Purdue football netted a commitment from one of its top transfer portal targets on Thursday, landing former UNLV cornerback Tony Grimes. The commitment comes on the heels of Grimes’ official visit to West Lafayette to start the new year.

Grimes is well traveled during his collegiate career after being a five-star in the 2020 recruiting class. He began his career at North Carolina, spending three years in Chapel Hill and tallying 97 tackles, 19 passes defended and an interception. He then transferred to Texas A&M, but did not play in 2023 for the Aggies. He then transferred to UNLV for the 2024 campaign, where he had 20 tackles and six passes defended for Barry Odom's defense in Las Vegas.

Grimes had a 76.4 coverage grade via Pro Football Focus this season, which would have led Purdue's cornerbacks in 2024. Over the course of his career, the 6-foot-2 defensive back has held opposing quarterbacks to a 53.2% completion percentage when he is the main defender in coverage.

Purdue has seen several additions to its defense in the transfer portal, including Memphis safety Tahj Ra-El and Arkansas linebackers Alex Sanford Jr. and Carson Dean, whom Grimes joins with his commitment on Thursday night.

The Boilermakers have also begun plugging holes on the back end of their defense, with Grimes and Ra-El entering the fold, as well as junior cornerback Kyndrich Breedlove withdrawing his name from the transfer portal earlier this week. Grimes should immediately vault into pole position for one of the starting cornerback spots for the Boilermakers heading into 2025 with his experience and track record providing a valuable option in the secondary.