Oklahoma State University Athletics
Vernon Grant
May 31, 2005 | Cowboy Football
Vernon Grant was often referred to as the heart and soul of Oklahoma State's defense. Indeed the three-year letterman and starter was the inspirational leader of a Cowboy defense that helped OSU land in three straight bowl games. Grant was killed in an automobile accident Monday night in Dallas. He would have been Oklahoma State's starting safety in 2005 and was on target to graduate in December with a degree in engineering. He was a star on and off the football field. Last season he was named an District XI Academic All-American and also received OSU's Academic Achievement Award.
2004: Grant started all 12 games in 2004, finishing with 67 total tackles, the fifth-best total on the Oklahoma State defense. He led the Cowboy defense with nine tackles in the Alamo Bowl game against Ohio State. Grant had nine tackles, a forced fumble and pass breakup against Texas Tech. He had four solo tackles including one for loss and a pass breakup in the win over Baylor. He led OSU with 11 solo tackles against Texas and had seven solo tackles with a fumble recovery and pass breakup in the loss to Oklahoma. He made two stops in the win over Missouri and had six solo stops against Texas A&M with a tackle for loss. He made five tackles with a fumble recovery and a quarterback hurry in the win over Colorado. He had four tackles against Iowa State and had two tackles, forced a fumble and intercepted a pass in the win over SMU. He made six solo stops and had a quarterback hurry against Tulsa and had two tackles, an interception and a team-high three pass breakups against UCLA.
2003: Played in all 13 games and registered eight starts. Grant finished second on the team with 89 tackles, including two for loss, while also tallying four pass breakups. He also excelled in the classroom, where he was named to the CoSIDA District VI Academic team with a 3.25 grade point average in engineering. His eight starts last season gives him 15 starts in his career. He finished second on the team with seven tackles against Baylor. He made three solo tackles against Kansas and recorded three tackles against Texas. He had nine tackles and a quarterback hurry against OU, and led the team with eight tackles and half a sack against the Aggies. Vernon finished with nine tackles against Texas Tech, and tied for the team lead with 10 tackles, as well as a pass breakup, against Kansas State. He recorded six tackles against Louisiana-Lafayette, while contributing a career-high 12 tackles against SMU. He was in on three tackles against SMS, and made two unassisted tackles against Wyoming. Grant finished with three tackles against Nebraska in the season opener.
2002: Vernon made his seventh-consecutive start when the Cowboys lined up against Southern Miss in the Houston Bowl. He finished the season with 62 tackles, one interception and five pass breakups. His tackle total was fifth-best on the OSU defense in 2002. He had six tackles, including four unassisted, in the Houston Bowl win over Southern Miss. Grant contributed seven tackles against Baylor, and made four solo stops against Kansas. He had four tackles and led the team with three pass breakups against Texas Tech. The true freshman cornerback was a difference maker in OSU's 28-23 win over Texas A&M, and was OSU's nominee for Big 12 Defensive Player of the Week after an eight tackle, three breakup, one interception performance against the Aggies.
High School: One of the top prospects in Texas, Grant finished with 67 tackles his senior season. As a junior, he had 49 tackles and one interception. He was a second-team Super Team player in Texas Football magazine, and a top-100 Texas and area recruit according to the Dallas Morning News. He was listed among the top-50 prospects in the Big 12 region by First Down Sports, and on the top-100 Texas list by Heartland Recruiting. Notre Dame, Iowa State and Wyoming also recruited Grant.
Personal: Born Nov. 27, 1983, Vernon is the son of Vernon Grant. His mother, Vanessa, passed away just prior to the start of two a days.
DEFENSE G UA A Total TFL Yds PD Int Yds FF FR 2002 13 50 12 62 1 2 6 1 0 0 0 2003 13 57 32 89 2 2 4 0 0 1 0 2004 12 60 7 67 2 2 6 2 3 2 2 TOTAL 38 167 51 218 5 6 16 3 3 3 2
