Razorback Breakdown: Antonio Grier, Jr., Linebacker

Experience, commitment to add positive weight provide hope transfer can be difference maker on defense

FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. – There have been massive changes to the roster at Arkansas, especially on the defensive side. Since fans will not know who many of the players are, the allHogs staff will spend the summer breaking down as many newcomers as possible. Considering how overwhelming the turnover has been since last November, there might not be enough days in the summer to get to every new face, but there will be a focused effort to try.

So, without further ado, let's get to today's featured Razorback. Our second breakdown is of super senior linebacker Antonio Grier, Jr., of Atlanta, Georgia.

ANTONIO GRIER, JR
★★★☆☆Linebacker | 6-1 | 228 | Atlanta, Ga. | Mays HS, USF
HIGHLIGHTS

Arkansas coach Sam Pittman got an early Christmas present with the late addition of South Florida All-AAC linebacker transfer Antonio Grier, Jr. for what will be his sixth season of college football just before Christmas Eve.

With the departure of Drew Sanders and Bumper Pool for the NFL, the Razorbacks were thin on experienced linebackers. Fortunately for the Razorbacks, newly hired defensive coordinator Travis Williams, whose experience in Florida has paid huge dividends over the past several months, knew of an option that would fit his style of defense. 

A late bloomer out high school, Grier shows he still has room for huge jumps in ability that he is counting on this Razorback coaching staff to draw out. He was the first linebacker defensive coordinator Travis Williams had to scheme against in his debut as part of Gus Malzahn's Golden Knights staff in 2021. A senior at the time, Grier ripped off nine tackles en route to a career best 85 for the season.

There's a lot of promise in that Grier was the first player taken with direct influence from Williams. The new defensive coordinator saw plenty of tape on him with the Bulls on the schedule twice during his tenure down in Florida.

SO WHAT DID THE HOGS GET?

Grier, who has Grant Morgan levels of on-field experience in terms of games played, entered Arkansas listed at 6-1, 223. He needed to put on a little more weight in the form of muscle while maintaining, if not increasing his speed. He not only managed to do that by adding five pounds of muscle in his first few months to push him to a more sustainable 228, but he's still developing his body, taking advantage of what will be seven preseason months as part of an SEC strength, conditioning and nutrition program. 

This is a promising sign. It shows he likely possesses the mental toughness, drive and discipline needed to push him toward becoming the SEC's next defensive breakout star rather than just another good special teams hand. Chances are that if he's doing the things needed to put on five pounds of good muscle, then others are following his example or at least stepping up to the challenge to avoid getting left behind.

Areas that show high levels of promise from a development standpoint is Grier's straight-line speed, good hands in pass defense and his willingness to wrap up on tackles. If Arkansas is going to blitz from the linebacker spot, there is little doubt the former Bull can get through the gap quickly to blow things up. 

Also, if the Hogs intend to use linebackers regularly in coverage over the middle, Grier shows promise by keeping proper depth and angle while displaying well above average hands to snag anything that comes in his range. His ability to track passes, even those not thrown in his zone, will be a plus as the number of tipped balls hitting the ground should go down and support for anything thrown less than 20 yards to the edges should come quickly.

WHAT ARE THE AREAS OF GROWTH?

Size and speed has already been addressed both in this story and by Grier's work ethic. However, an area of concern is quickness, especially laterally. Quickness is different than speed, although speed does play a factor. 

Grier's mental reaction time appears to be solid. However, his muscles are following suit a little slower than one typically would like in an SEC linebacker when moving side to side. He takes the right angle to cut off backs, but despite facing AAC speed and size, Grier has to stretch himself physically to pull down runners who are a quarter step from being able to run through his arms or completely past him. 

This is a hard aspect to determine during what little the media was allowed to see during spring practices. Considering the SEC is loaded with NFL talent with two sets of NFL talent behind it at running back while sporting an array of speedy and often powerful runners at quarterback, this is a major concern. It's hard not to anticipate those tackles with his arms toward the sideline or angled upfield turning into deep runs into the secondary if he doesn't really apply himself in preparation for what is his last and only chance to show he can do this consistently against elite talent. 

While the anticipated growth in strength is good, this is a technique and speed issue. Every indication is that this new defensive staff can fix the technique problems. There's only so much that can be done about speed in such a short amount of time. However, if he can shave a tenth off his 40 and use proper footwork to tighten up his proper angles, it can make a huge difference in the overall result.

GENERAL BREAKDOWN

Antonio Grier | Linebacker | 6-1 | 233 | Atlanta, Ga. | Mays HS / USF2022 (Graduate Student at USF): Phil Steele Preseason All-AAC First Team … Athlon Preseason All-AAC First Team … Played in three games with two starts … Earned a redshirt after suffering a season-ending hand injury … Totaled 21 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss on the year … Made three tackles in the season opener against BYU (Sept. 3) … Racked up 10 tackles with 0.5 tackles for loss at Florida (Sept. 17) … Carded eight stops at Louisville (Sept. 24).

2021 (Senior at USF): Second Team All-AAC selection … Pro Football Network All-Conference First Team and Athlon Third Team … Started all 12 games he played … Led the team with 92 tackles, including 52 unassisted … Led the team with eight tackles for loss and three sacks … Tied for the team lead with two interceptions and two forced fumbles … Added a fumble recovery and team-best four quarterback hurries … Led the Bulls with a career-best 14 tackles at No. 2 Cincinnati (Nov. 12) … Led USF with 12 tackles vs. Houston (Nov. 6) a week after posting 12 tackles at ECU (Oct. 28) … Posted 38 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and a sack in a three-game stretch vs. ECU, Houston and Cincinnati … Posted interceptions in back-to-back games vs. Tulsa and Temple and forced a fumble at ECU to give him three straight games with a turnover forced … Returned his interception at Tulsa (Oct. 16) 69 yards for his first career defensive touchdown … Also added a fumble recovery and seven tackles in the game to earn AAC Honor Roll recognition … Had a sack, three tackles and an interception vs. Temple (Oct. 23) … Posted eight tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss at NC State (Sept. 2) … Had seven tackles vs. Florida (Sept. 11) … Posted 10 tackles and 1.0 tackles for loss at SMU (Oct. 2) … Had nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss at UCF (Nov. 26).

2020 (Junior at USF): Second Team All-AAC selection … Played in eight of the Bulls' nine games and started seven on the year, missing one start due to a targeting penalty and another due to injury … Led USF with 59 tackles, 5.5 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks and two forced fumbles … Ranked 10th in the AAC in tackles and tied for 16th in sacks while standing eighth in forced fumbles … Led USF in tackles in three games, all with 10 tackles … Posted 10 tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the season-opening win vs. The Citadel (Sept. 12) to earn American Athletic Conference Honor Roll recognition … Had nine tackles and a sack at Cincinnati (Oct. 3) … Led USF with 10 tackles and added two tackles for loss, a sack and a forced fumble vs. ECU (Oct. 10) … Led USF with 10 tackles at Memphis (Nov. 7) … Posted nine tackles and 1.5 tackles for loss vs. UCF (Nov. 27).

2019 (Sophomore at USF): Played in all 12 games and made four of his six total starts at middle linebacker … Totaled 58 tackles, 8.5 tackles for a combined loss of 34 yards, 4.0 sacks for a combined loss of 28 yards, one forced fumble and a pass breakup … Ranked sixth on the team and 47th in The American in tackles … Was first on the team and 19th in the league in sacks … Stood fourth on the team in tackles for loss … Had two games with double-digit tackles with 10 vs. Cincinnati (Nov. 16) and a career-high 11 at UCF (Nov. 29) … Totaled a career-high two sacks for a combined loss of 13 yards vs. BYU (Oct. 12) … Made a season-high 2.5 tackles for a loss of 6 yards, while also forcing a fumble at UConn (Oct. 5).

2018 (Freshman at USF): Made eight tackles (six solo) with a fumble recovery in 12 games, playing mostly on special teams … Set a then-career high with three tackles and recovered a fumble at UMass (Oct. 6) … Had three tackles at Cincinnati (Nov. 10). High School: Played for head coach Tony Slaton at Mays High School in Atlanta, Ga. … Named all-region defensive player of the year as a senior … In three seasons, totaled 214 tackles, 19.0 tackles for loss, six sacks, eight forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries and three interceptions … As a senior, posted 109 tackles, eight tackles for loss, two sacks and two forced fumbles … As a junior, registered 47 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, four forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception, earning Atlanta-Journal Constitution Class 6A honorable mention honors.

Previous Breakdowns

1. Razorback Breakdown: Alex Sanford, Linebacker

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