The younger Grimes has visited Tennessee at least three times this year, most recently attending the Vols’ 59-3 rout of East Tennessee State on Sept. 8 in their home opener. He also traveled to Knoxville in June and attended one of Tennessee’s spring scrimmages in April.
Tennessee coach
Jeremy Pruitt spent two years with Grimes’ father at Alabama — first as a teammate, then for one year during Pruitt’s time as a graduate assistant for the Crimson Tide.
Grimes said earlier this year that Pruitt already had shown him that he’s a priority for the Vols.
“He knows my dad. He’s recruiting me really hard,” the younger Grimes told GoVols247 at the time. “He really wants me.”
The fact that Pruitt and his father “played together” and have a strong relationship, Grimes said earlier this year, is just one of the reason he likes Tennessee.
“(I like) the fact that Coach Pruitt came down (to Mount Juliet to see) just me multiple times,” Grimes said. “They’re all competitive, the coaching staff. It’s a complete shift from the previous coaching staff.”
Grimes said in August that he’s convinced the Vols will have success under Pruitt because of “just the way that the players are now,” based on his trips to Tennessee this year.
“It’s different from the way they were when the last coaches were there,” Grimes said.