Previously: Last year’s profiles. S Damani Dent, S/Nk Zeke Berry, S/HSP Keon Sabb, CB Myles Pollard, CB/Nk Kody Jones, CB Will Johnson, LB Deuce Spurlock, LB Jimmy Rolder, DE/LB Micah Pollard, DE Derrick Moore, DT Mason Graham.

Merrillville, IN – 6'4”, 335
[Zack Carpenter/On3]		247: 6'4/335        3.86*	4*, 90, NR overall #47 DL, #8 IN
		Rivals: 6'4/340        3.68*	3*, 5.7, NR overall #36 DT, #11 IN
		ESPN: 6'4/330        3.63*	3*, 78, #64 MW, NR ovr #52 DT, #13 IN
		On3: 6'4/350        4.61*	4*, 95, #102 overall #14 DL, #3 IN
		Composite:        3.84*	4*, 0.8842, #448 overall #59 DL, #10 IN
		Other Suitors	OSU, Wis, Purdue
		YMRMFSPA	Johnathan Hankins
Previously On MGoBlog	Hello post by me.
Notes	Twitter. Instagram.
Film:
Senior Highlights:

One of the things that annoyed Michigan fans about Don Brown—even before the The Fall at the end of 2018—was defensive tackle recruiting seemed to have a size cap. Christopher Hinton, you'll recall, was a converted defensive end, as were most of the DT recruits of the era. Mazi Smith was the only 300-plus guy in high school, and we had to wait until Smith was under 300 for him to debut in the defense.

Brown's belief was you had to get in the backfield, not just hold up. The year he had to start a permanently injured Bryan Mone, because there wasn't anything left behind the Hurst/Glasgow generation, demonstrated this. Still, whenever Wisconsin dug up another mastodon and plunked him down over the center, we wondered if Michigan's tactics were really the best. I mean, if you're wasting Aidan Hutchinson and Kwity Paye on plunging into B-gaps, maybe you need some size up that gut? It's not like then-DL coach Shaun Nua had never coached elephants. He used to have them all the time.

You could tell Nua agreed, because the minute Brown was out the door, Michigan was throwing out offers to various Vince Wilfork-shaped people as if they had sorted the 24/7 list by weight. The 2022 DT board quickly flipped from Indiana build-a-DTs Caden Curry (6'2.5/240) and Joe Strickland (6'4"/250) to the guy the sites were calling "mammoth."

Like, a lot:

Mammoth 300-pound DT Kenneth Grant (@KennyGrant78) talks Michigan, push from @CoachNua, virtual visits and more #GoBlue. https://t.co/a8eUA7qGF3 pic.twitter.com/9qV8hH2Ema

— "EJ Holland" (@EJHollandOn3) April 20, 2021

Then Grant hit some camps in the summer, and started exploding into the backfield like a regular ol' Don Brown dude. Can you have both?

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Not Just a Two-Person-Sized Person

Every scout to look past the surface of the 330-pound high school kid said don't just put him in the space-eating pile. Grant heard it as often as we did:

"Coaches are pretty surprised by how athletic I am for my size," Grant said. "Most guys my size are just big and slow, but coaches like that I'm pretty quick and nimble for being this size."

This is literally 89 percent of the words in 24/7 Midwest analyst Allen Trieu's summary eval:

Massive interior prospect. Looks like a classic nose guard but is not just a gap plugger in high school. Runs surprisingly well for a big guy, shows closing speed and will pursue plays. Nimble and can make offensive linemen miss their punch but can also drive them straight back with brute strength. Has to be more consistent play to play but has upside because size and ability to move at that size are rare.

When moving Grant up to a 4-star, Trieu explained he saw a giant ripping through OL:

He gets off the ball and shows some very real athleticism for a player of his size. Noses tend to be space eaters, but Grant shows the ability to penetrate and make plays in the backfield. He may have to embrace some of the block-tying-up he will be asked to do, but this is a massive player with base athleticism and power.

Charles Power of On3 noted Grant blocked a bunch of kicks "so he can push the pocket and he can also rush the passer," and defended his site's much higher ranking when the bopped him into the top-130:

Kenneth Grant is a huge defensive tackle with some unique body quickness and explosive power. The 6-foot-4, 350-pounder has rare movement skills at his size. Grant is capable of bursting off the snap and can forklift opposing offensive linemen into the backfield.

…then had to reiterate his reasoning when they moved Grant up to 101 on their final major reevaluation of the class:

“[Of all the nose tackles this year] he has some of the best reactive quickness. I think the big thing with him is it’s not just the size, but it’s how how quick he moves like his initial burst off the ball, first step all that."

Still a rising 3-star at the time of his commitment, On3's Keegan Pope called Grant the most underrated recruit in the class because "For his size, Grant is extremely athletic, and he moves very well on the interior of the defensive line." On3's Zack Carpenter reported Grant ran a 5.00 forty at 350 pounds at OSU's camp a year ago, and was down 11 pounds before his season began, with plans to be at 330 when he enrolls at Michigan. Tim Verghese said "the 350-pound nose tackle has flashed athleticism:"

Grant moves exceptionally well for his size. Has an excellent get-off, plays with good leverage with foot speed that is surprising for a 350-pound tackle. He’s more than a space-eater, he’s legitimately disruptive.

The local paper noted Grant routinely drew double- and triple-teams while putting up 38 tackles, 14.5 TFLs, 6.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, and a pair of blocked punts, all through a leg injury that usually sidelines people carrying half his weight:

Grant put together his stellar season while dealing with tendinitis in his right foot. He played with a brace and has been wearing a walking boot away from the field.

The "big, athletic gaps-stuffer" also made 24/7 scout Andrew Ivins's freaks list for his class, because Grant qualified for states in shot put (he threw a 60' last May). Though his old site didn't, EJ Holland thought Grant a "a monster recruit … powerful, quick and athletic for his size and a dominant force," and later called him "a dancing bear."

Merrillville head coach Brad Seiss agrees "you can’t find guys with his size and explosiveness and athletic ability," and clearly made use of it: A good portion of Grant's highlights are lined up as a 3-4 DE, upon which the opponent options him to run the hell away and he chases it down from behind. Touch the Banner noted the array of moves on display in those clips:

…excellent quickness and athleticism for his size. His highlights show frequent use of a swim move, and he even works in a spin. He bends fairly well for a guy his size and changes direction pretty well.

But for this middle sentence the new Rivals staff sounded like they were talking about a player 60 pounds lighter:

Pass rushing interior tackle that disrupts the pocket despite not being an end. Moves well for his size. Consistently gets in the backfield off his first move.

Unfortunately that's it from them. Rivals never saw much in Grant, or maybe they just never saw Grant. Shortly before The Wolverine jumped to On3, EJ Holland was calling out his soon-to-be ex-employers:

I've said this many times, but Grant is one of the most underrated prospects in the country. In fact, I think he is THE most underrated prospect in the country. You see that headshot on his profile? That's mine. No other Rivals representative has gone out to see Grant live, which is a travesty.

Really big dudes who can football are sui generis

It's well to keep in mind the guys who fit our Not Just a Shooter™ meme are foremost shooters. Kenny Grant is big. Really big. So big they thought of asking the other kids to sign waivers to play against him, according Seiss told On3's EJ Holland:

“My wife was teaching down at the middle school at the time and said there is this kid that’s the biggest kid I’ve ever seen,” Seiss remembered. “As I go to get our kids ready to register for seventh grade football, I see this monster of a kid that walks in. He was probably 6-foot-2, 290 pounds as a seventh grader.

“Middle school is the worst time in anybody’s life. There is a pipsqueak 100-pound kid, and then there is Kenneth. We had to make sure all the kids wanted to continue to play football if they had to go against Kenneth.”

Grant started for Seiss all four years, and put

Touch the Banner said he wouldn't have been surprised if the kid was listed at 6'6":

He dwarfs his opponents in Indiana, and he will also look huge in a college uniform.

And yes, that is the point. Seiss said Michigan's switch to 3-4 was a big part of what Grant was looking for, and Michigan "made it abundantly clear" they wanted bigger dudes in there than Brown left them. Chris Singletary called Grant a "cross between Terrence Taylor and Gabe Watson," two immovable objects he helped recruit at Michigan.

On3's Verghese thought Grant's "traits may be too rare to keep off the field early."

Both Brian Neubert of Rivals and 24/7's Trieu made a point that "this body type and the talent that comes with it … are tough to find," and that that this year, when Michigan was reversing course from the penetrators that Don Brown recruited, was a tough one to do that, since the Midwest didn't have many. Trieu also hinted that "he may have to embrace some the block-tying-up he will be asked to do," which suggests Grant has yet to learn the doubles techniques a player his size should have at the top of his arsenal.

Has to learn more than "be huge"

That's not surprising, since the rare 330-pound kid who can move like doesn't have to rely as much on skill to make 230-pound high school guards give way. Verghese thought Grant "probably has a little room to progress as a snap-to-snap player."

Bill Kurelic was at the OSU camp where Grant blew up into a battle between Michigan and the team they would beat 42-27 later in the year, and noted "Grant mostly overpowered his opponents though he can really move for a huge young man." Magnus (Touch the Banner) was another who wanted to see a lot more technique development:

I would like to see Grant work on his hand strike going into college; he’s quicker than a lot of high school linemen, but he’s going to have to engage blockers more often in college. I also think he will be another player who will have to watch his weight in college, just like former Wolverines Michael Onwenu, William Campbell, etc.

Again, however, Grant doesn't seem to fit the mold, earning a bona fide Mason Graham buzzword from Rivals' new Michigan staff:

High motor with the intention to play through the whistle. Does not quit on pursuit. Exceptional technique with both the hands and the body, and knowing when to use both.

Henry II or Henry VIII?

Both of these English monarchs tended to largeness, and had to stay super active to remain fit; the medieval one managed it while the Renaissance one got so huge later in life he could barely king. Neither had Abby and Ben in charge of their nutrition and conditioning. Trieu admitted had concerns that Grant was more of a Jordan Whittley—a huge dude who wouldn't have the conditioning for more than goal line duty—but these were answered over the course of Grant's senior year, especially after seeing Grant ripping through OL while also playing it:

Seiss barely minced words:

At the high school level there is only so much we can do from the strength and conditioning standpoint and diet standpoint. When he gets to college he’s going to see his body transform.”

On3's Pope also suggested Abby and Ben will need to help Grant "become a little more lean." Carpenter took in Grant's season opener last year and at first was like "oh no, he's out of shape" in the first half, then saw a new man in the 2nd, ultimately agreeing with Seiss that "when he enters a strength and nutrition program…" we'll see what we've really got.

Even as they bumped him to a 4-star, 24/7's scouts were admitting that's a projection, though Grant allayed a lot of concerns by getting in better shape before his senior run. Trieu:

Having seen him last season and reviewed his junior year, we saw there was upside there but were concerned about conditioning and consistency, so we moved him up to the higher 80s but not into four-star range yet. In the off-season, Grant looked like he got in better shape, which was obvious at Ohio State's camp where he looked lean and quick. It also showed up in the shot put where he went from 50-feet to 57. Now this season, he is playing both ways and actually looked good on offense last week.

Via Holland, Grant is staying on top of it:

“I’m focused on getting stronger and having a better diet,” Grant said. “I’m working in the weight room and eating right. I’m cycling on the eight-week weight program. It’s tough. It’s certain workouts every day. I’m doing the diet on my own. I drink smoothies and eat a lot of greens and proteins.

Rivals' lower ranking allowed their content mills to spit him out as sleeper, with each mentioning a high ceiling after the big body.

I mentioned this with Graham, but Grant was the other guy Balas's source included in "one of the best pairs of tackles in the nation in a few years," and a guy the staff thinks "will be dominant."

Offense?

Yeah, it could work. 24/7's director of recruiting Steve Wiltfong thought Grant "has all the traits to be a terrific offensive lineman," after seeing him in the Indiana state finals. On3's Power didn't think it a terrible idea either, suggesting "Grant could also be a top offensive lineman if he were to play on that side of the ball in college."

Not really the plan, but sure.

Did we really beat Ohio State in a head-to-head recruitment?

Before any sites had Grant ranked higher than a middling 3-star, Michigan and Wisconsin were interested, Michigan because they'd just hired a guy from the Ravens to be their new DC and wanted to shift to Juggernaut fronts. Wisconsin because that's what they do. At this point I'm not sure anyone suspected he was more than Just a Plugger. Grant was rising over the 2021 camp scene, however, as we started to sense Michigan would be able to hold off the Badgers for the type of nose tackle Wisconsin usually finds, and might have plucked one as good as any of those.

Then Grant attended an Ohio State camp in June 2021 and "killed it." Suddenly Michigan was hanging on for dear life. I moped about Chris Olave recruitments where Michigan gets in early then the kid camps at OSU or Bama and they offer and that's it for Michigan's chances. Holland believed OSU had moved into the lead, while Grant told Kurelic he's "in no hurry" to commit.

Here we have to get a little interpretive, because OSU, like Bama, has different tiers of offer:

1. "Offer" = You should come visit.
2. Offer = You came, we liked, accept now and you're in, but don't make us work too hard.
3. All hands on deck.

Grant was clearly a #2. OSU folk certainly thought Grant was going to commit a few days after the visit, and produced the requisite flurry of articles, but went quiet when that didn't result in a pledge. Michigan did all they could to keep Grant open until the fall, then closed the deal. EJ Holland, being interviewed by On3 national reporter Jeremy Crabtree, made sure to credit Shaun Nua for fending off Ohio State for Grant as well as holding onto Graham, noting "The Grant recruitment was arguably his best job during his time at Michigan. It’s time to give Nua some props.”

Reportedly the Buckeyes were hamstrung by Grant, in that he (and his mother's) interests didn't allow OSU to put their best foot forward.

As we have heard from prospects and from the staff, Ohio State crafts their presentations in a way that emphasizes what’s important for each individual visitor. So, for example, while some players may be fully invested in name, image and likeness, the topic of NIL will be a bigger focus for them than it will be for other recruits. The Buckeyes made it a point to focus heavily on education with Grant, who intends on studying forensic science in college.

Sucks when the kids wanna play school.

Reading between all these lines, Michigan won the recruitment, but in the same way that MSU beat Michigan for Dillon Tatum by making him a top priority while Michigan shrugged like "you're a good player, but we're going to get Zeke Berry." In this case the Zeke Berry was Hero Kanu.

Did we really beat Ohio State in a head-to-head football game?

Yup!

Good attitude. You can often tell which players become the favorites of the reporters who cover them, and I'd put good money that Grant was one of Holland's from this profile. If fans are gonna love Mason Graham because he's Chase Winovich, they'll appreciate Grant for being Charles Matthews:

“Football is serious, but you also have to remember to have fun,” Grant said. “It’s a good mentality to have. It helps me have a bond with my teammates. They know I’m going to hit them hard, and they just laugh, and I laugh with them.”

Etc. Track & Field (shot put & discus), used to play baseball. Other Kenneth Grant (do not click here).

Why Johnathan Hankins? I figure most Michigan fans remember the Dearborn mastodon with the high school coach who cared more about hating Michigan than the success of his players. Hankins was the definitive Not-Just-a-Plugger™, listed at 6'3"/335 coming out of Detroit Southeastern, and 6'3"/320 before the draft with ridiculous combine measurements for his size.

He made the rotation as a true freshman, was All-Big Ten and got at least one All-American nod as a junior, then was selected in the early part of the 2nd round after being projected to the middle of the 1st (while the Wolverines started Jibreel Black at nose). Hankins has been a solid NFL tackle since, though less so since he added another 20 pounds and lost some of the surprising agility. Allen Trieu made the same comparison, noting Grant had the same ridiculous size/athleticism as Hankins (and Vincent Valentine) and the same question marks about conditioning.

Jason Horn or Gabe Watson would be the Michigan comps if we can't use a Buckeye (or two). I remember Watson very well (as does my brother's shoulder); he was an effective 1-tech in the first half of the aughts that scouts thought could be a better guard because he was too tall to get low, and some fans thought was a disappointment because he wasn't making plays all over the backfield. Even Magnus, however, agrees that Grant is more naturally athletic. Horn is a good comp, but if 20 years ago is too old for some of you, 30 years ago is probably stretching it.

Guru Reliability: Medium. They can't agree with each other, and seem to be mostly going off of "is huge, can move," which are good things, but comes with a hefty dose of "what do you expect?" Grant was so much larger than the Northern Indiana kids he was going against they can't have gotten a good read on him there. The camps he did were at schools where it was the recruiting folk from that school allowed in.

Variance: Mammoth. There aren't many like him. There are fewer who can manage to stay at playing weight when they no longer have a teenager's metabolism on their side. But if it works out, well, you just saw the dude Georgia had. Physics is part of football too.

Ceiling: Mammoth. You saw Jordan Davis of Georgia track down Blake Corum in the backfield.

General Excitement Level: High. Love the upside, fear the floor, median is Gabe Watson.

Projection: There's a misconception that being large and in the way is enough to be functional in the Big Ten. I think Grant is more of a break him down, build him up project. He could be useful in short yardage situations because Michigan doesn't really have a guy like him yet, but I don't think asking him to do more than Jordan Whittley's role last year is a good idea.

The whole freshman DTs always suck thing is real because there are so many minute details in defensive tackling that you have to commit to muscle memory. Like if you are tied up with a guard and feel someone push your side, you have to shuffle your feet sideways without losing base or coming up. Coaches yell "get skinny" at this, like that's all it takes to undo the years of evolution that have wired your brain to avoid back injuries from close contact with large herd prey.

Being huge helps there, because if your lizard brain makes you stand up and shy away from contact a tenth of a second too long, and you're 340 pounds, you probably haven't really budged.

If you do manage to get down all the DT things in a few years, being that huge AND extremely athletic is unfair. As they say, Michigan doesn't have anyone else like Grant on the roster. Picking up Cam Goode and returning Mazi Smith means they should be able to let Grant settle in rather than make his mistakes in front of everybody. I expect him to be the backup nose in 2023, however, and play 50-60% of snaps in 2024 and 2025. If he grows tusks and tramples everything in sight, it means we should definitely recruit another one.