Todd Grantham
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Jeffrey Todd Grantham (born September 13, 1966) is an
American football American football, referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada and also known as gridiron football, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular American football field, field with goalposts at e ...
coach who is the defensive coordinator for
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
. He has previously served as
defensive coordinator A defensive coordinator (DC) is a coach responsible for a gridiron football team's defense. Generally, the defensive coordinator, offensive coordinator and special teams coordinator represent the second level of a team's coaching structure, wit ...
at the
University of Florida The University of Florida (Florida or UF) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Gainesville, Florida, United States. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida and a preem ...
.


Early life and education

Grantham was born in
Pulaski, Virginia Pulaski is a town in Pulaski County, Virginia, United States. The population was 9,086 at the 2010 census. It is the county seat of Pulaski County. Pulaski is part of the Blacksburg-Christiansburg metropolitan area. History Pulaski was incorpora ...
, and attended nearby
Virginia Tech The Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, commonly referred to as Virginia Tech (VT), is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia, United States ...
from 1984 to 1988. He played for
Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is an American former college football player and coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies football, Virginia Tech Hokies. Beamer was a cornerback, defensive cornerback for Virginia Tec ...
in Beamer's first season as head coach. He graduated from Virginia Tech in 1988 with a
Bachelor of Arts A Bachelor of Arts (abbreviated B.A., BA, A.B. or AB; from the Latin ', ', or ') is the holder of a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate program in the liberal arts, or, in some cases, other disciplines. A Bachelor of Arts deg ...
in Sports Management. Grantham earned Second Team All-South Independent, All-American honors his senior year at tackle.


Coaching career


Virginia Tech

From 1990 to 1995 Grantham worked as a coach at his alma mater.


Michigan State

Grantham worked as the defensive line coach for Michigan State in 1996 and 1997.


Indianapolis Colts

After being promoted to assistant head coach at Michigan State, Grantham was hired by Jim Mora in 1998 to coach the defensive line. His D-Line was one of the catalysts of the biggest turnaround in league history (3–13 to 13–3), ultimately helping the Colts defense compile 56 sacks in two years, which was a club record since moving to Indianapolis. During his tenure in Indianapolis, the Colts had a 29–19 record.


Houston Texans

After Mora was relieved of his duties in Indianapolis, Grantham moved on to the newly formed
Houston Texans The Houston Texans are a professional American football team based in Houston. The Texans compete in the National Football League as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team plays its home games at N ...
, joining the staff of former
Pittsburgh Steelers The Pittsburgh Steelers are a professional American football team based in Pittsburgh. The Steelers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. Founded in 1933 P ...
defensive coordinator and inaugural
Carolina Panthers The Carolina Panthers are a professional American football team based in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Panthers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. The t ...
head coach
Dom Capers Ernest Dominic Capers (born August 7, 1950) is an American football coach who is a senior defensive assistant for the Carolina Panthers of the National Football League (NFL). He was previously the inaugural head coach of the Panthers and the Ho ...
. Grantham was given much talent to work with from the start, as the Texans acquired Pro Bowl defensive end Gary Walker and nose tackle Seth Payne from the
Jacksonville Jaguars The Jacksonville Jaguars are a professional American football team based in Jacksonville, Florida. The Jaguars compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC South, South division. The team ...
in the expansion draft. In 2002, his influence was evident on the line as starters Gary Walker, Seth Payne, and Jerry Deloach all posted career highs in tackles. Gary Walker also earned his second Pro Bowl appearance under his tutelage that season. 2003 was a testing year for the line, as Pro Bowler Gary Walker and Seth Payne played a combined six games due to injury. However, Jerry Deloach and Steve Martin filled in with great success, posting a combined 201 tackles. Despite the 5–11 record, there was optimism for the future of the steadily improving defense. 2004 was a break-out year for the Texans. Grantham's line once again made a major contribution, helping the Texans achieve the 13th ranked run defense in the league. Despite the low number of sacks (5.5), they put great pressure on opposing quarterbacks (76 recorded pressures) and helped anchor the defense that was equipped with playmakers such as 2004 1st round draft pick
Dunta Robinson Willie Dunta Robinson ( ; born April 11, 1982) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at South Carolina and was selected by the Houston Texans with the 10th overall selection in the 2004 NFL draft. Rob ...
, former Ravens linebacker
Jamie Sharper Harry James Sharper Jr. (born November 23, 1974) is an American football coach and former player. Sharper played professionally as a linebacker for nine seasons in the National Football League (NFL), and played college football for the Virgin ...
, and veteran defensive backs
Aaron Glenn Aaron Devone Glenn (born July 16, 1972) is an American professional football coach and former cornerback who is the head coach for the New York Jets of the National Football League (NFL). He previously served as the defensive coordinator for the ...
and
Marcus Coleman Marcus Coleman (born May 24, 1974) is an American former professional American football, football player who was a defensive back in the National Football League (NFL) for the New York Jets, Houston Texans and the Dallas Cowboys. He played coll ...
. Despite posting a mediocre 7–9 record, the Texans were poised to start making an impact in the NFL after improving every season since their inception in 2002. After three strong seasons with the Texans, Grantham accepted an offer from
Romeo Crennel Romeo Ashbey Crennel (born June 18, 1947) is an American former football coach. A long-time coaching assistant to Bill Parcells, Crennel served as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns from 2005 to 2008 and the Kansas City Chiefs in 2012, as we ...
to become defensive coordinator of the Browns. After he left, the Houston Texans posted a 2–14 record. Capers was fired after the end of the season.


Cleveland Browns

Grantham's first year as coordinator of the Browns defense under head coach Romeo Crennel was an eclectic mix of good and bad. They once again fielded one of the NFL's top pass defenses, actually stepping up in rank from 5th to 4th in the NFL. When starting cornerback
Gary Baxter Gary Wayne Baxter (born November 24, 1978) is an American former professional football player who was a cornerback in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Baylor Bears and was selected by the Baltimore Ravens i ...
went down with a knee injury that ended his career, Leigh Bodden emerged as a solid playmaker. Overall, their secondary continued to play at a high level. They also ranked 11th in scoring defense despite possessing one of the leagues worst run defenses. Orpheus Roye posted a career high with 88 tackles and also made three sacks. After Michigan State dismissed head coach John L. Smith in 2006, Grantham was one of the candidates to be his replacement. However, Michigan State hired
Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ; colloquially nicknamed Cincy) is a city in Hamilton County, Ohio, United States, and its county seat. Settled in 1788, the city is located on the northern side of the confluence of the Licking River (Kentucky), Licking and Ohio Ri ...
head coach
Mark Dantonio Mark Justin Dantonio (born March 9, 1956) is an American college football coach and former player. His most recent head coaching position was at Michigan State University, a position he had held from 2007 to 2019. He led the Michigan State Spar ...
. He was fired on January 11, 2008, after the 2007 season with the Browns defense ranking 25th against the pass, 27th against the run, and 30th in total yards allowed among 32 teams. This proved to be the costly cause of Cleveland losing out on a playoff berth.


Dallas Cowboys

Grantham served as the defensive line coach for the Dallas Cowboys until the end of the season when he joined the coaching staff at the University of Georgia as defensive coordinator. During Grantham's 2 seasons with Dallas, the Cowboys improved from 13th (2007) to 2nd (2009) in the league in points allowed.


Georgia Bulldogs

In 2010 Grantham installed a
3–4 defense In American football, the 3–4 defense is a common defensive alignment consisting of three down Defensive lineman, linemen and four linebackers. It is called a "base defense" because it will readily switch to other defensive alignments (such as ...
during his four-year tenure at Georgia. Despite breakdowns in coverage at times, in 2010 the Bulldogs ranked 23rd nationally in total defense and 36th in scoring defense (22.1 points allowed per game). His defense also forced 26 takeaways, over twice as many as Georgia had in 2009 (12), and helped them move from 118th nationally in 2009 to 19th in 2010 in turnover margin. Georgia's defense under Grantham finished the 2011 season ranked 5th nationally in total defense, 10th in pass defense and 11th in rush defense. They also finished 2nd in the SEC in sacks (34), tackles for loss (94) and turnovers forced (29). In 2012, despite falling to 32nd nationally in total defense, the unit was revered as one of the top in the country as the team finished the season 12–2, winning the Eastern Division of the SEC. Grantham's defense had some of the top talent in the country with playmakers at every position including linebackers
Jarvis Jones Jarvis Jerrell Jones (born October 13, 1989) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, and was recognized as a consensus A ...
and
Alec Ogletree Alec Ogletree (born September 25, 1991) is an American former professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the University of Georgia and was selected by the St. Louis R ...
, defensive linemen John Jenkins and Kwame Geathers, cornerback
Sanders Commings Sanders Commings (born March 8, 1990) is an American former professional football cornerback. He played college football at Georgia and was selected by the Kansas City Chiefs in the fifth round of the 2013 NFL draft. He later had a short profess ...
, and All-American free safety
Bacarri Rambo Bacarri Jamon Rambo (born June 27, 1990) is an American former professional football player who was a safety in the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Georgia Bulldogs, earning first-team All-American honors in 2 ...
. Jones was Grantham's star player and was once again a consensus All-American in 2012, finishing the regular season leading the nation in tackles for loss, and 3rd in sacks. Grantham is perhaps most famous for giving University of Florida kicker, Chas Henry, the "choke" sign as Henry lined up for the winning kick in the 2010 Florida-Georgia game. Grantham also was shown on TV in a confrontation with Vanderbilt coach James Franklin after the 2011 Vandy game. He later acknowledged that his actions embarrassed the university and were "unfortunate". Neither coach apologized to the other. Under him Georgia defense finished No. 45 in the nation in the 2013–2014 season. It was the lowest the Bulldogs finished during Grantham's four-year tenure.


Louisville Cardinals

In 2014 Grantham was hired by
Bobby Petrino Robert Patrick Petrino (born March 10, 1961) is an American college football coach who is the offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach at the University of Arkansas. He served as the head football coach at Missouri State from 2020 to 2022. P ...
to be his defensive coordinator at the
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
. He was given a five-year guaranteed contract worth $1 million per year.


Mississippi State Bulldogs

In 2017 Grantham was hired by
Dan Mullen Daniel Mullenhttps://media.ledger-enquirer.com/static/SEC-Coaching-Contracts/Mississippi-State/Dan-Mullen-2016.pdf (born April 27, 1972) is an American college football coach, who is currently the head coach at the University of Nevada, Las Veg ...
to be the defensive coordinator at
Mississippi State University Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a Public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, Un ...
. He was given a multi-year deal, with financial details not disclosed. Ironically, Grantham's predecessor at
Mississippi State Mississippi State University for Agriculture and Applied Science, commonly known as Mississippi State University (MSU), is a public land-grant research university in Mississippi State, Mississippi, United States. It is classified among "R ...
,
Peter Sirmon Peter Anton Sirmon (born February 18, 1977) is an American football coach and former professional linebacker who currently serves as the linebackers coach for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL). He was selected in the 2 ...
, was hired to be defensive coordinator at the
University of Louisville The University of Louisville (UofL) is a public university, public research university in Louisville, Kentucky, United States. It is part of the Kentucky state university system. Chartered in 1798 as the Jefferson Seminary, it became in the 19t ...
.


Florida Gators

On November 30, 2017, Mullen officially hired Grantham to be his defensive coordinator at Florida. Grantham had previously served as Mullen's defensive coordinator at Mississippi State during the 2017 season. In his first year at Florida, the Gators finished 28th in total defense nationally and 5th in the SEC. In February 2019, the
Cincinnati Bengals The Cincinnati Bengals are a professional American football team based in Cincinnati. The Bengals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The team plays its h ...
zeroed in on Grantham to be their next defensive coordinator. Grantham ultimately rejected the Bengals' offer and decided to stay at Florida. Following his decision, Grantham received a contract extension and pay raise which made him one of the highest paid assistant coaches in college football. On November 7, 2021, Todd Grantham was let go by head coach Dan Mullen.


Alabama

In February 2022, Grantham agreed to joined
Nick Saban Nicholas Lou Saban Jr. ( ; born October 31, 1951) is an American sportscaster and former Professional gridiron football, professional and college football coach. He serves as an analyst for ESPN's ''College GameDay (football TV program), Colleg ...
's staff at
Alabama Alabama ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Deep South, Deep Southern regions of the United States. It borders Tennessee to the north, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gu ...
as a defensive analyst.


New Orleans Saints

On February 3, 2023, the
New Orleans Saints The New Orleans Saints are a professional American football team based in New Orleans. The Saints compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South division. Since 1975, the team ...
hired Grantham as their defensive line coach.


Oklahoma State

On December 9, 2024,
Oklahoma State Oklahoma State University (informally Oklahoma State or OSU) is a public land-grant research university in Stillwater, Oklahoma, United States. The university was established in 1890 under the legislation of the Morrill Act. Originally known ...
hired Grantham to serve as their defensive coordinator.


References


External links


Florida profile

Louisville profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grantham, Todd 1966 births Living people Cleveland Browns coaches Dallas Cowboys coaches Florida Gators football coaches Georgia Bulldogs football coaches Houston Texans coaches Indianapolis Colts coaches Louisville Cardinals football coaches Michigan State Spartans football coaches Mississippi State Bulldogs football coaches NFL defensive coordinators Virginia Tech Hokies football coaches People from Pulaski, Virginia Coaches of American football from Virginia