Kenneth Grant brings ‘Godzilla’-sized presence, unique talent to Michigan

MERRILLVILLE, Ind. – Defensive tackle Kenneth Grant does not have a set nickname, but one of the most uniquely gifted prospects in the class of 2022 smiled when a new one was suggested: “Godzilla.”

Now he knows where he will be taking his impressive physical stature – Grant committed to Michigan on Tuesday.

Grant, a four-star prospect from Merrillville High, is 6-foot-4, 339 pounds. He shed 11 pounds going into his senior season after weighing in at 350 in June at an Ohio State camp. He wants to be about 330 pounds when he steps foot on the Wolverines’ campus.

Physically imposing

Grant is physically imposing and carries his weight well. He had a verified time of 5.00 seconds in the 40-yard dash at that camp, which is extra proof that he can haul his weight around smoothly.

Players that big aren’t supposed to move that fast, and Grant’s stock soared after that event. His size-speed combination is why he isn’t being pigeonholed into just one position.

“Because he’s so big, everybody labels him as a nose,” Merrillville coach Brad Seiss told On3 this fall. “But for us, he plays nose, he plays 3-tech, we’ve had him line up at end before, he starts for us at guard on the offensive line. We think, and most of the colleges think, that the sky’s the limit because his body is only going to get better.

“We can only do so much at the high school level with weightlifting, nutrition, all that type of stuff. But when he’s got people in charge of every calorie that he takes in and every calorie that he burns and they’ve got people that are a lot smarter than us . . . the sky’s the limit as far as what they’re going to get out of him from a physicality standpoint.”

Grant can be dominant at Michigan

When On3 saw Grant play his season opener against Merrillville Andrean on Aug. 20, he had an up-and-down performance. Despite the weight loss, he didn’t look like he was in great shape during the first half. He wasn’t explosive off the ball and wasn’t the dominant presence you’d expect to see.

That also could have been the product of some frustration. As the offense’s No. 1 key read, constantly seeing double or triple teams at that level can get tiresome, especially when the opposing offense runs away from you on most plays.

In the second half, he played much better and was more energized, showcasing some good pass rush moves and pursuit. He even blocked a punt and returned it a few yards for his second-ever defensive touchdown.

At Michigan, he will have an array of talent alongside him to take attention away, and he should be more effective. And, as Seiss alluded to, when he enters a strength and nutrition program, Grant should be able to provide a unique presence that could help the Wolverines continue tracking up.

Grant can help Wolverines upend Buckeyes

Michigan nearly beat Ohio State in the 2016 double-overtime game in Columbus, but hasn’t come close since. Long before the “Was he short?” debates, Jim Harbaugh and Co. have been trying to break through against the Buckeyes.

“We’re going to do it or die trying,” Harbaugh said of beating Ohio State during Big Ten media days in June.

Grant certainly could help Harbaugh and the Wolverines take down the Buckeyes. There’s a laundry list of factors that go into upending Ohio State, but it starts with recruiting. And that continues with stacking classes not just full of talent but with a diverse set of players to fill multiple roles – especially on the defensive side.

“When (Michigan) started recruiting Kenneth, they made it abundantly clear that they wanted to get another bigger-bodied guy and some more bigger-bodied defensive linemen,” Seiss said. “They had always been targeting guys to attack the run on the way to the quarterback.

“I think they feel that Kenneth, at his size, can still display that burst and athleticism. . . . I think he adds an extra dimension with the weight that he’s got and the size that he’s got and maybe being more of an immovable type of guy that teams want.”