Tech’s Grimm a walk-on turned star

BLACKSBURG — Cody Grimm never intended to become the face of the 2009 Virginia Tech football team. He just wanted some free food.

The Hokies senior linebacker showed up for the first Tuesday press conference this fall intending to eat some pizza and answer a few questions from reporters. He returned almost every week after that to fill both his belly and notebooks.

“I’ve only got one class, so I’m just hanging out. I figured I might as well come over here and get some free lunch,” Grimm said.

All that media exposure has turned him into one of the most identifiable players on the team, which is odd, because at 5-foot-11 and 210 pounds, he doesn’t pass as your typical major college linebacker.

But what Grimm lacks in size, he makes up for with his outstanding play.

The player who walked on at Virginia Tech after receiving only one Division I offer, from William & Mary, not only earned a scholarship after his sophomore season; he became a regular starter and is playing like one of the best defensive players in the ACC.

“The guy has had a phenomenal year. I’ll stand on the table for him being the defensive player of the year (in the ACC),” Tech defensive coordinator Bud Foster said after Saturday’s game against N.C. State, during which Grimm recorded eight tackles, two sacks and an NCAA FBS record-tying three forced fumbles. “Why not? Has there been anybody who’s done the things he’s done?”

Not likely. How many walk-ons earn scholarships or win starting jobs, let alone lead his team in tackles?

That’s been the story of Grimm’s life. He could write the book about beating the odds.

“I saw myself maybe playing special teams, just getting to dress and hang around the guys, but I never really expected this. It’s pretty cool,” said Grimm, who is third in the ACC with 93 tackles and leads the nation with an ACC-record seven forced fumbles.

A lot of colleges saw potential in Grimm coming out of Oakton High School in Fairfax, but the major schools — Virginia, Pittsburgh, Virginia Tech — wanted him to walk on.

Tech coach Frank Beamer was very high on him, but he wasn’t sure the Hokies would be able to lure him away from Pitt, which is where Grimm’s father, former Washington Redskins offensive lineman Russ Grimm, went to school.

“We fought hard to get him as a walk-on because we thought he was a good player,” Beamer said. “But as we found out, he’s a terrific player.”

Grimm, whose older brother Chad also played football at Tech, was a special teams starter as a freshman and saw a few defensive snaps as a sophomore. His career really took off last season when he was pressed into the starting whip linebacker spot as an injury fill-in and racked up 71 tackles, 14 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks.

And for those who thought he reached his ceiling in 2008, Grimm has put up even gaudier numbers this year.

“He never takes a false first step. He’s always headed in the right direction,” N.C. State coach Tom O’Brien said. “He’s got great instincts, and he’s a great tackler.”

Looking back on it now, Beamer pulled off the coup of the century when he got Grimm to come to Blacksburg.

“You’re talking about a fantastic player who means a tremendous lot to your football team that you got to come here as a walk-on,” Beamer said.

“We were the ones who were lucky there, I can tell you, because he’s a real ball player, a real football player.”

Grimm’s story is much like that of another famous Tech walk-on — defensive end John Engelberger — who went on to do great things.

Engelberger helped the Hokies get to the national championship game in 1999 and went on to play nine seasons in the NFL.

Grimm could have a professional future, too. He has plenty of contacts. His father was a member of the Skins’ famed “Hogs” offensive line in the 1980s, and is currently an assistant coach for the Arizona Cardinals.

The NFL could certainly use gritty players like Grimm who sacrifice life and limb to make plays.

“He’s just a very unique football player. You look at him, you wouldn’t assume he’s a big time football player, but he plays big,” Foster said.

Grimm is small, but his ego is smaller. The player who ESPN analyst Chris Fowler called “a baby-faced baller” has a self-deprecating sense of humor that often comes out during his visits with the media.

He was asked Tuesday if it felt good to play so well when so many people thought he wasn’t worthy of a scholarship out of high school. In typical Grimm fashion, he answered, “I’m not bitter against no one offering me. I probably wouldn’t offer myself, either.”

Beamer is certainly glad he offered Grimm a scholarship when he did. It might have been late, but every Tech player and coach would agree he’s been worth every bit of it.

“That scholarship,” Beamer said, “has paid off very, very well for us.”