JONESBORO, Ark. (1/1/25) – Arkansas State assistant football coach Nick Grimes has transitioned to offensive line coach and run game coordinator, A-State head coach Butch Jones announced Wednesday.
 
Grimes, the interim offensive line coach in A-State’s 68 Ventures Bowl win, previously served as the Red Wolves’ tight ends coach the last two seasons (2023-24).
 
“Nick Grimes has been a valuable member of our coaching staff the last two years and did an excellent job coaching our offensive line leading up to and during our 68 Ventures Bowl win,” said Jones.  “His knowledge of our current offensive system and personnel, along with his outstanding experience with multiple positions on that side of the ball, make him a great fit for this role on our staff.”
 
In his two years with A-State, Grimes has helped the rush offense double its production from 88.2 yards per game in 2022 to 184.8 yards in 2023 and 156.9 yards in 2024. Tight ends accounted for 43 receptions, 302 yards and a pair of touchdowns in 2024.
 
Grimes came to A-State after spending the 2022 season coaching the tight ends position at UAB, but his path to Jonesboro also included a five-year stop at Campbell and three-year stint at Cincinnati.
 
Grimes helped lead UAB to a 7-6 record and 24-20 victory over Miami (OH) in the Bahamas Bowl last year.  The Blazers ended the season ranked eighth in the nation in rushing offense (235.6 ypg), 26th in third-down conversion (.452) and 32nd in total offense (438.2 ypg) while averaging 30.1 points per game.
 
Under Grimes direction, four different UAB tight ends combined for 28 receptions for 282 yards and three touchdowns.  Following the 2022 season, Grimes briefly served as an offensive analyst on the SMU football staff before joining A-State.
 
Grimes spent the 2017 through 2021 seasons at Campbell, including the last three years as the Fighting Camels’ offensive coordinator.  He also coached tight ends during his entire tenure at Campbell and was the special teams coordinator in 2017 and 2018.
 
Grimes moved to Campbell after three seasons at Cincinnati under head coach Tommy Tuberville, who was an assistant coach at A-State in 1983 and 1984.  He served as the Bearcats’ tight ends and fullbacks coach in 2015 and 2016.  In 2014, Grimes’ first season at Cincinnati, he was a graduate assistant for tight ends and special teams.
 
During his time at Cincinnati, the Bearcats participated in the 2015 Hawaii Bowl, as well as the 2014 Military Bowl after claiming a share of the American Athletic Conference title.
 
Grimes has a wealth of experience at the prep level in Texas, coaching three seasons at Navasota High School from 2010-12 and at Howe High School in 2013, where he was the offensive coordinator and strength and conditioning coordinator.
 
After lettering one season as a defensive lineman at Tulsa, Grimes transferred to Sam Houston State, where he lettered three seasons, earning honorable mention All-Southland Conference accolades and also taking a SHSU offensive lineman of the year nod.  He was a team captain as well.
 
Grimes graduated from Sam Houston State University in 2009 with a degree in kinesiology and a minor in history.