Last week, SEC Network analyst Cole Cubelic, well known for his highly entertaining sideline reporting during the SEC Football slate, is apparently a big fan of one Texas A&M transfer portal addition, former North Carolina shutdown cornerback Tony Grimes, who after three seasons in Chapel Hill is back with the program that recruited him the hardest out of Virginia Beach (VA).
With ten transfer portal additions, Grimes announced his intentions to finish his collegiate career with the Aggies back in late December, and due to his vast experience in the always high-scoring ACC, he’s a shoo-in to compete for the starting cornerback position opposite junior corner Tyreek Chappell.
While discussing which teams made the best additions through the portal during a recent episode of the Cube Show, Cubelic’ made it clear: Grimes is slated to become “that dude” for the Maroon and White in 2023, recording a PFF coverage grade of 66.3 in 2022.
“Texas A&M, another one that’s pretty easy. We don’t need to spend a ton of time on it because there’s not a ton of dudes going in. I’ll go Tony Grimes, cornerback out of UNC,” Cubelic stated. “Outside of one safety spot, I don’t feel super comfortable with the A&M secondary. So you go get someone with experience, understanding of playing big-time college football, should be able to come in, lock down a spot and be a good player for that A&M defense.”
Grimes joins former Florida State defensive back Sam McCall and former Boston College cornerback Josh DeBerry in what will be a revamped secondary from a depth perspective, as the departures of Antonio Johnson and Jaylon Jones to the NFL present a challenge. Still, I’d be a fool, not to mention sophomore hybrid defensive back Bryce Anderson, who is undoubtedly poised to pick up where he left off after a very successful and highlight-worthy 2022 performance.
Nevertheless, Tony Grimes’ speed, length, and football intelligence led to 97 tackles, 74 solo tackles, 19 pass deflections, and one interception in three seasons with the Tarheels, including 36 tackles and seven pass deflections during the 2022 season.
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