• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

LB Curtis Grant (National Champion)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Hermitage's Curtis Grant tops the A-list
High school football A-List
The Richmond Times-Dispatch's Eric Kolenich runs down some of the top college football recruits in the Richmond region.
By Eric Kolenich
Published: January 30, 2011

curtis-grant

With 27 scholarship offers it's no wonder Hermitage's Curtis Grant sits atop the list of Richmond's best in high school football.

Metro area high school football players turned heads, made headlines and captured the attention of college coaches last season. But who among them project to be the best college players?

Today, the Richmond Times-Dispatch introduces The A-List, a ranking of the top 12 recruits in the Metro area for the Class of 2011 as determined by college coaches. Players were rated on skill and how likely they will excel in college.

College coaches are not allowed to speak publicly about high school recruits until they sign a letter of intent, so The Times-Dispatch will not identify coaches who cooperated with this project. Wednesday is national signing day.

The young man at the top of the premier A-List should be no surprise. Curtis Grant received 27 scholarship offers before his senior season began, which may be the most of any player from the Metro area.

"He's one of the best in the country," one coach said. "Maybe the best. He's the whole package. He looks the part, and he plays like it, too."

The best teams in the country pursued him, including Alabama, Southern California and Oregon. Nearly every school in the ACC offered him a scholarship. His finalists are Virginia, North Carolina, Ohio State and Florida, and Grant is expected to make his announcement Wednesday.

"He's got size and everything," another coach said. "Great range, great change of direction."

Grant ran a 4.5 in the 40-yard dash ? an exceptional time for a linebacker. At 6-3, 222 pounds, he's as big as any high school linebacker in the country. But Grant's selection at the top of The A-List wasn't unanimous. Corey Marshall's stellar senior season at Dinwiddie was enough to sway one coach.
Click to expand...

http://www2.timesdispatch.com/sports/2011/jan/30/hermitages-curtis-grant-tops-the-a-list-ar-808108/
 
Upvote 0
Grant_Army_bowl_culr.jpg

Curtis Grant, pictured above before the U.S. Army All-American Bowl in San Antonio, Texas, is considered the nation's best high school linebacker. The senior at Richmond's Hermitage High School also has family ties to the Martinsville area: His grandparents, Curtis and Alberta Grant, live on Carver Road. Their son, Curtis' father, grew up here and attended G.W. Carver High. (All-American Games photo)

No. 1 LB Curtis Grant weighing options

During his Friday interview, which occurred while he was riding to Chapel Hill, N.C., for his official visit at UNC, he offered his two favorite things about each of his finalists:

Florida — “One thing I liked about it was because it was in the South, and I liked the South a lot,” he said. “And I just like the competition level down there.”

Virginia — “I just love Mike London. Mike London just makes the whole thing. Coach London is like family to me,” he said. “Mike London is one of those guys where you just connect with him, you know? ... He’s an honest guy, and he never trys to beat around the bush. He just tells it like it is.”

UNC — “I like the coaching staff there, too. And they have a nice campus,” he said.

Ohio State — “It’s another one of those places where you go and you just feel loved, you know?” he said. “As soon as you get off the plane up there, even if you’re recruited but you don’t go there, they’re just glad to have you in their presence.”

Grant said he grew up a Virginia Tech fan, but when asked why the Hokies didn’t make the cut, he declined to comment.
Click to expand...

http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=27132
 
Last edited by a moderator:
Upvote 0
FWIW, Farrell on Rivals radio this morning, continues to say that tOSU leads and Florida is out of it.

Says UNC's strategy this weekend it to appeal to Curtis and Stephone Anthony (another stud LB visiting), that they can both come to UNC and be the best LB tandem for the next 4 years (Curtis inside and Anthony outside).

Sounds like a bit of long shot since UNC is not leading for Anthony and Anthony does not know Curtis that well.
 
Upvote 0
In Virginia, UVA is considered an elite, near-Ivy school where 'Virginia gentlemen' matriculate prior to entering law, medicine or business careers. No doubt Curtis' family and friends would be proud of him playing there. And they'd get to see him playing very near home on Saturdays. For a youngster from Richmond, UVA has huge appeal.

JT and staff must convince Curtis that tOSU is the real 'Linebacker U' and the best place to prepare for his future playing career. And they have to convince Curtis' family that their young man would be in good hands at tOSU. I hope they have.
 
Upvote 0
Regardless of where Mr Grant chooses to go it's refreshing to see academics truly being a critical piece of the decision. It is telling that tOSU, uva, and u of f are the final three programs as they are all excellent academically. tOSU is the best football program with stability but it's not the best of the schools, all be it very close.

Hopefully all buckeye, but best of luck wherever he chooses.

:oh:
 
Upvote 0
FritoBandito;1865952; said:
In Virginia, UVA is considered an elite, near-Ivy school where 'Virginia gentlemen' matriculate prior to entering law, medicine or business careers. No doubt Curtis' family and friends would be proud of him playing there. And they'd get to see him playing very near home on Saturdays. For a youngster from Richmond, UVA has huge appeal.
Click to expand...

While this is very much the case, UVA's football program leaves much to be desired. For a player like Grant, I'm reasonably sure that his NFL aspirations trump his aspirations to be a lawyer, at least as an 18 year old. Also, while no UVA, OSU is no slouch academically (at least recently). I would be surprised he chose UVA, but I can foresee the possibility.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top