Name: Nick Grant
High school: Courtland (Spotsylvania VA)
Height/Weight: 6-2, 180 pounds
Ranking: Rivals 3*, 247 3*, ESPN 3*
Additional Offers: Liberty
The Skinny:
When news first broke about the regime change in Charlottesville, a report surfaced that Courtland athlete Nick Grant had decommitted from the Virginia football program.
The report was false, but the versatile playmaker was having second thoughts. After meeting with new head coach Bronco Mendenhall however, all of Grant's fears were put to rest, and he has now signed to play for the first-year head coach. Grant lined up at both wide receiver and cornerback at Courtland High School over the past several years, but will transition to the secondary full-time at the college level.
As seen on the film above, Grant is a ball-hawking defensive back, who is not afraid to make a little contact. Grant has an impressive vertical leap, and is able to out jump many opponents on both sides of the ball. Whether he is offense or defense, Grant tracks the ball well in the air, and can often be seen coming back to the wherever the play is headed when needed. The previous staff recruited Grant as a cornerback, but he can play either CB or free safety. Grant is also solid in the return game, and could be an option on special teams down the line.
Grant is a likely redshirt candidate in 2016. One of the young cornerbacks could very well see the field in 2016, but there is a lot of competition, and we won't know much until summer training camp. One thing is for sure though, Grant was a player that Mendenhall really wanted to keep in this class, and he will have a role somewhere down the road.