ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 27, 1996 TAG: 9602270105
SECTION: SPORTS PAGE: B-1 EDITION: METRO
TODD GRANTHAM, a lifelong resident of Southwest Virginia, is leaving Tech to coach at Michigan State.
Virginia Tech's football program continues to learn the cost of success.
Tech, coming off a school-record season in which it won the Sugar Bowl and finished No. 10 in the final Associated Press poll, lost another assistant Monday when defensive line coach Todd Grantham accepted a similar post at Michigan State.
Grantham is the second Tech assistant to leave in the past month. Earlier, co-defensive coordinator Rod Sharpless was named defensive coordinator at Rutgers.
Grantham, who played at Pulaski County High School and Tech (1984-88), leaves Tech after serving four years as a full-time assistant. The 29-year-old Radford native began his coaching career as a graduate assistant for the Hokies in 1990.
Grantham, known as a tireless worker and recruiter, coached Tech's defensive line the past two years. The 1995 group, led by All-American Cornell Brown and J.C. Price, anchored a Tech defense that ranked among the nation's best.
Tech's attacking defensive scheme drew rave reviews around the country, and obviously some schools took notice. Grantham earlier turned down offers from Cincinnati (defensive coordinator) and Boston College (defensive line coach).
But going to Michigan State and the opportunity to work under second-year Spartans coach Nick Saban was too intriguing to turn down, Grantham said.
``Ask the NFL people and they'll tell you that Nick Saban is one of the great defensive coaches of all time,'' Grantham said of Saban, who was the Cleveland Browns' defensive coordinator before replacing George Perles at Michigan State.
``They want to go to a single-gap front like we ran here, and hopefully, we'll mold those guys like we did here.''
Grantham said his ultimate goal is to coach in the NFL, another reason to go to work for Saban.
``Knowing and working for Nick will open a lot of doors for me,'' Grantham said. ``Hopefully, if I work hard as a coach and a recruiter, I can put myself in a position where I might realize that NFL dream one day. This is a chance to make some new contacts and hopefully work my way up the coaching ladder.''
Still, Grantham confessed it will be tough to leave Southwest Virginia. He's spent his whole life here.
``I'm excited, and then again, I'm sad,'' he said. ``It's a hard thing to do. I'd like to thank Frank Beamer for giving me a chance to break into coaching. Tech has been a great place for me, and it's tough to leave all these good people.''
Beamer said he hated to lose Grantham.
``Todd is one of the bright young coaches in college football,'' Beamer said in a statement released by the school.
``But I understand. He has a desire to learn a new system and make new contacts. I predict Todd will go far.''
Grantham joins former Tech offensive coordinator Gary Tranquill at Michigan State. Tranquill left Tech after the 1994 season to become Saban's offensive coordinator.
There was no word Monday on who Beamer might hire to replace Grantham. Tech hired former Virginia and VMI assistant Jim Cavanaugh last week to replace Sharpless.
LENGTH: Medium: 67 lines ILLUSTRATION: PHOTO: (headshot) Grantham.by CNBRANDY KING STAFF WRITER