FOOTBALL

He was one of the top recruits in UNC football history. Now, Tony Grimes is cashing in on NIL

The Fayetteville Observer

UNC sophomore cornerback Tony Grimes took advantage of the NCAA's new name, image and likeness rules when he met with around 200 Tar Heel fans over three hours at Chapel Hill Sportswear on Franklin Street. Grimes signed autographs and sold some of his very first TG20 T-shirts, which the store printed free of charge.

CHAPEL HILL – For three hours on Saturday, UNC cornerback Tony Grimes posed for photos, sold T-shirts, took donations and signed everything from jerseys to baseball caps to a teenager’s forehead.

And the NCAA didn’t bat an eye.

Such is the brave new world of name, image and likeness legislation, which over the last month has given Grimes, his teammates and thousands more college athletes across the country an unprecedented level of flexibility when it comes to a one-time amateurism no-no: profiting off their personal brand.

“Athletes have been trying to have this thing going on for a while and now it’s finally here,” Grimes told the Fayetteville Observer from the second floor of Chapel Hill Sportswear. “It was a shocker for sure.”

The sophomore defender drew more fans than he expected – the first of around 200 trickled in for the noon event at 11:30 a.m. – and promptly sold out his first batch of TG20-brand T-shirts during an appearance that Chapel Hill Sportswear store manager Holly Dedmond called mutually beneficial.

In an “evolving” partnership hashed out by Dedmond and Grimes’ parents, Deon and Nickey Glover, the 119 E. Franklin St. retailer will print Grimes’ T-shirts for free and sell them in its store and online. All profits from the $20 shirts go “straight to him,” Dedmond and Nickey Glover confirmed Saturday.

And the social media attention and physical foot traffic Grimes brought to the downtown Chapel Hill store was a worthy trade-off, Dedmond said. The UNC alum got more customers milling around the store she’s managed since 1995, while the 19-year-old Grimes got his first NIL experience and more.

“If you do it the right way, you’re set up for whatever you want to do,” Dedmond said. “There’s no telling how many little kids have been in here – and now Tony Grimes is their favorite player and they’ll follow him forever. The connections he’s made today could benefit him for a long time to come.”

Grimes’ TG20 brand and logo are new creations – the family was still making last-second adjustments to the T-shirt the night before his signing – but he credits his signature catchphrase (“Be Great 2Day”) to a mentality he developed early in his football career at Princess Anne High School in Virginia Beach, Va.

“I’ve literally been saying that since sophomore year,” Grimes said. “Every day, do something great.”

Added Nickey Glover: “He stuck to that plan, and he’s here now. So we’re very grateful.”

Grimes – a former five-star recruit whom Pro Football Focus ranked as the No. 8 breakout candidate for the 2021 college football season – is among a growing list of UNC players to cash in NIL deals this month.

Most notably, junior quarterback and Heisman hopeful Sam Howell has signed with Everett Sports Marketing and announced further deals with local hunger relief non-profit TABLE and North Carolina fast food staple Bojangles (his go-to meal is a Supremes combo with fries and sweet tea, per ESPN).

Defensive lineman Keeshawn Silver is on Cameo, wide receiver J.J. Jones promotes delivery service Gopuff, linebacker Rara Dillworth has his own personal brand (No Limit RD) and Trey Morrison and Storm Duck, through Playmaker, have joined Grimes as UNC defensive backs selling custom T-shirts.

“I’m very happy for my teammates that are out there and doing their thing,” Grimes said. “That’s what we need to do. As college football players, everybody needs to be trying to make that money now.”

North Carolina defensive back Tony Grimes (20) lines up against Notre Dame during the second half of an NCAA college football game in Chapel Hill, N.C., on Friday, Nov. 27, 2020.

The UNC athletics department, like most, has rolled out the red carpet in terms of assistance: new voluntary group licensing programs that offer current and former athletes NIL benefits “in conjunction with UNC’s official trademarks and logos” and a hotline for compliance-related questions.

Head coach Mack Brown and his staff have been equally supportive with one caveat, which was a common theme at last week’s ACC Football Kickoff: “Don’t let your brand get ahead of your ball.”

Amid jokes and selfies and drop-ins from teammates on Saturday, Grimes echoed that sentiment. NIL opportunities are a “blessing,” he said, but he’s aware those deals don’t exist without the same hard work that made him a five-star prospect and UNC’s No. 4 all-time commit in the internet recruiting era.

As such, Grimes’ parents have handled NIL duties in full while their son gears up for one of the more hyped football seasons in UNC history. And Glover said she and her husband are happy to assist.

“To get a chance to spend time with their fans, give back and also be creative on whatever items that they want to produce, I think it's a great opportunity,” she said, before adding with a laugh: “And I’m glad for Tony that he’s able to be in all in the middle of this. He really caught it at the right time.”

Chapel Fowler is a recruiting reporter for The Fayetteville Observer and the USA TODAY Network. Reach him by email at cfowler@gannett.com or on Twitter at @chapelfowler.