One of the main defensive storylines coming into the 2014 was how Ohio State was going to produce the industrious Ryan Shazier, who left Ohio State early to capitalize on his prodigious footballing talents.
The country, including most Ohio State fans, were still unfamiliar with names like Darron Lee and Josh Perry. Curtis Grant, a former five-star recruit, was expected to be in a dog-fight to hold off another five-star recruit, Georgian Raekwon McMillan.
And while McMillan logged his minutes, linebackers coach/co-defensive coordinator Luke Fickell maintained his group would play its best with senior leadership. Obviously, he was talking about Curtis Grant.
Grant, for his part, rewarded Fickell's faith in him down the stretch. After averaging 4.07 tackles for the first 13 games of the season, Grant dropped 10 tackles against Alabama and six against Oregon in two sterling efforts.
Today, Luke Fickell, who hadn't tweeted since Sept. 29, 2014, took to Twitter to single out Grant for what he brought to the meeting room:
LBU-- what a great group!! Thanks to Curtis Grant for getting this group back to where it belongs!! pic.twitter.com/Jjg4W1kZ8q
— Luke Fickell (@CoachFick) January 26, 2015
And while fans (this one included) will always pine for the next talented pup to get his minutes, I think the results show Luke Fickell to be right; the value of senior leadership within a group can't be overstated.
Cheers to Curtis Grant, a guy who went from 6-7 to national champion, for weathering the storm. It's a lesson in perseverance for us all.
