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November 22, 2009

Grimm reaps praise at Virginia Tech

By LARRY EDENS

BLACKSBURG, Va. — It is safe to assume that most people who know longtime Virginia Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster believe he has his feet planted firmly on the ground, except of course when he is wakesurfing, a water sport in which a surfer gets up on a boat’s wake and rides its face much like an ocean surfer “hanging ten.”

It is also safe to assume that, based on what he said about redshirt senior linebacker Cody Grimm on Saturday, his feet will soon be off the ground again.

“I’ll stand on a table for him being Defensive Player of the Year in the league, and why not?” said Foster. “The guy has just had a phenomenal year and is there anyone else in the league that has done the things that he has done?”

Judging by Grimm’s play against North Carolina State and before, the answer to Foster’s question could arguably be no.

In four plays and four minutes against the Wolfpack, Grimm forced three fumbles to tie an NCAA FBS record for forced fumbles in a game. On the day, he had eight tackles, two sacks, two tackles-for-loss, a quarterback hit, and one fumble recovery.

This year, Grimm leads the Hokies with 93 tackles and the ACC with seven forced fumbles. Last season, Grimm finished third on the team with 71 tackles despite starting only one game.

Those are impressive accomplishments from the Fairfax, Va., native who was recommended to Foster by his Oakton High School coach Joe Thompson, but came to Virginia Tech as an undersized walk-on.

“We looked at him. The way walk-ons are now with Title IX and our numbers, when you invite a kid as a recruited walk-on, you’re bringing a guy in that you feel like has a chance to help you down the road,” Foster said.

“Not all of them develop that way, but Cody did and we’re happy for him and us after all is said and done.”

Grimm comes from good football stock. His father, Russ, played with the Washington Redskins from 1981-1991 and won three Super Bowl titles (1982, 1987, and 1992).

The four-time Pro-bowler and original member of “The Hogs” is currently in his third season as the Arizona Cardinals assistant head coach and offensive line coach.

His brother, Chad, whom Foster labeled “a heck of a football player,” played for the Hokies from 2003-2006 as a reserve linebacker and special teams player. He was hired in March to be the Arizona Cardinals offensive quality control coach.

Grimm, who had earned ACC Defensive Back of the Week honors twice this year entering the N.C. State game, wasn’t too surprised by his final-season success at Virginia Tech.

“When I got in last year, I played pretty well, so I figured I would be able to play well this year,” said Grimm, who was second on the team in special teams tackles with 16 after ten games. “I have more tackles than I anticipated, but I think I’ve had a pretty solid year. I just go out and do my job and let stuff come to me.”

Virginia Tech has a history of developing walk-ons into solid, contributing football players.

The first of such to come to Foster’s mind was John Engleberger, whom he recruited and who was instrumental in helping Virginia Tech play for the national championship in 1999. He played nine seasons in the NFL (San Francisco 49ers, Denver Broncos) and had 20.5 career sacks.

Grimm has the potential to be just as memorable a walk-on as Engleberger is.

Foster said, “Cody is one of those guys that have that ‘It’ factor. Whatever that ‘It’ factor is, he’s got it. He makes plays, he’s around the ball, and he’s faster and more athletic than you give him credit for. He’s just a great football player.”

That’s an assessment Foster can “table” for later.

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