. Despite all the hype that preceded him to campus, he wasn’t immediately inserted into the starting lineup and allowed to figure things out in games.
He played a lot of special teams early while he learned the Heels’ defensive scheme. UNC senior linebacker Jeremiah Gemmel said when Grimes first trotted out to practice in fall camp, he looked like a typical freshman.
“You could tell he was a 17-, 18-year-old kid who looks like he’s still supposed to be in high school,” Gemmel said. “He was slow in his steps, slow in his reads when he came in. But as the season went on, you just saw the progression in practice, you saw that there was a lot of talent there.”
Getting comfortable
Grimes said he felt comfortable about four games into the season. But his real opportunity to solidify a spot in the rotation didn’t come until the Heels played Wake Forest on Nov. 14. UNC had given up more than 500 total yards midway through the third quarter and trailed 45-24.
Although he did allow a 46-yard completion, after the Heels’ rallied to take the lead, he played well enough that quarter and a half to earn a starting spot against Notre Dame. He ended the season with four straight starts and is showing no signs of coming out of the lineup.
Grimes credits his dad and mother, Cynthia Glover, for giving him the confidence and the mindset that he could make the transition to college so fast.
“Some people come in and they’ll get thrown in the fire and the playbook coming this way, schoolwork all that stuff, and they get just overwhelmed and just fall apart,” Grimes said. “Me, I’m kind of like structured. So when everything was coming at me, I was taking it like I wasn’t backing down.”
Grimes recorded his first pass breakup against the Irish. In the regular season finale at Miami, he claimed his first interception when it initially looked like he was beat on the play, but he recovered and snatched the ball from the hands of receiver Dee Wiggins.
Plays like that are why Glover said, ‘he’s just scratching the surface of his potential,” and have made Carolina confident in their secondary for next season.
“He definitely came in raw straight out of high school, but I mean, when I say the progression was so quick, the last two games of the season he balled out,” cornerback Kyler McMichael said. “So definitely, from a skill set standpoint, you see growth there and learning the plays. He’s a whole lot more competent out on the field now.”
The secondary was inconsistent last season, which was partly due to a string of injuries including to Storm Duck, who played just two games. UNC coach Mack Brown said his corners were playing at a high level so far during spring camp.
“We’re starting to develop some depth there, which we need,” Brown said. “...Kyler McMichael’s improved a lot. I do think he and Storm and Tony have a chance to be really special.”
This story was originally published March 31, 2021 at 6:30 AM with the headline "UNC cornerback Tony Grimes developing ahead of schedule."