Antonio Grier Jr. (born January 18, 2000) is an American professional football linebacker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the South Florida Bulls and Arkansas Razorbacks and was signed as an undrafted free agent by the Buccaneers in 2024.
| No. 48 – Tampa Bay Buccaneers | |
|---|---|
| Position: | Linebacker |
| Personal information | |
| Born: | January 18, 2000 Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. |
| Height: | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) |
| Weight: | 230 lb (104 kg) |
| Career information | |
| High school: | Benjamin Elijah Mays (Atlanta, Georgia) |
| College: | South Florida (2018–2022) Arkansas (2023) |
| Undrafted: | 2024 |
| Career history | |
| |
| Roster status: | Active |
| Career highlights and awards | |
| Stats at Pro Football Reference | |
Early life
editGrier was born on January 18, 2000, in Atlanta, Georgia.[1] He attended Benjamin Elijah Mays High School in Atlanta, playing three seasons of football team while recording 214 tackles, 19.0 tackles-for-loss (TFLs), six sacks, eight forced fumbles and three interceptions.[2] He was honorable mention All-Class 6A as a junior and was named the regional defensive player of the year as a senior.[2] He signed to play college football for the South Florida Bulls in 2018.[3]
College career
editAs a freshman at South Florida in 2018, Grier appeared in 12 games, posting eight tackles and a fumble recovery.[4] In 2019, he appeared in all 12 games, six as a starter, and made 58 tackles, 8.5 TFLs and 4.0 sacks.[4] The following year, he earned second-team All-American Athletic Conference (AAC) honors after posting 59 tackles, 5.5 TFLs and 3.0 sacks in eight games.[5] In 2021, he started 12 games and posted a team-leading 92 tackles with eight TFLs, three sacks and two interceptions, repeating as a second-team All-AAC selection.[6] Grier played in the first three games of the 2022 season, recording 21 tackles, before suffering a season-ending hand injury and choosing to redshirt.[7]
Grier opted to transfer following the 2022 season, signing to play with the Arkansas Razorbacks for his final year of college football.[8][9] On his first play with Arkansas, he intercepted a pass and returned it for a touchdown.[10][11] Playing as the third linebacker for Arkansas, he finished seventh on the team with 36 tackles in his lone year as a Razorback.[12][13] He declared for the 2024 NFL draft.[14]
Professional career
edit| Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand span | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 ft 11+7⁄8 in (1.83 m) |
230 lb (104 kg) |
30+1⁄2 in (0.77 m) |
9+3⁄4 in (0.25 m) |
4.64 s | 1.56 s | 2.62 s | 4.39 s | 7.44 s | 36.5 in (0.93 m) |
9 ft 10 in (3.00 m) |
22 reps | |
| All values from Pro Day[15] | ||||||||||||
After going unselected in the 2024 NFL draft, Grier signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent.[13] He was waived on August 27, 2024, and re-signed to the practice squad the following day.[16][17] He was signed to the active roster off the practice squad on October 1.[18] He was waived on November 22, and re-signed to the practice squad.[19] On December 7, Grier was promoted to the active roster.[20]
References
edit- ^ "Antonio Grier Stats". Pro-Football-Reference.com.
- ^ a b "Antonio Grier". Arkansas Razorbacks.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (January 7, 2023). "Grier makes final decision to be a Razorback". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ a b "Antonio Grier". South Florida Bulls.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (December 24, 2022). "Razorbacks sign South Florida LB". Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ Beede, Jason (December 12, 2022). "USF LB Antonio Grier announces decision to transfer to UCF". Orlando Sentinel.
- ^ McFerran, Riley (July 22, 2023). "Top 20 countdown: No. 13 - Antonio Grier". Rivals.com.
- ^ Bordelon, Scottie (April 6, 2023). "LB transfer Grier quickly gained respect of teammates". WholeHogSports.com.
- ^ Davenport, Richard (December 22, 2022). "Razorbacks sign transfer linebacker". Northwest Arkansas Democrat-Gazette.
- ^ Fuller, Jackson (September 12, 2023). "Antonio Grier recaps one-of-a-kind first snap for Arkansas football". Southwest Times Record.
- ^ Pattyson, Jason (September 14, 2023). "Antonio Grier Jr. fitting right in at Arkansas". KNWA-TV.
- ^ Wayne, E. (April 28, 2024). "Former Hogs linebacker Antonio Grier signs with Bucs". USA Today.
- ^ a b Knight, Joey (May 16, 2024). "Former USF star Antonio Grier makes solid first impression with Bucs". Tampa Bay Times.
- ^ Davis, Jacob (December 31, 2023). "Another One Leaving: Arkansas LB Enters NFL Draft". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ "2024 NFL Draft Scout Antonio Grier College Football Profile". DraftScout.com. Retrieved October 3, 2024.
- ^ Allen, JC (August 27, 2024). "Tampa Bay Buccaneers Finalize 53-Man Roster For 2024 Season". Sports Illustrated.
- ^ Smith, Scott (August 29, 2024). "WRs Miller, Shepard, Thompson All Return on Bucs' First Practice Squad of 2024". Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
- ^ "Buccaneers' Antonio Grier: Signed off practice squad". CBS Sports. RotoWire. October 1, 2024.
- ^ Comeaux, Jonathan. "Buccaneers Waive LB Antonio Grier". NFL Trade Rumors. Retrieved November 23, 2024.
- ^ Smith, Scott. "Bucs Promote LB Antonio Grier to Active Roster". buccaneers.com. Retrieved December 8, 2024.