North Carolina added its second five-star engagement to the recruiting class of 2021 on Tuesday when cornerback Tony Grimes announced his engagement to the Tar Heels.
Grimes is the No. 6 overall prospect and chose North Carolina over Georgia, Ohio State, and Texas A&M. He now joins five-star defensive end Keeshawn Silver as the top two class commitments for the Tar Heels.
“North Carolina went big,” said Grimes. “When I say big, they came out big. I love the entire coaching staff, but I definitely love the coach. [Mack] Brown, coach [Jay] Bateman and Coach Dre [Bly]. I feel like Coach Bateman is going to put me on the plan, to put me in the right position to be great. “
The 6-foot, 180-pound corner of Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Virginia is the top-ranked corner of the class. Her recruitment was back and forth throughout the entire process.
Grimes said Texas A&M was initially their leader, but a change in the defensive coaching staff delayed the Aggies until TJ Rushing was hired as a defensive defense coach. Ohio State then jumped to the front, but Grimes said he was hearing only from defensive coordinator Kerry Coombs, rather than all defensive personnel.
He preferred to build a relationship with all the coaches at each school, rather than just one, so the Buckeyes were left behind after he didn’t get that experience.
“Then UNC sneaked in and they kept the lead,” Grimes said. “But then I went and visited Georgia and it was amazing, so Georgia stepped in. I was changing, but then I started to think more about it, I thought it might be great at UNC, and it was just three hours away, so I could come back with my family “.
The Tar Heels had a lot of what Grimes was looking for, but the coaches also spent a lot of time building a relationship with the five-star recruit. He had a chance to speak to most of the defensive coaches and felt a special connection to Brown, Bateman and Bly.
“Coach Mack Brown is going to love me; he is going to train me hard, but he is going to love me more,” Grimes said. “Coach Dre, that’s my friend and I know my family and I can trust those three like any other coaching staff. We don’t dump salt on any other coaching staff, but we have more trust and loyalty in them than we saw in any other. Program “.
Outside of his coaching relationship, Grimes said the Tar Heels together last season were also a major factor in his decision. The fact that the staff could take the same list, add some of their own recruiting pieces, and make it a winning show was impressive to Grimes and his family.
It gave him the confidence he needed to choose North Carolina, and it’s now the third five-star engagement for Brown and his staff in the past two recruiting classes, joining Silver and defensive end Desmond Evans of the 2020 class.
Before the engagement, North Carolina ranked No. 4 overall in recruitment behind only Ohio State, Tennessee, and Clemson. With Grimes on board, the Tar Heels now have 12 ESPN 300 engagements, which is the most North Carolina has had in a class since ESPN began its rankings in 2009.
The staff added a great piece to their 2021 recruitment cycle, but there’s still a chance that they may add Grimes to the list sooner rather than later. She plans to enroll in early January, but is still monitoring whether her high school team will cancel her season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
If the season is canceled, there is a chance that Grimes will reclassify to the 2020 class and join North Carolina earlier.
“If we don’t have a soccer season in high school, right now, I’m going to enroll in North Carolina in August,” Grimes said. “They’re talking about delaying our season to spring and I’m going to go early anyway, so my father and I decided I’d go in August if that happens. I just need to take a class and I’ll be able to do it.”
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