How Ravenwood senior Reggie Grimes' recruitment journey ended at Oklahoma

BRENTWOOD — Reggie Grimes II picked up the phone and contacted an Oklahoma football coach.

He was interested in taking an official visit to Norman, Oklahoma.

"When you go back and look, Oklahoma is always there in the playoffs," Grimes said. "I figured, why not take a trip to Oklahoma?"

The rest is history.

Grimes visited Oklahoma on Oct. 19 with close friend Keshawn Lawrence of Ensworth.

Oklahoma recruited Grimes in the past but dropped off when the Sooners weren't among Grimes' top choices. Grimes' original top six featured Alabama, Florida State, LSU, South Carolina, Tennessee and Vanderbilt.

"I contacted them," Grimes said. "From the phone call, that was when they started back up again."

Lawrence went on to sign with Tennessee. But Grimes fell in love with Oklahoma and committed to the school on Thanksgiving Day. He'll sign with the Sooners on Wednesday on the first day of the regular signing period.

Grimes said he fit in with the Sooners' environment, and coach Lincoln Riley dispelled any rumors of him potentially going to the NFL.

"They know how to work," Grimes said. "Everything is earned. You earn playing time.

"That's what I've been taught since I started playing football."

Grimes, a 6-foot-4½, 220-pound defensive end, had 51 total tackles with 19 for loss in 2019. He had 11 sacks, an interception, a fumble recovery and two defensive touchdowns. Grimes also had 43 carries for 205 yards and four touchdowns.

He is the No. 5 college football prospect in the state, according to the most recent 247Sports Composite rankings. He is the No. 8 weak-side defensive end and No. 123 overall prospect in the country. He is also the state's top unsigned recruit. 

Grimes was No. 1 on The Tennessean's Dandy Dozen, a collection of the top college football prospects in the Nashville area.

'Roller coaster of emotions'

Grimes spent his first three years of high school at Mt. Juliet, starting his sophomore and junior seasons with the Bears, who went undefeated in the regular season both years.

Things changed this past season. Grimes' dad, Reggie Grimes, received his teaching certification after previously being a classified employee at Mt Juliet. He was offered a teaching position at Ravenwood and a role on the football coaching staff as the defensive coordinator.

He had previously been an assistant at Mt. Juliet.

However, the Tennessee high school athletic association ruled the younger Grimes and his sister ineligible. TSSAA bylaws state to be eligible when a parent takes a teaching job at another school, the student must have been attending school where the student's parent works as a full-time certified teacher and that parent takes a full-time job as a certified teacher at a different school.

"It was a roller coaster of emotions," the Ravenwood senior said. "Finding out the news that we were leaving, it was what it was. I took it in stride.

"Then we get over here and we're here for a week or two. That's when news broke I was ineligible. I was confused as to why we were ineligible."

The school appealed the decision, and it was granted a week before the regular season.

"He's a really mature kid," Ravenwood coach Matt Daniels said. "Nothing seemed too big or stressful for him. He's an even keel kid. He doesn't get too emotionally high or low.

"I've been super proud of how he has handled everything."

How South Carolina went from favorite to out

South Carolina was the first school to make an offer to Grimes. It came during the summer before his sophomore season.

The Gamecocks recruited him harder than any other school. They got to know Grimes as well as his family and coaches.

"We talked all the time," Grimes said. "They knew everybody. The met my mom, dad and sisters multiple times. They knew me really well."

South Carolina coaches tried to get Grimes on campus in January after he chose not to sign with Oklahoma during the early signing period.

But Grimes politely declined. He had removed South Carolina out of his list of schools because of the pressure surrounding coach Will Muschamp.

"There was nothing I could do," Grimes said. "I told them that and they respected that."

Grimes said comments made by South Carolina president Robert Caslen about Muschamp led him to take the school off his list.

"If your president is talking like that, you're probably not going to be there much longer," Grimes said, referring to Caslen's comments about Muschamp in November. 

Caslen said, "Coach Muschamp is my coach. That's the message. He will be my coach through the end of the season. And then, just like any other coach that's out there, whether it's a soccer coach, whether it's the equestrian coach, whatever, they're going to do an end-of-year assessment, the athletic director does. Then, we'll see what’s up.”

Muschamp ultimately was retained. 

Reach Tom Kreager at 615-259-8089 or tkreager@tennessean.com and on Twitter @Kreager.