Antonio Grier excited to play on the big stage: UCF is everything I wanted
One of the best linebackers in the American Athletic Conference is transferring to UCF.
Antonio Grier, an All-AAC player at the University of South Florida, announced his commitment on Monday following his weekend visit.
It's a huge pickup for the Knights, who are looking to add experienced players from the portal as they make their transition into the Big 12 next season.
"I'm excited because it's a new journey in my life," Grier told UCFSports.com. "I've got a great opportunity to showcase my talent on the bigger stage with great people."
Grier, who is from Atlanta, said he's been high on UCF ever since defensive coordinator Travis Williams reached out.
"T-Will gave me that call and it's just been the greatest since that conversation," Grier said. "He's got so much energy. He had told me he talked to (South Florida linebackers coach Ernie Sims) so he already knew a little bit about me. He said he was going to come visit me and after that it was history."
Grier said he had the "time of his life" on his official visit.
"When I first pulled in, the coaches greeted me with open arms," Grier said. "Every single coach was at the door greeting me... I really felt the energy. There are a lot of things I liked within the program. I felt they showed me everything: The good, the bad and the ugly. They didn't hide anything. Nothing was a secret. Coach T-Will invited me to his place and I went to Coach Gus Malzahn's place as well. It was all loving. My family loved it and I loved it."
He really appreciated being able to connect on a personal level with T-Will.
"It was more T-Will trying to get to know me more than me getting to know him," Grier said. "He was asking a lot of questions. He wanted to know me and my family. He's going to tell you how it is and be real with you. I don't want somebody to lie or give me half-truths. I need somebody to tell me the full truth. T-Will is a man of his word.
"Being around his family, his wife and kids, not a lot of guys will invite you into their home. I was so appreciative of that. T-Will is just different. A great person."
Grier learned about T-Will's background, from his playing days at Auburn, stint in the NFL and his coaching career. He even heard about T-Will from his former players.
"Nobody mentioned anything about football or him calling plays, none of that stuff," Grier said. "They talked about how good of a person he was. As a player in the portal, I think that's what you should look for."
He heard from former Auburn linebacker K.J. Britt who spoke about his close relationship with T-Will.
"(T-Will was with him) the day he got the call from Tampa Bay, through the process of getting drafted," Grier said. "That gave me the chills because I'm gonna be in those shoes."
Linebacker is a major need for UCF. Depth was already thin and starter Jeremiah Jean-Baptiste went into the transfer portal.
"T-Will told me he knows I have one year left and knows where I'm trying to go," Grier said. "He said I've got the talent and tools to get there. He said, 'Man, I'm gonna be straight up with you. I'll tell you a joke, but I'll never tell you a lie. I know what you're looking for. You're looking for a place to come in and play. We've got that for you. You're looking to go to that next level. We've got that opportunity for you.'
"He told me the linebacker room was pretty much open. They need a leader. A leader for the defense. I'm not saying they don't have leaders, I saw a lot of great leadership watching them this last game vs. USF, but he told me the opportunity is there for me to seize and take advantage of it."
His player host was Kervins Choute and he also spent a lot time with Josh Celiscar. They all belong to the same fraternity - Omega Psi Phi.
Before he officially locked it in, Grier had a pretty good idea what the decision would be. He started to become a recruiter himself.
"I told the recruits, 'Bro, I'm seeing everything I want to see. I went in with a checklist. I feel like I don't have to take another visit or see any other schools. No more home visits. This is where I want to be. I started encouraging other recruits who were there to come play with me. We need some DBs, so I told them to come on."
Grier explained how the actual commitment went down.
"UCF was everything I wanted," Grier said. "Everything I asked God for. I didn't know how I was going to do it. Before I left the hotel, I talked to my family and prayed on it. I woke up this morning with a big smile on my face. I couldn't sleep last night. I couldn't wait to tell the news to the world.
"So we woke up and went to breakfast. We went to a place called Omelet Bar, not far from campus. It was amazing. We got our food and I wanted to bless the meal. We started praying. I said, 'God, protect me through the recruiting process. Continue to guide me. Let these coaches know this is where I want to be. Amen.'
"After that, it was all cheers. My mom started crying. The table next to us started cheering. Oh, he committed! The whole restaurant started clapping. The waitress, everybody. You can tell the fanbase is crazy. It's amazing. Everybody in the restaurant congratulated me. I said thank you, I can't wait until I get on campus. The coaches said it was pretty smooth because they've never had a commitment through prayer."
Grier, who was also considering USC, Cal and Mississippi State, says UCF going into the Big 12 was a big plus for him.
"100 percent," he said. "Before I went into the transfer portal, I asked God for a bigger opportunity and a bigger platform to showcase my talents."
The War on I-4 has been a heated rivalry. Even though he may be "switching sides" so speak, Grier said his teammates are happy for him.
"My guys called and congratulated me," he said. "My biggest thing is thank God we don't have to play USF anymore. This year or anymore, period. That was another big thing for me. My heart is with USF. I've got my undergraduate and I'm working on my master's (from USF). "
Volunteering and mentoring within the community is something that's very important to him. At USF, Grier was a lead mentor for the Hillsborough County Juvenile Detention Center, volunteered with the Boys and Girls Club of Tampa Bay and Just Gents Mentorship Program along with several other organizations.
During our interview, Grier was wearing a t-shirt for "The Verb Kind," which is a program that mentors incarcerated youth. He's been active in their Tampa chapter and is excited they have an Orlando branch as well.
"We try to give hope to kids who have made mistakes," Grier said. "They're kids. A lot of people may judge those kids, but they may come from backgrounds with no mom, no dad, no guidance. All they need is somebody to talk to, be there for them, listen to them and guide them. We all need mentors in life.
"In 2022, my word of the year was purpose. I wanted to figure out my purpose in life. My purpose in serving my community. My purpose in being on a football team. My purpose in building connections with people. My purpose within everything I did. I feel like God's calling for my life is to give back for the kids. That's the most important thing in this world, the kids."
Reaching the NFL will be his first career goal. Beyond that, he wants to be active in business. He's currently working towards his Master of Science in Entrepreneurship in Applied Technologies and plans to eventually start his own non-profit.
His goals for his final year at UCF extend beyond the football field.
"I've got connections in Tampa," Grier said. "I want to build as many connections as I can. I want to impact as many lives as I can. Of course with football, I want to be All-Conference and all that, but in the grand scheme and bigger picture I want to build as many connections as I can. I want to leave a legacy."
Grier has been a starter at USF since his sophomore year in 2019. In 2020, he was named to the All-AAC Second Team while leading the Bulls with 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles. In 2021, he was again named All-AAC with a team-leading 92 tackles, 8.0 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, two interceptions and two forced fumbles.
"I'm gonna leave my heart out there every time, win, lose or draw," Grier said. "I don't care about the score. If we're winning by 60 points or losing by 60 points, I'm playing the same. I told the coaches that and all the players I met. I said, I'm gonna give y'all boys all I got. That's all I know. I'm not 'one foot in, one foot out.' I'll give everything that I got.
"Knight Nation, listen to me. I'm going to give you everything I've got. I've got one more year to showcase my talents to get to the next level. Come out and support us. I want to see the Bounce House with my UCF Knights jersey on. I want to see all the love and feel it all. I'm gonna give you my all. Empty the tank. Every down, every play. On third down, I need to hear it from y'all. I'm going to leave it out there for my teammates, coaches, fans and my community."
