Virginia Tech's Cody Grimm (No. 26) forces a fumble last Saturday against N.C. State.

MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

North Carolina State quarterback Russell Wilson (16) fumbles the ball on the first play from scrimmage last Saturday after being hit by Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm.

Photos by MATT GENTRY The Roanoke Times

Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm leads the 14th-ranked Hokies with 93 tackles and seven forced fumbles.

BLACKSBURG -- Ask his coaches. Ask his teammates. Shoot, ask opposing teams around the ACC.

Ask them all about Virginia Tech linebacker Cody Grimm these days, and the response is totally consensus.

The CliffsNotes version of the answer reads: "This guy is a ballplayer."

Just listen to the crowd on Grimm:

n Tech coach Frank Beamer: "We thought Cody was a good player, but as we found out he's a terrific player. I think he's got great football sense. He understands the game. I think he's tougher than all get out. I've never seen the guy tired. Just a very unusual guy."

n North Carolina State coach Tom O'Brien, who watched Grimm force three fumbles on his team's first four offensive snaps in a 38-10 loss to Tech last Saturday: "Just a great football player. He never takes a false first step, he's always headed in the right direction. He's got great instincts and he's a great tackler."

n Maryland coach Ralph Friedgen: "He's a real football player. He runs extremely well and he hits extremely well, but he always has an idea of what the situation is. I'm good friends with his dad [Russ] ... and I wish his son was playing for us because he's a very, very good football player. I voted for him for all-conference."

n Tech tailback Ryan Williams: "Man, Cody Grimm plays 10 feet tall. I remember in my first scrimmage last year when I redshirted, I had an option [run] to the outside. And looking at Cody Grimm, and he's a small guy, he hit me and I flew all the way to the fence! I knew then that this guy comes to play every play he's in there. I'm glad he's on our team."

n Hokies defensive tackle John Graves: "Cody is a guy you want to have. He's not the biggest guy, but he makes up for a lot of that by playing smart. His looks may be deceiving, but he's one of the greatest ballplayers I've been around. Pick out sides for a game. He might be picked down the list, but I guarantee you the team plays on is going to win."

Share those responses with Grimm, and he simply gives you a mere shrug of the shoulders and his usual "Aw, shucks" grin.

Nowhere to somewhere

Coming out of Vienna's Oakton High School in 2005, Cody James Grimm wanted to play major college football. Problem was, nobody wanted an undersized 175-pound strong safety.

Despite a resume that included All-Group AAA and Northern Region defensive player of the year honors as a senior, I-AA William and Mary was the only college who offered Grimm a football scholarship.

"William and Mary wasn't quite what I was looking for," Grimm said. "If JMU [James Madison University] would have offered me, I might have gone there because that's a bigger school. Yeah, big school, bunch of girls, and I heard it was a good time."

Grimm then got recruiting offers to come in as a walk-on from Virginia, Pittsburgh and Virginia Tech. Eventually, he spurned UVa and Pitt, and opted to head to Tech, where his older brother, Chad, had walked on two years earlier and was on the team.

"I felt more comfortable here ... good area, brothers, and friends on the team," Grimm recalled.

Grimm, who had bulked up to a hulking 183 pounds by that point, didn't harbor any real visions of grandeur upon his arrival in Blacksburg.

"When I came here, my redshirt freshman year I was just happy to be dressing and on the roster ... hanging around the guys, you know," said Grimm, laughing. "I thought I would always play just special teams and thought I would be a backup my whole career pretty much."

After redshirting in 2005, Grimm spent most of the next two years starting on three of the Hokies' special teams units, while getting backup duty at whip linebacker. When starter Cam Martin began to have what would turn out to be a chronic knee problem, Grimm got considerable time in the 2007 ACC championship game against Boston College and against Kansas in the Orange Bowl.

With Martin still slowed by the bad knee, Grimm drew the majority of the playing time last season at the outside linebacker spot and proceeded to parlay the opportunity into huge gains. He finished with 71 tackles -- third on the team -- and ranked second in tackles for loss (14) and sacks (7.5).

This season, Grimm has played like his hair's on fire since opening day. Starting every game for 14th-ranked Tech (8-3), Grimm has played a team-high 779 snaps -- 625 on defense and 154 on special teams -- and leads the Hokies in tackles (93) and tackles for loss (9.0). Grimm's seven forced fumbles top the nation, and his three strips against State tied an NCAA Division I-A single-game record.

"You know, if Cam never got hurt, I would probably still be a backup ... at least, not get in as a full-time starter like I have," said Grimm, who now packs a robust 210 pounds on his 5-foot-11 frame.

"It feels good to have the kind of success I have had. I never really expected this. It's really cool."

Beamer awarded the versatile Grimm a scholarship in his redshirt sophomore season. The Hokies have gotten their money's worth on that one, according to the boss.

"That scholarship has paid off very, very well for us," Beamer said. "We fought to get him as a walk-on. We were the ones who were lucky, because I tell you because he's a real football player."

After Grimm's virtuoso performance last Saturday against N.C. State, Hokies defensive coordinator Bud Foster said he would "stand on the table for him being the defensive player of the year [in the ACC]."

"It feels good for Coach Foster to say that," Grimm said. "That means a lot. I've got to thank him for most of the success I'm having, he puts me in good situations."

Down the road

Cody Grimm knows all about the NFL. His father, Russ, was a a four-time All-Pro guard for the renowned "Hogs" offensive line that helped propel the Washington Redskins to three Super Bowl titles from 1981-92 under legendary coach Joe Gibbs. Grimm is now the assistant head coach for the Arizona Cardinals, who lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers in last season's Super Bowl.

Now, his youngest son, Cody, has a long-shot chance of being selected in next April's NFL Draft. Young Grimm's sheer football instincts, feel for the game, and his deceptive quickness and speed could make him a candidate to land a NFL roster spot.

Grimm will certainly get a free-agent shot if he's not drafted.

"He's not the biggest, but he's pretty fast, though, for his size and he makes the most of what he's got, and that's all you can ask," Russ Grimm said. "He's got a lot more speed than I had. That's why I had my hand in the dirt.

"I know this, I like what I've been seeing. Cody plays hard. I love watching him play. We'll see."

Cody is starting to see it, too. He's been receiving correspondence from prospective financial advisors and agents now that his name on the NFL radar. Grimm, whose wit and candor has made him a huge hit with the media that covers the Hokies, said the thought of leaving the college level and heading into the real world is somewhat overwhelming, however.

"I never really thought I would have the chance for the NFL," he said. "If I go train somewhere [in January], that's when it will probably hit me. I'm like, 'I'm used to being around all my buddies all the time, and I'm going to be living somewhere with no money.'

"I mean [his father] gives you enough money to survive. He writes you a couple thousand-dollar checks and cuts you off. He gives you enough money to survive. I mean I could probably survive off it if I'm living in my mom's basement for a half a year, we'll see. "

Talk about a guy who's already living the life. Grimm, who been a regular member of the quartet of Tech players assigned to talk to the media each Tuesday at the game-week news conferences, has been doing little else besides football this fall. He's taking one class this semester at Tech.

He confessed he routinely sleeps to 11 o'clock every morning during the week.

"I'm taking House Planing," Grimm said, laughing. "It's all about setting up how you build a house and what should be what size. It's kind of interesting, but I'll probably just buy a house already built."

If the NFL beckons, he will certainly shoot for the stars. If not, what's the plan then?

"What I want to do is just tell Dad that I'll baby-sit the beach house," referring to his family's second home in Outer Banks, N.C.

"I'll tell him, 'I'll keep an eye on the house, mow the yard, stuff like that.' It's not very realistic, though."

Well, neither was what's happened in his college football career.