The Football Brainiacs

Player Profile

Position: Defensive Lineman

Height: 6’4″

Weight: 274

Class: Senior

Seasons at OU: 3

Hometown: Antioch, TN

Previous School: Ravenwood HS

The Path to Norman

Reggie Grimes, whose father is a former Alabama defensive lineman, played high school ball in Tennessee. He began receiving major offers from big programs, but didn’t have much interaction with OU until later in the process. He visited Norman in October, 2019, after which TFB’s Super K went to see him. K came away impressed:

Grinch on a mission to add more speed to his Speed D…#Sooners hosted Ravenwood HS (TN) 4-star DE, Reggie Grimes, this past weekend.

6’4 240 lbs
SPARQ verified 40 = 4.58
SPARQ verified shuttle = 4.25@iamreggiegrimes sees opportunity to help #OU continue to rebuild their D. pic.twitter.com/v8DR3SscMT

— Super K (@SuperK_TFB) October 22, 2019

Not long after that visit, the Sooners got a Thanksgiving day Boom.

@Hayesfawcett3 @CoachThibbs pic.twitter.com/64I20RQQ14

— Reggie Grimes II (@iamreggiegrimes) November 28, 2019

Career so Far

Grimes started playing right away his freshman season. Without a normal offseason, he didn’t have much time to prepare; he still played in eight games on the season, looking good in the snaps he received.

In 2021, Grimes became a much larger piece of the defense. He played in every game, earning five starts and often seeing snaps at key moments. Grimes’ athletic ability was evident for all to see on a defensive front that included several NFL draft picks. The defensive end also earned Academic All-Big 12 Second Team honors for the season.

Grimes’ junior season started out extremely hot. He was a menace in non-conference games, frequently getting into the backfield and generating pressure. However, he was a quieter presence as the season progressed and his snap count decreased.

Stats

Years: 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | Career

Games Played: 13 | 13 | 8 | 34

Tackles: 18 | 18 | 5 | 41

TFL: 7.5 | 2.5 | 1 | 11

Sacks: 4.5 | 2 | 1 | 7.5

FF: 3 | 0 | 0 | 3

PBU: 1 | 0 | 0 | 1

Stats via Soonersports.com

This Season

The Edge room saw some changes this offseason; transfers Rondell Bothroyd and Trace Ford joined, along with freshman P.J. Adebawore. Bothroyd seems sure to start, with several others battling for the other spot. In his fourth year on campus, Grimes will have a lot of competition this fall.