The future stars of Ohio State football officially begin their college careers, as standouts from all over the country put pens to their National Letters of Intent.
With a wide smile, bright white teeth and his tongue stuck in his cheek, Trevon Grimes reiterated once again his feelings towards Ohio State, head coach Urban Meyer and wide receivers coach Zach Smith.
“They're my leader. They've been my leader since I was a freshman,” Grimes said at Friday Night Lights last summer. “Just gotta get out here and experience it, talk with Coach Urban, Coach Smith. I really feel loved here and I like it a lot.”
That statement from the five-star wide receiver came on July 22, essentially a month before Grimes's scheduled commitment date of Aug. 24. As it turns out, the impact player couldn't even wait that long to pledge to the Buckeyes. He committed to Ohio State on Aug. 22.
At the time of his commitment, Grimes was one of six five-star prospects in Ohio State's 2017 recruiting class. The announcement put a bow on a recruitment during which the Buckeyes led essentially the whole way. With the departures of a bevy of playmakers after the 2015 season and more on tap this winter, Meyer, Smith and Co. made Grimes a priority extremely early.
The Grimes File
- Class: 2017
- Size: 6-foot-3, 202 pounds
- Pos: WR
- School: St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Florida)
- Composite Rating: ★★★★
- Composite Rank: 5 (WR)
With nearly 30 scholarship offers at his disposal, Grimes was a clear target for essentially every program. Ohio State reached out early, as he said, and the Buckeyes continued to make their presence known on the fertile recruiting ground that is South Florida. Grimes is from the same high school as Nick and Joey Bosa, a family he grew close with after receiving an offer from the Buckeyes on July 26, 2014, onw day after Friday Night Lights that year.
It didn't take long for Grimes, then just a sophomore, to set Ohio State as the leader in his recruitment.
“The best part of the camp was getting to shake hands with Urban Meyer's wife, Shelley," Grimes said after that version of Friday Night Lights. “Meeting her was a blessing and not everyone got that chance. Coach Meyer called me out of a drill, brought me over to her, and introduced us.”
Grimes also took advantage of his high school's exposure and the fact St. Thomas Aquinas is known for exporting talent to the Division I level. He grew closer with the Bosa family in particular, as Nick was obviously a major target for the Buckeyes in the 2015 cycle.
The two showed up at Ohio State's satellite camp at Florida Atlantic in June 2015. Together, they proudly showed who led in their recruitment.
5-stars Trevon Grimes & Nick Bosa throwing up that "O" @ The #OhioState satellite camp. http://t.co/qXSKPZCXRs pic.twitter.com/aOghN2FI4B
— Ryan Bartow (@RyanBartow) June 17, 2015
Smith and Meyer continued to full-court press Grimes that day (and from then on) and Grimes hardly did much to hide his intentions to eventually sign with Ohio State.
Urban Meyer working with stud 2017 WR Trevon Grimes pic.twitter.com/qrftpFnxyD
— Josh Newberg (@joshnewberg247) June 17, 2015
What Grimes brings to the table is a brilliant frame, excellent speed and explosion at a game-breaking position. Because of that, the Buckeyes kept jetting down to Fort Lauderdale to check in with the St. Thomas Aquinas star as often as they could. Whether it was Chris Ash, Luke Fickell, Meyer or Smith, Ohio State's coaching staff made it a point to stop in and see Grimes more than a handful of times during the 2015 calendar.
Grimes received plenty of attention from other top schools too, picking up offers from Oklahoma, Michigan, Michigan State, Clemson, Miami, Florida and Florida State plus much more that year. But Ohio State always stood out because of its early contact and its willingness to sift through the process with the high-profile talent, one step at a time.
So much so that Grimes's father, LeBron told Eleven Warriors last summer that Ohio State had been "exceptionally patient" with his son during the process. The laid-back approach that focused on family and life outside of football is what set Meyer's program apart to all parties involved.
“One thing that I'm big on is feeling like I'm at home,” the younger Grimes said. “At Ohio State, I feel like I'm at home. It would take a lot for another school to jump past that, but as of now, Ohio State is my leader and I'm sticking with that.”
Grimes listed the Buckeyes among his top six schools on June 6 and kept them there eight days later when he announced his commitment date. He told his high school coaches where he planned to attend college on Aug. 19, then announced alongside former commit Tyjon Lindsey a few days later that he planned to attend Ohio State. The Bleacher Report video popped even before Grimes' senior year at St. Thomas Aquinas began.
“It's a relief,” Grimes said. “Just going into my senior season knowing that I don't have to worry about recruitment anymore.”
Grimes did decide to take visits to the other schools in his top six before it was all said and done in order to cover all the bases. The programs that made the cut: Alabama, Georgia, Florida State, Florida and Miami. But even after the late trips, it was Ohio State for Grimes. It was always Ohio State for Grimes.
Grimes rose to as high as No. 1 in the 2017 wide receiver rankings but ultimately finished as a four-star prospect and fifth-best at his position according to the 247Sports composite listing. That is mostly due to the torn ACL he suffered in an eventual loss to Tate Martell and Las Vegas Bishop Gorman in late September.
The injury obviously knocked him out the remainder of his senior season but the Buckeyes stuck with him as their top target at wide receiver. Grimes is long removed from surgery and took to Twitter last week to provide an update on his rehabilitation process.
Week 14
— GrimeTime (@TrevonGrimes7) January 25, 2017
*Weighted Lunges / Walking Lunges
* Squatting 100+ Lbs
*jogging Next week https://t.co/Gr0Vg2gFa4
Grimes has physically looked like a top-flight college football wide receiver for the better part of two years. At 6-foot-3 and 202 pounds, with great hands and the ability to rise above defenders to make plays, on paper he looks exactly like the guy the Buckeyes desperately missed in their passing game last season.
How his knee injury affects his playing time this fall remains to be seen. But it is clear Grimes is well on his way to getting back to his old self. That likely includes a certain swagger in his game that all big-time wide receivers are not afraid of displaying. To illustrate that, here is a video of Grimes speaking with reporters after he led St. Thomas to a win in August.
When you try to talk trash to @TrevonGrimes7. pic.twitter.com/segoYh6A70
— Sentinel HS Sports (@SSHighSchools) August 19, 2016
