From youth football to the NFL, a strong running game that can produce explosive plays, move the chains, and control the game clock are all ingredients that help teams go far in the postseason. This is exactly what New Mexico Military Institute did this entire season with Anthony Grant.
With the luxury of having the nation’s leading rusher in the NJCAA, the Broncos didn’t change their philosophy when they upset #3 ranked Northwest Mississippi in the semifinal game, following that up with a win over #1 ranked Iowa Western in the Division 1 National Championship game.
A Star in Big Games
In those games, Grant went off; in the semifinal game rushing for 398 yards on 26 carries and scoring 5 touchdowns. Even with the defense focused on him, he rushed for 192 yards on 34 carries and scored 2 touchdowns against Iowa Western.
As a result, New Mexico Military leads the nation in rushing with 3,494 yards and scoring with 495. Grant finished the year with 1,730 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He averaged 144 yards per game and 7.2 yards per carry.
| DATE | OPPONENT | SCORE | RUSH | YDS | Y/A | LNG | TD | FUM | LOST |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 4 | Papago Pumas | W, 40-9 | 5 | 37 | 7.4 | 17 | 2 | - | - |
| Sep 11 | Maricopa Mustangs | W, 66-0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Sep 18 | at Navarro | W, 39-31 | 18 | 132 | 7.3 | 22 | 0 | - | - |
| Sep 25 | Kilgore | W, 37-26 | 35 | 239 | 6.8 | 55 | 1 | - | - |
| Oct 2 | at Blinn | W, 28-18 | 32 | 204 | 6.4 | 61 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 16 | Tyler | W, 49-13 | 8 | 60 | 7.5 | 19 | 2 | - | - |
| Oct 23 | Cisco | L, 38-19 | 19 | 82 | 4.3 | 19 | 0 | - | - |
| Oct 30 | at Northeastern Oklahoma A&M | W, 17-7 | 18 | 113 | 6.3 | 26 | 1 | - | - |
| Nov 6 | Trinity Valley | W, 58-28 | 15 | 62 | 4.1 | 10 | 1 | - | - |
| Nov 13 | Blinn | W, 48-0 | 14 | 83 | 5.9 | 13 | 1 | - | - |
| Nov 20 | Tyler | W, 45-10 | 17 | 128 | 7.5 | 38 | 2 | - | - |
| Dec 5 | vs. (3) Northwest Mississippi | W, 49-30 | 26 | 398 | 15.3 | 88 | 5 | 1 | 1 |
| Dec 17 | vs. (1) Iowa Western | W, 31-13 | 34 | 192 | 5.6 | 31 | 1 | - | - |
Two Seasons of Success
Due to covid, the NJCAA played their 2020 football season in the spring of 2021. Anthony Grant was originally at Garden City Community College for that fall season then went to New Mexico Military for the spring season.
In May of 2021, Grant was named the Southwest Junior College Football Conference MVP and earned 2nd Team All-American honors. Grant used this momentum as he entered the fall 2021 season and then took it to another level leading his team to a national championship.
Career Stats at New Mexico Military
Over his 2-season junior college career, the 5’11” 210-pound running back has racked up 2,549 rushing yards, 28 touchdowns, and has averaged 7.1 yards per carry.
For every good running back, there usually is a great offensive line leading the way. That was definitely the case for New Mexico Military. Tyrone Webber, a 6’5 290-pound Oklahoma State signee, was the anchor up front for the Broncos.
Florida State Seminoles
Prior to junior college, Grant played for the Florida State Seminoles in 2018 as a true freshman for Willie Taggert. As a freshman, he was used primarily as a kickoff return man on special teams and only had 5 carries as a running back. As a sophomore, he red-shirted and then left the program after their spring workouts.
Georgia 3-Star Prospect
Before signing with Florida State, Grant was a 3-star prospect out of Buford High School in Georgia. He was rated the 17th best running back in the 2018 recruiting class and was a Top 50 overall prospect in his state. He was originally committed to Tennessee and then flipped to Florida State on signing day.
Back on Track
As we look at his timeline and all the places he has gone since high school, it seems Grant really found his way once he got to New Mexico Military this past year.
Regardless of the number of stops he has taken in his journey, the one thing that is true is that he can flat out play the game. He has worked his way back to being that elite player everyone projected. He did have offers from Florida, Georgia, Michigan State, Arkansas, Kentucky, Ole Miss, Tennessee, and several more while at Buford.
Still Has 2 Years of Eligibility
With two years of eligibility remaining and a national championship under his belt, we expect several new schools to get in the mix recruiting Grant. He holds Group 5 offers from Arkansas State, Florida Atlantic, New Mexico State, Tennessee State, Middle Tennessee State, UMASS, and UAB.
As a staff, we are excited to follow Anthony Grant on his next stop and believe the team that he chooses will get an impact player over the next 2 seasons.
