Kenneth Grant (born October 27, 2003) is an American football

defensive tackle A defensive tackle (DT) is a position in American football that will typically line up on the line of scrimmage, opposite one of the offensive guards, however he may also line up opposite one of the tackles. Defensive tackles are typically the la ...

for the

Michigan Wolverines The Michigan Wolverines comprise 29 varsity sports teams at the University of Michigan. These teams compete in the NCAA's Division I and in the Big Ten Conference in all sports except women's water polo, which competes in the NCAA inter-divisio ...

. In 2023, he earned All-Big Ten honors and won the national championship.

Early life

Grant was born in 2003 in Merrillville, Indiana, the son of Kenneth Grant Sr. and Ewana Chatman. He attended Merrillville High School, where he played football as an offensive and defensive lineman. He also competed in the shot put for the track and field team. As a senior, he totaled 38 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks and blocked 8 kicks (four field goal attempts, two punts, and two extra point attempts), helping lead Merrillville to an undefeated regular season and a 12-1 overall record. Grant was rated as a four star recruit, the #3 ranked player in Indiana, and the #102 overall ranked high school player in the country in 2022.

College career

Freshman season (2022)

Grant committed to the University of Michigan in September 2021, and enrolled in July 2022. In the 2022 season, Grant appeared in all 14 games on special teams and defensive line. Michigan coach

Jim Harbaugh James Joseph Harbaugh (; born December 23, 1963) is an American football coach and former quarterback, who is the current and 20th head football coach of the Michigan Wolverines. He played college football at Michigan from 1983 to 1986. He play ...

called Grant "a gift from the football gods." In August 2022, he was included on Bruce Feldman's annual list of college football "freaks". He finished the season with 8 tackles.

Sophomore season (2023)

Entering the 2023 season, Grant lost 20 pounds, dropping from 359 pounds to 339 pounds. He won Defensive Player of the Week honors for his efforts in the season opener against East Carolina. In the second game of the season, he tallied 4 tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, a batted ball and his first career sacks (1.5) against UNLV on September 9, 2023. On November 11, 2023, Grant chased down

Penn State #Redirect Pennsylvania State University The Pennsylvania State University (Penn State or PSU) is a Public university, public Commonwealth System of Higher Education, state-related Land-grant university, land-grant research university with campu ...

running back Kaytron Allen from behind to make a tackle and prevent a touchdown. The video of the 339-pound Grant chasing and tackling Allen went viral. Coach

called it "maybe one of the best plays ever." Grant helped Michigan win a national championship at the conclusion of the 2023 season. He was named a second-team All-Big Ten selection for his contribution. Playing in all 15 games, Grant recorded 29 tackles, 5 tackles for a loss, 3.5 sacks, 1 interception, 2 forced fumbles, and 5 passes defended. Grant's interception on September 30 versus Nebraska was the first of his career.

Junior season (2024)

Entering his junior season, Grant was ranked as one of the top interior defensive linemen in college football prior to the 2024 season. He is considered to be a first round pick in the

2025 NFL draft The 2025 NFL Draft will be the 90th annual meeting of National Football League (NFL) franchises to select newly eligible players. The draft is scheduled to be held in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Host city Green Bay was chosen as the host city on May ...

References

External links

Michigan Wolverines bio
{{DEFAULTSORT:Grant, Kenneth 2003 births Living people American football defensive tackles Michigan Wolverines football players People from Merrillville, Indiana Players of American football from Lake County, Indiana