Cody James Grimm (born February 26, 1987) is an

American football American football (referred to simply as football in the United States and Canada), also known as gridiron, is a team sport played by two teams of eleven players on a rectangular field with goalposts at each end. The offense, the team with ...

coach and former

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

who is the

safeties coach Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

for 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 club of the American Football Conference (AFC) South division. The team play ...

of the

National Football League The National Football League (NFL) is a professional American football league that consists of 32 teams, divided equally between the American Football Conference (AFC) and the National Football Conference (NFC). The NFL is one of the ...

(NFL). He previously served as an assistant coach for the

Tampa Bay Buccaneers The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a professional American football team based in Tampa, Florida. The Buccaneers compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) NFC South, South divisio ...

. Grimm played

college football College football (french: Football universitaire) refers to gridiron football played by teams of student athletes. It was through college football play that American football rules first gained popularity in the United States. Unlike most ...

Virginia Tech Virginia Tech (formally the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University and informally VT, or VPI) is a Public university, public Land-grant college, land-grant research university with its main campus in Blacksburg, Virginia. It also ...

and was drafted by the

in the seventh round of the

2010 NFL Draft The 2010 NFL Draft was the 75th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible football players. The 2010 draft took place over three days, at Radio City Music Hall in New York City, New York, with the firs ...

. He played for three seasons in the NFL with the Buccaneers.

Early life

Grimm attended and played

high school football High school football (french: football au lycée) is gridiron football played by high school teams in the United States and Canada. It ranks among the most popular interscholastic sports in both countries, but its popularity is declining, part ...

Oakton High School Oakton High School is a public high school in unincorporated Fairfax County, Virginia, in proximity to the town of Vienna, in the United States. It is part of Fairfax County Public Schools. Oakton operates on a block schedule five days a week, a ...

Vienna, Virginia Vienna () is a town in Fairfax County, Virginia, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. census, Vienna has a population of 16,473. Significantly more people live in ZIP codes with the Vienna postal addresses (22180, 22181, and 22182), bordered approx ...

, where he

lettered Calligraphy (from el, link=y, καλλιγραφία) is a visual art related to writing. It is the design and execution of lettering with a pen, ink brush, or other writing instrument. Contemporary calligraphic practice can be defined as "t ...

three times. As an

outside linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, ...

, he finished his senior season with 127 total tackles, seven

interception In ball-playing competitive team sports, an interception or pick is a move by a player involving a pass of the ball—whether by foot or hand, depending on the rules of the sport—in which the ball is intended for a player of the same team b ...

s and three

quarterback sack In gridiron football, a sack occurs when the quarterback (or another offensive player acting as a passer) is tackled behind the line of scrimmage before throwing a forward pass, when the quarterback is tackled behind the line of scrimmage in th ...

s. He also caught 17 passes for 278 yards and six touchdowns as a

tight end The tight end (TE) is a position in American football, arena football, and Canadian football, on the offense. The tight end is often a hybrid position with the characteristics and roles of both an offensive lineman and a wide receiver. Like ...

. On October 29, 2004, Oakton beat

Westfield High School Westfield High School may refer to: * The Westfield School, Perry, Georgia * Westfield High School (Westfield, Indiana) * Westfield High School (Massachusetts), Westfield, Massachusetts * Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield, Massachusetts * West ...

24-20, and Grimm recorded a high school career-high 19 tackles along with a sack and an interception as Oakton ended the Bulldogs’ 21-game winning streak. That season, he helped Oakton win their first district championship in 25 years. After the season, Grimm earned first-team all-state and Northern Region Defensive Player of the Year honors. After graduating from Oakton, Grimm had one football scholarship offer, which was from

Division I-AA The NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision (FCS), formerly known as Division I-AA, is the second-highest level of college football in the United States, after the Football Bowl Subdivision. Sponsored by the National Collegiate Athletic ...

William & Mary College The College of William & Mary (officially The College of William and Mary in Virginia, abbreviated as William & Mary, W&M) is a public research university in Williamsburg, Virginia. Founded in 1693 by letters patent issued by King William III ...

. He got recruiting offers to come in as a walk-on from Virginia,

Pittsburgh Pittsburgh ( ) is a city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, United States, and the county seat of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, Allegheny County. It is the most populous city in both Allegheny County and Wester ...

and

. He decided on Virginia Tech. In 2019 Grimm was inducted into the Oakton High School Athletics Hall of Fame and in 2022 was honored by being added into the Northern Virginia Football Hall of Fame. Grimm also played

lacrosse Lacrosse is a team sport played with a lacrosse stick and a lacrosse ball. It is the oldest organized sport in North America, with its origins with the indigenous people of North America as early as the 12th century. The game was extensively ...

for Oakton. He lettered three times and led team to three state championships and was an all-American

midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

and face-off specialist recruited by Georgetown, Loyola and

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Southeastern regions of the United States, between the Atlantic Coast and the Appalachian Mountains. The geography and climate of the Commonwealth ar ...

. He opted, however, to play

Playing career

College

Grimm played in 54 games and started 15 over four seasons at Virginia Tech, recording 214 tackles, 26.5 tackles for loss, 11.5 sacks, nine forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two interceptions.

Redshirt (2005)

Grimm redshirted in 2005 and worked on the scout team as a whip linebacker.

Freshman season (2006)

As a freshman, Grimm was a starter on three different special team units. In his first game for Virginia Tech, he was in on 13 special team plays against

Northeastern University Northeastern University (NU) is a private university, private research university with its main campus in Boston. Established in 1898, the university offers undergraduate and graduate programs on its main campus as well as satellite campuses in ...

. He ended the season with 10 total tackles.

Sophomore season (2007)

Grimm started on defense for the first time in his college career against

Boston College Boston College (BC) is a private Jesuit research university in Chestnut Hill, Massachusetts. Founded in 1863, the university has more than 9,300 full-time undergraduates and nearly 5,000 graduate students. Although Boston College is classifie ...

and played 21 snaps at whip

linebacker Linebacker (LB) is a playing position in gridiron football. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage and the defensive linemen. They are the "middle ground" of defenders, p ...

with three tackles. He finished the

2007 ACC Championship Game The 2007 Dr. Pepper ACC Championship Game featured the 2007 Boston College Eagles football team, Boston College Eagles and the 2007 Virginia Tech Hokies football team, Virginia Tech Hokies in a regular-season college football game that determine ...

at linebacker when Cam Martin was injured with knee problems. In the

2008 Orange Bowl The 2008 FedEx Orange Bowl was a post-season college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Kansas Jayhawks on January 3, 2008, at Dolphin Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida. Spread bettors favored Virginia Tech by three po ...

loss to

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to the ...

, he had six tackles. Grimm finished the season with 27 total tackles. Head coach

Frank Beamer Franklin Mitchell Beamer (born October 18, 1946) is a retired American college football coach, most notably for the Virginia Tech Hokies, and former college football player. He is the father of current South Carolina Gamecocks head coach Shane ...

awarded Grimm a scholarship in his redshirt sophomore season.

Junior season (2008)

During his junior season, Grimm started on three special team units. In a win over

Georgia Tech The Georgia Institute of Technology, commonly referred to as Georgia Tech or, in the state of Georgia, as Tech or The Institute, is a public research university and institute of technology in Atlanta, Georgia. Established in 1885, it is part of ...

on September 13, 2008, he caught his first interception and had three tackles. The following week at

North Carolina North Carolina () is a state in the Southeastern region of the United States. The state is the 28th largest and 9th-most populous of the United States. It is bordered by Virginia to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the east, Georgia and So ...

, he contributed a

and a tackle for loss among his five tackles. On October 25, 2008, Grimm recorded two sacks in a loss against

Florida State Florida State University (FSU) is a public university, public research university in Tallahassee, Florida. It is a senior member of the State University System of Florida. Founded in 1851, it is located on the oldest continuous site of higher e ...

. In the

2008 ACC Championship Game The 2008 ACC Championship Game was a college football game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Boston College Eagles. The game, sponsored by Dr Pepper, was the final regular-season contest of the 2008 college football season for the Atlan ...

win against

, he led the team with eight tackles, including 2.5 for loss. In the

2009 Orange Bowl The 2009 FedEx Orange Bowl was the 75th edition of Orange Bowl, an annual college football bowl game. It pitted the 2008 Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) champion Virginia Tech Hokies against the Big East Conference champion Cincinnati Bearcats on ...

win, Grimm had five total tackles, a sack and an interception against

Cincinnati Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state line wit ...

. He finished the season third on the team with 71 tackles and ranked second in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7.5). He also tied for fifth on the team in quarterback hurries with seven and forced two fumbles.

Senior season (2009)

In his senior year, Grimm became a starter at

for the Hokies. On October 3, 2009, he tallied a game and career-high 14 tackles in a 34–26 win against

Duke Duke is a male title either of a monarch ruling over a duchy, or of a member of royalty, or nobility. As rulers, dukes are ranked below emperors, kings, grand princes, grand dukes, and sovereign princes. As royalty or nobility, they are ran ...

, including two tackles for loss (six yards) and a forced fumble. Grimm helped the Hokies defense hold Duke to 38 rushing yards on 31 attempts (1.2 yards per rush) and was named ACC Player of the Week. On November 9, 2009, Grimm had a game-high 12 total tackles, a forced and recovered fumble, and a late-game sack in Virginia Tech's 16-3 win against

East Carolina East Carolina University (ECU) is a public research university in Greenville, North Carolina. It is the fourth largest university in North Carolina. Founded on March 8, 1907, as a teacher training school, East Carolina has grown from its orig ...

. He again won ACC Player of the Week honors. Grimm won the award for the third time after he set an ACC single-season record and tied an NCAA single-game record with three forced fumbles—all of which came in North Carolina State’s first four plays—in the Hokies’ win over the Wolfpack on November 21, 2009. Grimm helped the Virginia Tech defense limit NC State’s offensive to 259 yards of total offense by recording eight tackles, two sacks, a quarterback hurry, and a fumble recovery. He was named the Defensive MVP of the

2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl The 2009 Chick-fil-A Bowl was a college football bowl game between the Virginia Tech Hokies and the Tennessee Volunteers played on December 31, 2009, in the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, Georgia. With sponsorship from Chick-fil-A, it was the 42nd edi ...

, where the Hokies won against the

University of Tennessee The University of Tennessee (officially The University of Tennessee, Knoxville; or UT Knoxville; UTK; or UT) is a public land-grant research university in Knoxville, Tennessee. Founded in 1794, two years before Tennessee became the 16th state, ...

. Grimm had 106 total tackles, four sacks and 12.5 tackles for a loss during his senior season. He was awarded the 2009 Dudley Award, which is named for former

standout "Bullet" Bill Dudley and is given to the state's top Division I college football player. Grimm also earned first-team all-

Atlantic Coast Conference The Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) is a collegiate athletic conference located in the eastern United States. Headquartered in Greensboro, North Carolina, the ACC's fifteen member universities compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Associa ...

honors and third-team All-America honors from the

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

. He is the second former Tech walk-on to earn All-America honors, joining

John Engelberger John Albert Engelberger (born October 18, 1976) is a former American football defensive end. He was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the second round of the 2000 NFL Draft. He played college football at Virginia Tech. Engelberger has also pl ...

, a 1999 AP second-team selection.

National Football League

2010 NFL Draft

Grimm was drafted in the seventh round (210th overall) of the

by the

as a safety.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

On July 29, 2010, Grimm signed a four-year contract with the Buccaneers worth $1.85 million. Grimm earned a spot on the Buccaneers' 53-man roster on September 4, 2010. On September 23, 2010, he replaced

Tanard Jackson Tanard Ricardo Jackson (born July 21, 1985) is a former American football safety. He played college football at Syracuse and was drafted by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers of the National Football League (NFL) in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL Dra ...

as the team's starting free safety after Jackson was suspended a year for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy. Grimm was the third rookie from Tampa Bay's 2010 draft class to be named a starter for the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. On October 10, 2010, during a 24–21 win over 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 club of the league's American Football Conference (AFC) AFC North, North division. The c ...

, at

Paul Brown Stadium Paycor Stadium, previously known as Paul Brown Stadium, is an outdoor football stadium in Cincinnati, Ohio. It is the home venue of the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League and opened on August 19, 2000. Originally named after the B ...

, Grimm got his first career

, which he returned 11 yards for his first career

touchdown A touchdown (abbreviated as TD) is a scoring play in gridiron football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone. In Ameri ...

. His season was cut short after suffering a fractured left fibula in a game against the Baltimore Ravens. After coming back from injury, Grimm started the

2011 NFL Season The 2011 NFL season was the 92nd regular season of the National Football League and the 46th of the Super Bowl era. It began on Thursday, September 8, 2011, with the Super Bowl XLV champion Green Bay defeating the Super Bowl XLIV champion New ...

as the

starting

free safety Safety is a position in gridiron football on the defense. The safeties are defensive backs who line up ten to fifteen yards from the line of scrimmage. There are two variations of the position: the free safety and the strong safety. Their dut ...

. He finished with 11 tackles, 10 solo and 1 assisted and a pass deflection in three games before colliding with teammate

Geno Hayes Eugene Antonio "Geno" Hayes (August 10, 1987 – April 26, 2021) was an American professional football player who was a linebacker in the National Football League (NFL). After playing college football for the Florida State Seminoles, he was sele ...

in a game against the

Atlanta Falcons The Atlanta Falcons are a professional American football team based in Atlanta. The Falcons compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) South division. The Falcons joined th ...

on September 25, 2011. On September 28, 2011, the Bucs officially placed Grimm on

injured reserve The injured reserve list ( IR list) is a designation used in North American professional sports leagues for athletes who suffer injuries and become unable to play. The exact name of the list varies by league; it is known as "injured reserve" in th ...

for the second straight year, ending his season with another setback.

Coaching career

Virginia Tech

In 2014, Grimm began his coaching career at his alma mater,

, as a defensive quality control coach.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

In 2019, Grimm was hired by the

as a defensive and special teams assistant under head coach

Bruce Arians Bruce Charles Arians (born October 3, 1952) is an American football executive and former coach in the National Football League (NFL). Since 2022, he has been a senior football consultant for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Arians was previously the he ...

. Grimm earned his first Super Bowl title when the Buccaneers won

Super Bowl LV Super Bowl LV was an American football game played to determine the champion of the National Football League (NFL) for the 2020 season. The National Football Conference (NFC) champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers defeated the American Football Conferen ...

Jacksonville Jaguars

On February 17, 2022, Grimm was hired by the

as their safeties coach under head coach

Doug Pederson Douglas Irvin Pederson (born January 31, 1968) is an American football coach and former quarterback who is the head coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the National Football League (NFL). Pederson spent most of his 13-season playing career as ...

Personal life

Grimm is the son of

Pro Football Hall of Fame The Pro Football Hall of Fame is the hall of fame for professional American football, located in Canton, Ohio. Opened on September 7, , the Hall of Fame enshrines exceptional figures in the sport of professional football, including players, coach ...

offensive lineman In gridiron football, a lineman is a player who specializes in play at the line of scrimmage. The linemen of the team currently in possession of the ball are the offensive line, while linemen on the opposing team are the defensive line. A numbe ...

and former

Arizona Cardinals The Arizona Cardinals are a professional American football team based in the Phoenix metropolitan area. The Cardinals compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member of the National Football Conference (NFC) West division, and play t ...

assistant head coach/offensive line coach,

Russ Grimm Russell Scott Grimm (born May 2, 1959) is an American former professional football player who was a guard for the Washington Redskins of the National Football League (NFL). He has also served as an assistant coach for the Redskins, Pittsburgh St ...

. His older brother, Chad, who also played at Virginia Tech, was the outside linebackers coach for the

Washington Commanders The Washington Commanders are a professional American football team based in the Washington metropolitan area. The Commanders compete in the National Football League (NFL) as a member club of the league's National Football Conference (NFC) E ...

2017-2019. Grimm's younger brother, Dylan, played lacrosse at

Loyola University Maryland Loyola University Maryland is a private Jesuit university in Baltimore, Maryland. Established as Loyola College in Maryland by John Early and eight other members of the Society of Jesus in 1852, it is the ninth-oldest Jesuit college in the ...

, where he won a National Championship in 2012. His uncle,

Donn Grimm Donn Grimm is a former American football player. He was a linebacker on the Notre Dame Fighting Irish football, Notre Dame team that won the College football national championships in NCAA Division I FBS, 1988 Consensus National Championship. He wa ...

, was a starting linebacker on the Notre Dame 1988 National Championship team and signed with the Cardinals as a rookie free agent in .

References

External links

Jacksonville Jaguars profile
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grimm, Cody 1987 births Living people American football linebackers American football safeties Jacksonville Jaguars coaches Oakton High School alumni People from Vienna, Virginia Players of American football from Virginia Sportspeople from Fairfax County, Virginia Tampa Bay Buccaneers coaches Tampa Bay Buccaneers players Virginia Tech Hokies football coaches Virginia Tech Hokies football players