Devin Grant, a former Holy Cross High School student who signed with the LA Chargers as an undrafted free agent last month, is out to prove that New York City is not just a basketball city but also a haven for football.
Grant, a safety who graduated from Holy Cross in 2022, signed with the Chargers at the end of April after receiving offers from the San Francisco 49ers and the Seattle Seahawks, according to reports.
The move was a special one for Grant, allowing him to follow in the footsteps of his uncle Dean Marlowe – another Holy Cross alumni who enjoyed a nine-year career in the NFL before retiring at the Chargers.
“It’s honestly a blessing (to follow in my uncle’s footsteps),” Grant said. “Who gets to start their career where their uncle finished?”
Grant played varsity football as a sophomore at Holy Cross and credited varsity coach Tim Smith for his development into a player who played football the “right way.”
“It was great having him in my corner, having watched him develop my uncle,” Grant said. “He showed me how to play football the right way. Not even just on the field, but off the field. He showed me how to become a better man… It just shaped me to grind hard and never take a moment for granted.”
Grant, who grew up in Queens, is now out to prove that the borough – and New York City – is not just a basketball town.
“We’re looked at as a basketball city,” Grant said. “I’m here to show them that New York’s in the building, that we got dogs. Don’t forget about us.”
After leaving Holy Cross in 2022, Grant accepted an offer to play football at the University of Buffalo before transferring to Syracuse University two years later. He is now looking forward to playing in the LA sunshine after playing almost all of his football in the cold winters of the northeast.
“I’m definitely enjoying the nice weather because I’m tired of the snow,” he said.
He has also set his sights on earning a roster spot at the Chargers ahead of the upcoming NFL season.
“I just want to get better each and every day and be the best version of myself,” Grant said. “It’s definitely a little different (than college). It’s a little bit higher paced… but nothing that I can’t handle. Nothing I’m not ready for.”
For Smith, who has kept in touch with Grant since he departed Holy Cross for years ago, it is no surprise that his former student has made it to the NFL.
“Devin played on the varsity football team from sophomore year onward,” Smith said. “He was a captain in his senior year and had extremely high football IQ. He was extremely talented and it always felt like he had the ability to play high in college football and possibly in the NFL. So this really doesn’t come as a surprise.
“Holy Cross has never been the type of football program that had sophomores on varsity,” Smith continued. “So for him to be a starter and a two-way starter as a sophomore of varsity, that’s a big accomplishment in itself.”