It appears another SEC East will lose its leader on the defensive side of the ball to the big boy league of football.
Last week, it was reported that Florida defensive coordinator Todd Grantham was one of a handful of candidates for the same job with the Cincinnati Bengals. According to a report from the NFL Network‘s Ian Rapoport, the organization has now narrowed its search to a party of one -- Grantham.
Based on the report, it appears the only remaining obstacle is the wordsmithing of a contract.
Sources: The #Bengals have narrowed their defensive coordinator search to focus on #Florida DC Todd Grantham, and he’s back in the building this morning. The only question is, can the #Bengals and new coach Zac Taylor pull him away from UF.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) February 13, 2019
Making him attractive to the Bengals, Grantham has extensive experience at the pro level in general and the AFC North specifically.
From 1999-2009, Grantham spent time on four NFL coaching staffs, including the Cleveland Browns as defensive coordinator (2005-07). The other stops were as defensive line coach with the Dallas Cowboys (2008-09), Houston Texans (2002-04) and Indianapolis Colts (1999-2001).
Since the last NFL stop, Grantham has served as the coordinator at Florida (2018), Mississippi State (2017), Louisville (2014-16) and Georgia (2010-13).
During his lone season in Gainesville, Grantham had the Gators 21st nationally in scoring defense (20.4 points per game) and 26th total defense (339 yards per game). The year prior to Grantham’s arrival, they were 72nd (27.3 ppg) and 31st (349 ypg) in those same categories.
As previously reported, it’s expected that Kentucky will lose its defensive coordinator, Matt House, to the Kansas City Chiefs.