Film Room: Grant Grayton

The secondary was once again a position of need for the Kentucky football program in the 2025 high school cycle. Kentucky addressed the position by adding four players into the fold before Wednesday. A fifth was added at the start of the early signing period.

Olney (Md.) Good Counsel defensive back Grant Grayton has been committed to Minnesota since July but that all changed when Kentucky got the three-star prospect on campus last weekend for an official visit. That trip to Lexington ultimately ended in a signature.

What is the Kentucky secondary getting in the newest member of the program’s high school recruiting class? Grant Grayton is a zone-scheme cornerback with size and great length.

Another big Kentucky cornerback

At the beginning of the Mark Stoops era, we saw Kentucky build its defensive philosophy around big and long cornerbacks who could tackle and clog zones in a zone-heavy scheme. The Wildcats are always in the market for length at the cornerback position and addressed that with Cedartown (Ga.) High product Demarcus Garnder.

Grant Grayton can also check that box for the program. The Big Ten flip has great size and length. That gives the long strider the ability to recover and blanket wideouts on the outside. The ability to recover stands out on tape.

At 6-foot-2 and 195 pounds, Grayton is comfortable playing off coverage and does a good job of using his size to his advantage at the top of routes. The Kentucky signee can wall off receivers and shows some ability to drive on the football. Long strider is a more than capable tackler.

The Big Ten flips fits a zone scheme.

What is the permanent position?

Grant Grayton is listed as a safety by On3 but he’s put out nothing but cornerback reps on his high school tape. There are some speed questions but this is a player that fits what Kentucky has done in the past.

Mark Stoops likes to have big cornerbacks. Grant Grayton is a big cornerback. The DMV prospect will need to prove he can run and cover receivers in the SEC but the play traits to succeed as a zone cornerback are all there. The newest Kentucky signee can clog zones, make tackles, and cover up in isolation thanks to his great size.