The noise and excitement surrounding junior defensive tackles Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant this season has been loud. Both were standout contributors last season and have continued to garner high praise in camp, as they are key leaders on the defensive line.
But the two players themselves are quiet.
“Me and KG don’t really talk too much,” Graham said Tuesday. “I mean, we’ll lead by example.”
Graham and Grant talk when they need to, but they usually prefer to let their work ethic and play speak for itself. And when they do that, they may as well be screaming.
Grant is most well known nationally for his highlight-reel play against Penn State last season when he chased down the shifty, much lighter running back Kaytron Allen, preventing a touchdown. According to defensive line coach Lou Esposito, Grant’s conditioning and energy has only improved since then, meaning plays like that might become the norm.
“He plays with a great motor,” Esposito said Wednesday. “Everyone talks about the Penn State play last year. There’s at least eight or nine of those in camp this year, where he’s running a guy down on a screen all the way across the field, he’s rushing from one sideline to the other. So he’s done that because he’s got his conditioning up and really bought into what we did in the summer.”
Grant demonstrating that buy-in pays dividends for the rest of the team, especially the younger members who look to emulate him. Esposito described leading by example as a rite of passage for stars like Grant and Graham. Older players helped them on their way up, and now they get to pay it forward. In their own humble way, Graham and Grant have embraced that role.
The other day in practice, Esposito went to the defensive line room and was surprised to find Graham already in there with sophomore tackle Enow Etta. The two were watching film, and Etta was scribbling notes as Graham coached him and described what he was seeing. Graham may be on the quiet side, but clearly his few words are impactful. Esposito also noted how Graham’s demonstrable skill can itself be used as a learning tool.
“Yesterday’s practice for Mason was elite,” Esposito said. “There was five or six clinic tapes where you just go ‘Okay, this is teach tape, this is exactly how it should look.’ He’s ramped it up. He’s ready to rock and roll.”
Similarly to Graham with Etta, Esposito noted that Grant has taken sophomore tackle Trey Pierce under his wing. So if you see Pierce running down opponents all over the field in the near future, you’ll know who he learned it from.
“There’s different ways of leading, but we’ve all been there,” Graham said. “We’ve all done it. We all know what it takes, so just kind of trying to bring everyone together.”
When defensive linemen are colliding with 300-pound offensive linemen every play with as much power as they can muster, they’re bound to run out of energy quickly. Esposito hopes to keep the line fresh by rotating his players as much as possible, and a successful rotation will require more than just its two star players to be able to make an impact.
Graham and Grant have bolstered the rotation not just with their own prowess on the field, but through their ability to lift up their peers. They’ve already established their impressive skillset, and now their leadership style is taking shape. They may be quiet, but their influence is loud.
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