Oklahoma's Reggie Grimes Stepping Into Leadership Role With Starting Spot

Reggie Grimes has mentioned multiple times that he originally wanted to play for Clemson during his recruitment. 

Now, heading into his junior season, Grimes has found his home in Norman and is being coached by the bulk of the Tigers’ defensive coaching staff.

Grimes was drawn to the idea of playing for the then-Clemson defensive coordinator and defensive line coach. The pairing was widely regarded as one of the best defensive duos in college football. Ultimately, it all worked out in his favor, as he’s now learning from both.

“Coach Venables is the kind of guy that you would love to play for," Grimes said. "It’s a privilege to play for someone who’s been held in such a high regard defensively. The fact that he’s now my head coach, I love it. He’s a defensive minded guy, he knows everything that goes on on the defense.”

The 6-foot-4, 270-pound defensive end is a prototypical next level defensive linemen that Todd Bates and Brent Venables have become known for. He has all the physical and athletic tools with a chance to put it together on the field soon.

The coaching staff has been complimentary of Grimes’ offseason progression. His work in the weight room and on the field was on display Monday when the first official depth chart was released. Grimes was listed as a starter defensive end alongside sophomore Ethan Downs.

Despite his youth, Grimes is ready to take the next step as a leader for the Oklahoma defense. 

“Definitely a lot of changes,” Grimes said. “I went from being one of the youngest guys to one of the oldest like that. It’s now more of a leadership role, and with leadership comes confidence. You have to be decisive as a leader in order to lead the younger guys.”

The Antioch, TN, product has shown flashes of greatness in limited field time up to this point. Last season, Grimes had a productive sophomore campaign, registering 18 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss and two quarterback sacks.

While Oklahoma is sure to use a rotation, Grimes was named the starter over other talented, experienced members on the defensive line. He was able to separate himself from the rest of unit because of dedication in the spring and summer.

The Sooners have had a good number of recent defensive linemen graduate to the NFL, with Nik Bonitto being the latest rusher off the edge. Grimes and Bonitto are different players on the field, but the impact level could potentially be the same. If Grimes can have major production on the field in 2022, he seems in line to be one of Oklahoma’s next defensive ends selected in the NFL Draft.

“As far as people seeing me as ‘the next’ defense end, I relish it and I can’t wait,” Grimes said. “It’s an opportunity that I’m blessed to have. It’s an honor and a privilege to be an Oklahoma Sooner.”

The players and coaches are expecting big things out of the new-look defense, and will have a chance to showcase it soon. Grimes and the Sooners will take the field for the first game of the Venables era on Saturday against UTEP.

Want to join the discussion? Click here to become a member of the AllSooners message board community today!

Sign up for your premium membership to AllSooners.com today, and get access to the entire Fan Nation premium network!

Follow AllSooners on Twitter to stay up to date on all the latest OU news.