USF Athletics

Bull In The Spotlight: Antonio Grier

November 11, 2021

USF (2-7; 1-4 American) vs #2/3 CINCINNATI (9-0; 5-0 American)
Friday, Nov. 12 • 6:00 P.M. • Tampa, Fla. • Raymond James Stadium (65,857)
SURFACE: Tifway Bermuda
TV: ESPN2: Jason Benetti (p-by-p), Andre Ware (analyst) & Paul Carcaterra
RADIO: 95.3 FM WDAE
AUDIO STREAM: iHeartRadio - Bulls Unlimited1
SERIES: Cincinnati leads, 11-7
IN TAMPA: USF leads, 5-4
IN CINCINNATI: UC leads, 7-2
LAST: Cincinnati won 28-7 at Cincinnati in 2020
STREAK: Cincinnati has won 3 straight
VS RANKED: 11-33, lost last 11
GAME NOTES

By Joey Johnston

USF senior linebacker Antonio Grier was only 12 when his mother told him the news. His uncle had been killed. She didn't say how, not immediately anyway.

He was Joe McKay, Sergeant First Class in the U.S. Army, a career military man, born on the Fourth of July. On June 26, 2012, during a tour in Afghanistan, his detail truck was struck by a bomb.

"I guess they didn't want to break a kid's heart,'' Grier said. "I learned what happened eventually. It's tough, very tough, but it has happened to a lot of families. I have so much respect for the military, the people that fight to keep us free. They believe in our country. They bring so much passion to what they do.''

Grier brings a similar passion to his game, leading USF in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks. He wears his emotions on his sleeve. You do things the right way — or you don't do them at all. Honor and loyalty — they mean something.

That's the mentality he will bring into Friday night's American Athletic Conference game at Raymond James Stadium, when the Bulls (2-7, 1-4 AAC) face the No. 2-ranked Cincinnati Bearcats (9-0, 5-0 AAC).

It would be an important game regardless, but Friday night will be even more special for Grier. It's USF's annual "Salute to Service'' game. The Bulls will wear uniforms honoring those that serve and paying homage the stars and stripes. More than 10,000 tickets have been distributed to MacDill Air Force base personnel and their families through Seats for Service. Conducting the coin toss will be Marine Corps Four-Star General Kenneth McKenzie, the commander of MacDill's U.S. Central Command. Para-commandos will jump, 200 USF ROTC members will march and recipients of the Pat Tillman and Jason Holbrook scholarships will be recognized.

Grier, from Atlanta, said he's expecting 15 family members at the game, including eight with some sort of military tie. He has two family members active in the U.S. Navy — sister Shantanay Clarke, stationed in San Diego, and auntie Shenena Jones, stationed in Jacksonville.

Before earning his scholarship to USF, Grier was dead-set on joining the Marines. His mother, Mary McKay, said no.

"It wasn't what I saw for him,'' McKay said. "He feels things very deeply. He grew up in a house of females. He's a very passionate person and he loves hard. I'm very proud of what he is doing. I see him blossoming with each game.''

At one time, Grier was surrounded by five sisters and his mother in the same household.

"I don't know if I completely understand women, but I believe I was taught how to treat them,'' Grier, known as "Yo-Yo'' to his family, said with a smile. "My sister and auntie (in the Navy), I really admire them. They are powerful. They are doing great things for our country.

"Everybody's going to have a great remembrance at our game. When you salute the military at a football game, everybody always stands and cheers. And they should. For me and my family, it means even more. I will feel it very emotionally, but that's how I live my life.''

Grier said he is committed to "live in the moment, wake up with an edge, attack every day and leave my heart out there on the field. When USF plays football, you're going to know Antonio Grier played that night.''

Grier has four double-digit tackle games this season, including 12 in each of the past two weeks and 5.5 tackles for a loss in the last five games. He also scored on a 69-yard interception return against Tulsa.

"He's the heartbeat,'' USF linebackers coach Ernie Sims said. "When he's playing at his best, there's no other better leader that we have on this team. It shows you what hard work does when you give everything you have every single day. He has done that.

"He has found that groove, despite how difficult and painful and frustrating it has been through this journey. He has found a way to stay consistent. He cares about others more than you would imagine. He's so passionate and driven.''

Grier will receive his criminology degree in December and has the option of returning for another season, the bonus year of eligibility granted by COVID-19. For now, it's all about Friday night, a chance for the biggest splash, some redemption, and an opportunity to pay honor to his military family.

"You've got to understand something: If we win and I have no tackles, I'm celebrating like I had the best game of my career,'' Grier said. "If I have 15 tackles and we don't win, it means nothing at all. It's a team and we're all chasing greatness. We're in this together.''

Just like in the military, honor and loyalty mean something to Grier. They aren't just words. Doing your job and doing it the right way. It's the way you play football and the way you conduct your life.