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Humility key for NU's Grixby
BY ELIZABETH MERRILL
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LINCOLN - The love letters are packed in boxes now, and Cortney Grixby trudges off the field, smothered in a mountain of shoulder pads.
He looks small. For three years, Grixby was the poster boy for recruiting hype, the smiling kid with braces who had scholarship offers before he could drive, but now he's a freshman who's beat up and anonymous and happy.
Too late.
Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington spots Grixby after practice and offers up an assessment.
"God's-honest truth, he looks a lot better than me when I was a freshman," Washington said. "He really doesn't get beat that much. He looks like he's been here a while."
Washington, mind you, was the last defensive player to start as a true freshman at Nebraska. But Grixby shrugs at his fast start and the fact that he's run with the No. 1 defense two weeks into fall camp.
"I've just made a couple of plays," the 5-foot-9, 160-pound defensive back said. "Right now I feel no pressure. I'm just coming in as a regular freshman trying to learn. I feel no pressure from anybody. People are going to say what they're going to say. I just let them say it. I'm just trying to be a better player."
Here's the intriguing part - 10 months ago, at Omaha Central, Grixby was a quarterback. His defensive time was spotty, some third-down situations, some matchups with the state's top receivers.
But Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said some of his best corners have been quarterbacks. At Wisconsin, Cosgrove and NU Secondary Coach Phil Elmassian tutored Jamar Fletcher, a high school quarterback who went on to be an All-America cornerback.
Grixby was thrown into the mix because of injuries. He might stay there, Cosgrove said, because of his speed and athleticism.
"I've been very impressed with what I've seen so far," Cosgrove said. "He has a lot of confidence as a true freshman.
"You don't have to be a defensive back in high school to be a defensive back in college. We're looking for athletic ability, and 'Grigs' has what it takes."
It runs in the family. Grixby's older brother DeAntae played fullback at Nebraska. Though DeAntae battled injuries most of his career, he taught his little brother about persistence and humility. Being DeAntae's brother also gave Cortney an early glimpse of the program.
Now Cortney's the one giving advice to another younger brother, Ronnell. He's in ninth grade and plays fullback, safety and outside linebacker.
He hopes Ronnell doesn't have to endure the recruiting circus his big brother did, when the phone never stopped ringing and he retreated to a quiet corner at a downtown library just to clear his head.
"I tell him to keep a humble head, and be his own person," Cortney said.
"He's going to be a good one."
In Lincoln, they're saying the same thing about Cortney. He's 160 pounds, but Washington says his speed and poise make him seem bigger.
And that's no hype.
"I'm just happy I got a chance to play at this level," Grixby said. "I never expected anything from anybody. I just like to play ball, and that's it."
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=528&u_...3&u_sid=1182581
BY ELIZABETH MERRILL
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
LINCOLN - The love letters are packed in boxes now, and Cortney Grixby trudges off the field, smothered in a mountain of shoulder pads.
He looks small. For three years, Grixby was the poster boy for recruiting hype, the smiling kid with braces who had scholarship offers before he could drive, but now he's a freshman who's beat up and anonymous and happy.
Too late.
Nebraska cornerback Fabian Washington spots Grixby after practice and offers up an assessment.
"God's-honest truth, he looks a lot better than me when I was a freshman," Washington said. "He really doesn't get beat that much. He looks like he's been here a while."
Washington, mind you, was the last defensive player to start as a true freshman at Nebraska. But Grixby shrugs at his fast start and the fact that he's run with the No. 1 defense two weeks into fall camp.
"I've just made a couple of plays," the 5-foot-9, 160-pound defensive back said. "Right now I feel no pressure. I'm just coming in as a regular freshman trying to learn. I feel no pressure from anybody. People are going to say what they're going to say. I just let them say it. I'm just trying to be a better player."
Here's the intriguing part - 10 months ago, at Omaha Central, Grixby was a quarterback. His defensive time was spotty, some third-down situations, some matchups with the state's top receivers.
But Nebraska Defensive Coordinator Kevin Cosgrove said some of his best corners have been quarterbacks. At Wisconsin, Cosgrove and NU Secondary Coach Phil Elmassian tutored Jamar Fletcher, a high school quarterback who went on to be an All-America cornerback.
Grixby was thrown into the mix because of injuries. He might stay there, Cosgrove said, because of his speed and athleticism.
"I've been very impressed with what I've seen so far," Cosgrove said. "He has a lot of confidence as a true freshman.
"You don't have to be a defensive back in high school to be a defensive back in college. We're looking for athletic ability, and 'Grigs' has what it takes."
It runs in the family. Grixby's older brother DeAntae played fullback at Nebraska. Though DeAntae battled injuries most of his career, he taught his little brother about persistence and humility. Being DeAntae's brother also gave Cortney an early glimpse of the program.
Now Cortney's the one giving advice to another younger brother, Ronnell. He's in ninth grade and plays fullback, safety and outside linebacker.
He hopes Ronnell doesn't have to endure the recruiting circus his big brother did, when the phone never stopped ringing and he retreated to a quiet corner at a downtown library just to clear his head.
"I tell him to keep a humble head, and be his own person," Cortney said.
"He's going to be a good one."
In Lincoln, they're saying the same thing about Cortney. He's 160 pounds, but Washington says his speed and poise make him seem bigger.
And that's no hype.
"I'm just happy I got a chance to play at this level," Grixby said. "I never expected anything from anybody. I just like to play ball, and that's it."
http://www.omaha.com/index.php?u_pg=528&u_...3&u_sid=1182581
