Sept. 11, 2003

Charleston, SC - They didn't call it the "Shawn Grant Rule."

But they could have.

Back when Grant was a little 7-year-old roaming the pee-wee football fields of Sumter, league officials were forced to alter their rules, outlawing contact in flag football.

"They didn't change the rule because of me," Grant said modestly. "They changed it because of our team. Yeah, I think we played a major part in that rule change."

Now that he's all grown up -- at 5-9 and a rock-solid 215 pounds -- Grant's love of contact hasn't abated. The Citadel's sophomore already has developed a reputation as one of the fiercest hitters in the Southern Conference.

This week, as the 1-1 Bulldogs prepare to face Maryland of the ACC, Grant will move up from strong safety to linebacker to replace the injured Julian West, and to shore up The Citadel's defense.

"Oh no, I've never been hit by Shawn, and I'm glad I haven't," Citadel quarterback Willie Simmons said. "He's legit. He's the only one who will hit Nemo head on, so that tells you something right there."

Grant is willing to take on 6-0, 240-pound Citadel tailback Nehemiah Broughton in practice. But against Maryland, he will line up across from tackles that are more like 6-6 and 300 pounds.

Citadel coach Ellis Johnson said Grant can handle it, just like he's handled everything else the last two years.

"No question, Shawn is capable of it," Johnson said. "He's making so many plays at the safety position that are linebacker-type plays. We are really not getting the production we need at linebacker right now, so we just have to move him up there."

The weak-side linebacker spot he will fill is not much different from his strong safety spot, Grant said.

"I'll still be able to make the same reads," he said. "I think this will be better for me, because I'm actually closer to the line to make the reads.

"But I don't get that running head start that I'm used to. That running head start helps a lot."

Grant, a Shrine Bowl pick as a linebacker and tailback at Sumter High School, has had a running Citadel defensive back packs quite a wallop head start since he arrived at The Citadel last year. Even as the freshmen worked out in helmets and shorts last August, it was easy to single out Grant as a knob who would play right away.

And he did, playing in 10 games and starting six at safety. He had 61 tackles, sixth on the team, intercepted two passes and forced three fumbles. This season, he leads the Dogs with 16 tackles, including one for loss. He had 9.5 tackles in last week's 41-7 loss at Delaware.

"Shawn has always been a physical player, even when we watched him in high school," Johnson said. "He's a very mature kid, from a good family. From the first day he got here, he just blended in on the intensity level, the mental level. Everything that gets thrown at a college player that some kids can't handle right away, it never fazed him.

"Really, we've almost been unfair to him, as much as we've moved him around and as much as we've asked him to do. But from the day he walked on the field, he was more like a sophomore or junior than a freshman."

Grant has been through more than position changes. In the Dogs' 10th game last year, he was kicked in the kidney by a Chattanooga punter. He missed the final two games and was limited in spring practice. And just before the season, Grant fell off a motorbike, suffering road rash on his arms that forces him to wear wraps during games and practices.

"When I was in high school, all our linebackers were bigger and stronger than I was," he said. "It was all about just being able to hang in there, just like being at The Citadel. It's about being able to adjust, adapt and overcome your trials and tribulations.

"That's all I'm trying to do."