Antonio Grier scores defensive touchdown on his first snap for Arkansas football

Antonio Grier made quite the debut as a linebacker for the Arkansas Razorbacks on Saturday afternoon. The former South Florida linebacker snatched an interception at the 26-yard line against Kent State and returned the pick all the way to the end zone for the pick six.

He had been dealing with a lingering injury, which forced him out of the Hogs’ Week 1 matchup against Western Carolina.

Check out the impressive pick six here.

When the first snap you play for the Hogs results in a touchdown 🤷 pic.twitter.com/QDBW0SU1Pk

— Arkansas Razorback Football (@RazorbackFB) September 9, 2023

Arkansas is currently struggling with Kent State, and they’re only up 7-3, thanks to Grier’s pick-six.

Grier had missed the season opener against Western Carolina on Saturday. However, he was already back to the practice field prior to the contest, giving Pittman optimism heading into this week.

“Yes. I mean he’s practiced. He practiced partially, you know? Indy and things of that before the Western Carolina game. But he’s practiced all week. So they’ve cleared him to do everything and he’s been good over the last two days. And he’s practicing today. So I expect him to be available,” Pittman said.

Pittman had originally hoped Grier could see the field in Week 1, but it wasn’t to be.

Grier transferred to Arkansas during the offseason after playing at USF for most of five seasons — he redshirted in 2022 after three games due to an injury.

Grier was a starter for the Bulls for the better part of his five years on campus, amassing 228 total tackles and 10 sacks during his time at USF, adding four forced fumbles and two interceptions, as well.

Moreover, Grier played high school football at Mays (GA), where he was a three-star prospect. He was the No. 2325 overall recruit in the 2018 cycle, according to the On3 Industry Rankings, a complete and equally weighted industry-generated average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

On3’s Andrew Graham and Steve Samra also contributed to this article.