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Miami Herald
27-04-2025
- Sport
- Miami Herald
‘Always going to get that effort.' Why Kenneth Grant could be a much-needed ‘culture changer'
There's one play that ultimately stands out when you watch Kenneth Grant's tape. It happened in Beaver Stadium on Nov. 11, 2023. Penn State running back Kaytron Allen burst through the hole with nothing but green grass in front of him. Then, all of a sudden, you see a 6-foot-4-inch, 300-lb nose tackle begin to creep into the screen. Getting closer. And closer. And closer — until he finally drags Allen down from behind, saving a potential touchdown run. 'I give that effort every play,' the former Michigan Wolverine said Friday. 'Whether I'm in there or coaching guys that's in there, I'm always stressing run to the ball so you're always going to get that effort out of me.' The Miami Dolphins made Grant a first-round pick Thursday, selecting him with the 13th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. That he plays with intense effort is only part of his story; as he lists what he wants to accomplish in the league – Super Bowl champion, Walter Payton Man of the Year, etc. – it's clear that Grant brings not only an unique combination of size and speed but also leadership traits that can make him a beloved teammate. 'One of the best guys in the league – on and off the field, to be honest,' Grant said when asked about his goals for the year. 'I want to accomplish the Man of the Year Award, but I also want to accomplish winning a Super Bowl, winning all of the individual accolades for myself. But my ultimate goal is a Super Bowl, for sure.' Added Grant: 'I just want to be a good role model in my community, from where I grew up from, show those guys there's a way out and you can make it. I'm living proof.' Such lofty goals are by no accident. Coaches and media pundits have raved about Grant for years. 'He's a generational talent inside,' Michigan head coach Sherrone Moore told Michigan Live in December. 'He's a guy that can stop the running and rush the passer, which is very hard to find with those guys inside. Plays with great leverage, great hands, great effort. An extremely smart football player. Wouldn't be surprised if he's the first pick in the draft.' 'Given his size, his strength, his speed, his quickness, his ability to change direction, the effort that he displays, I'd say [he's] a freak,' Michigan strength and conditioning coach Justin Tress told The Michigan Daily in September. 'It's freaky to be able to do that and to do that consistently.' 'This might have been my favorite player in the whole draft,' former football coach turned media personality Jon Gruden said Thursday. 'This guy comes out of the stack. You want to throw a bubble screen over there, Kenneth Grant will walk you down. He comes out of the trash, this guy plays his ass off. I love Kenneth Grant. He's a three-technique – a guy who can play on the outside shoulder of the guard – and he can move. He's a great football player.' Even former Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh called Grant's chase down of Allen 'one of the best plays ever' in 2023. 'It was a guardian of victory type of play,' said Harbaugh, the current coach of the Los Angeles Chargers who also previously deemed Grant 'gift from the football gods.' 'Kenneth was dominant in the game. He was the real tone-setter right from the first series.' The word 'tone-setter' should not be overlooked. Dolphins coach Mike McDaniel has talked at length about the need to change the 'tonality' for the 2025 Dolphins. And he's right: the Dolphins, unfortunately, are primarily seen as soft. That needs to change and it's clear the franchise believes Grant can be a catalyst in that regard. 'It was important to have a tonality set for the 2025 Dolphins and adding a real presence up front and just a player that is going to attack it and try to play to the tonality that we aspire to,' McDaniel said. So it should be no surprise that Grant even considers himself a 'culture changer,' one who has won at every level he has been at. In his mind, why would that change in Miami? 'Before I went to Merrillville [High School], we were 1-9,' Grant recalled. 'Then right after that, we went to four straight semi-states. Then, going to Michigan, never beating Ohio State before. Then the year before I got there, we won it and then when I got there, we carried on that legacy. So I think I'm a culture changer for a winning culture, for sure.' And while Grant's own mother has previously referred to him as 'a gentle giant,' everything changes when he steps in between the white lines. 'Whether it's in practice or in the game, I'm always ready to go because on the field, it's no friends, to be honest,' Grant said. 'So I mean everybody is trying to get their individual goals, so you're not going to let another man take your goal. That's how I think of it.' That Grant, in his own words, won't 'let another man take' his goal is more than just football jargon; it's how a man that weighs more than 300 lbs. can have both the ability and effort to track down a tailback. 'What I was proud of is, out of all things ability-wise, that's purely his effort and his mindset to have to go redirect, retrace and chase down that running back,' Tress said. 'That's more so than his ability. His ability allowed him to do it. His effort is what made him do it.'
USA Today
25-04-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Dolphins first-round pick Kenneth Grant has sights set on prestigious NFL award
Dolphins first-round pick Kenneth Grant has sights set on prestigious NFL award Miami Dolphins first-round draft pick Kenneth Grant is setting some lofty goals for himself in the NFL. In his first interview with Dolphins reporters, the 331-pound defensive tackle said he's hoping to win an award that only three Miami players have ever earned. "I want to accomplish the (Walter Payton NFL) Man of the Year Award," Grant said Thursday night, not long after he became the No. 13 overall pick. The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award has existed since 1970 (it was called just the NFL Man of the Year Award prior to 1999) and previous winners include Dolphins legends Dwight Stephenson, Dan Marino, and Jason Taylor. The award recognizes a player's commitment to philanthropy and impact in the community, but it also goes to players who show excellence on the field. The three Dolphins winners were all in the later years of Hall of Fame careers when they earned the distinction. For Grant to have a shot at Man of the Year honors, he'll have to make a significant impact on the field. That's certainly on his list of goals, too. "I also want to accomplish winning a Super Bowl, winning all of the individual accolades for myself," Grant said. "I think this addition to the Miami Dolphins, me and myself, it's going to be one for the books.'
Yahoo
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Chicago Bears Mount Rushmore: Seth Rollins builds his monument
WWE superstar Seth Rollins is a diehard Chicago Bears fan and is always one to share his thoughts on the team through social media. But he also knows the history of this franchise. Rollins is currently planning for a marquee matchup at Wrestlemania 41 against fellow WWE superstars Roman Reigns and Chicago native CM Punk, but he took time out recently to co-host two days of "Good Morning Football." Rollins was asked to build his Bears Mount Rushmore. And with so many legendary players in the team's storied history, Rollins had no shortage of options. But, in the end, he went with four of the most iconic figures not only for the Bears, but in NFL history, as well. We asked "The Architect" @WWERollins to build the @ChicagoBears Mount Rushmore 🐻 — Good Morning Football (@gmfb) March 24, 2025 Papa Bear, George S. Halas was the first name on Rollins' list. Halas, who founded the franchise and the NFL, is the single most important figure in the history of the Bears. He's forever entrenched on Bears jerseys, across the organization, and there would be no legacy if it wasn't for Halas and the six championships he won during his time. Walter Payton is arguably the greatest running back in NFL history, and the best running back in franchise history, and it's hard to imagine Chicago's history without him. Payton not only broke countless NFL records, but he played a key role in the Bears winning a Super Bowl championship in 1985, and his contributions off the field led to the Walter Payton Man of the Year Award. A man who embodied what it meant to be a Chicago Bear, Payton set the standard for the entire franchise. Another member of the legendary 1985 Super Bowl championship team, Mike Singletary was probably Rollins' most difficult pick given Chicago's long list of Hall of Fame linebackers. The Bears are known for their legendary middle linebacker play and, with Dick Butkus and Brian Urlacher also being candidates for this selection, Rollins went with a man who was an absolute staple for the Bears defense during his time. At 38 years old, Rollins' era of Bears football was highlighted by the greatest return specialist in NFL history: Devin Hester. Holding an NFL return record with 20 touchdowns, Hester is also only one of 10 players to have a kickoff return for a touchdown in Super Bowl history. In his Bears career, he made Chicago football electrifying to watch week in and week out. This article originally appeared on Bears Wire: Chicago Bears Mount Rushmore: Seth Rollins builds his monument
Boston Globe
11-03-2025
- Sport
- Boston Globe
Former Patriots equipment manager George Luongo to be among three recipients of Pro Football Hall of Fame's Awards of Excellence
He grew up in Winchester before settling in Westwood and served in the Army during World War II and helped the team out in an unofficial capacity during the AFL years when Luongo also worked as a pipefitter. According to the Patriots' 1971 media guide, Luongo took over as the team's equipment manager in 1970. From the team's debut at Nickerson Field with stops at Fenway Park, Alumni Stadium, Harvard Stadium, and Foxboro Stadium, Luongo never missed a game. He was with the Patriots through three owners (Billy Sullivan, Victor Kiam, and James Orthwein) and 12 head coaches. Get Starting Point A guide through the most important stories of the morning, delivered Monday through Friday. Enter Email Sign Up Luongo received the 2019 Gridiron Club of Greater Boston Man of the Year Award. Advertisement Gray worked for the Bengals since the team's inception in the AFL in 1968 and attended all 644 games in the preseason, regular season and playoffs through 1999. Ryan began his career as a teenager with the Vikings in 1975 as a part-time employee. In 1981, he became the NFL's youngest equipment manager at 21 years old. He stayed with the organization for 47 seasons, accumulating a streak of 705 consecutive games worked until COVID-19 protocols kept him off the sideline. Longtime assistant coaches Dick Hoak, Elijah Pitts, and Jim McNally; public relations directors Pete Abitante, Jason Jenkins, and Bill Keenist; and athletic trainers Ed Block, Pepper Burruss, and John Norwig were previously selected for awards that will be handed out at a ceremony in June. The Hall will later announce winners for film and video directors.
