UF defensive coordinator
New coordinator isn’t cheap, but he gets results
Todd Grantham makes Gainesville his third stop in three years and fourth college since 2010. Each step of the way, he has put together a top-10 defense and enhanced his own bottom line.
GAINESVILLE — UF defensive coordinator Todd Grantham never has liked to play it safe.
Whether an opposing offense faces third-and-long or a school needs someone to fix its defense, Grantham likely is coming, with the aggressive style that defines him.
Gainesville is Grantham’s third stop in three years and fourth college since 2010. Each step of the way, he has put together a top-10 defense and enhanced his own bottom line.
Coach Dan Mullen signed to Grantham to a three-year, $4.47 million deal to turn around the Gators’ defensive fortunes like he did last season for Mullen at Mississippi State. The Bulldogs improved 100 spots in the national rankings, reaching No. 10, during Grantham’s one season in Starkville.
Grantham’s success, however, can come at a price. Yet, he, his wife, Paige, and two children look to carry a positive attitude each time the family pulls up stakes.
“We’ve always looked at it, my wife and I, as our life is a journey,” Grantham, who turns 52 next month, said. “Through our journey you meet good people everywhere, some people don’t get that exposure. I think in some ways it helps you become a more well-rounded person because you get to live in different parts of the country, meet different people.
“At the end of the day, there’s good people everywhere, and you end up with a lot of friends.”
Grantham is winning new fans on UF’s defense.
The 2017 Gators’ defense suffered some embarrassing showings and reached some historic lows after serving as the program’s backbone this decade.
UF’s players said Grantham’s aggressive, 3-4 scheme suits the team’s personnel, including sev-
eral talented pass rushers and a trio of high-caliber cornerbacks.
“Just want until Sept. 1,” senior CeCe Jefferson predicted.
Jefferson, who played end or tackle the past three seasons, returned for his final year and moved into a hybrid role. The decision largely was based on the arrival of the ultra-intense Grantham and his reputation for teaching his players and creating havoc for quarterbacks.
“He’s a character,” Jefferson said. “The way he coaches makes it easy to learn. Myself and all the other D-linemen are just embracing him and just having fun learning.”
Grantham does not get caught up in terminology, technique or tactics when describing his ideal defense. Instead, he focuses on his players being fast, physical and aggressive.
Mississippi State’s defense had some top players last season, including two of the SEC’s best linemen, end Montez Sweat and tackle Jeffery Simmons. To Grantham, though, the Bulldogs’ turnaround boiled down to a new attitude.
“We had talent,” Grantham said. “But to go from whatever it was [110th] to 10th. It was really, first of all, it was a belief thing, belief is powerful tool, but then it was that relentless effort — that was just a standard. There isn't any magic dust develop at a top defense.
“It's a lot of work and a lot of preparations, but there is a certain amount of relentless effort that’s involved. I would say that those guys last year really had that relentless effort.”
Grantham and his staff drilled home the point during preseason camp and soon will see how well his players listened, beginning with Saturday’s opener against Charleston Southern.
Mullen and UF fans both know what can happen if Gators take Grantham’s message to heart.
Mullen faced Grantham twice during the four seasons he was the defensive coordinator at Georgia. In 2010, Mullen’s Bulldogs prevailed 24-12, sparking a six-game winning streak en route to a nine-win season.
“It was one of my bigger wins,” Mullen said. “I don’t know, I might not be here today without that win.”
But Grantham’s Bulldogs flexed their muscle a season later during a 24-10 win. In 2012, Georgia forced six turnovers against UF to hand the Gators their only regularseason loss and cost them the SEC East title.
By then, UF fans were well acquainted with Grantham. In 2010, he famously gave kicker Chas Henry the “choke” as he lined up for the winning kick during UF’s 34-31 overtime win.
When he was looking for a new defensive coordinator after the 2016 season, the ever-emotional Mullen wondered if Grantham’s unbridled intensity on the sideline would make the two of them a good mix.
“It was a pretty good deal in that, a lot of times, when you hire somebody, you still don't always know,” Mullen said. “Then once we started working together, I realized, 'Wow, I got a guy who is a big-time coach with taking care of the defense, schematically, motivation, technically, every aspect, and is a great fit within our staff of how we do things.'
“His personality really fits to what our program is and the mentality I have with the program.”
Grantham said he has meshed with the offensive-minded Mullen because he sees the big picture like a CEO, realizing winning is not always about scoring a bunch of points.
“He really has a defensive mentality, both in recruiting and in the way he calls the game and the way he runs the game,” Grantham said. “The thing you've got to be careful of sometimes, say when you're the head coach from an offensive perspective, is you look at the offensive side and you forget about the defense.”
When he hired Grantham, Mullen made it clear his defense was a top priority. Grantham has coached defense, including a stint in the late ’90s at Michigan State under Nick Saban and 11 seasons in the NFL before heading to Georgia.
This nomadic existence can be challenging — Grantham’s son, Corbin, is a junior safety at Gainesville Buchholz, his third high school in three years. But there also have been endless rewards, for Grantham and his players.
“I like Coach Grantham because he's about us, man,” redshirt senior tackle Khairi Clark said. “If we want to be the best defense in the nation, we've just got to do everything he tells us to do because the guy's been there, he's coached college football, he's coached the NFL and we all believe in him."