With his final season as a Jayhawk winding down and just one credit hour on his class schedule this semester, the time has arrived for Kansas wideout Luke Grimm to pour everything he’s got into his final run with KU football.
As he's done so, we've followed him every step of the way in this weekly diary that has chronicled Grimm’s 2024 season.
Some of what you’ve read here, in Grimm’s own words, has focused on the stuff happening between the lines — big wins, memorable catches and the grind of the season. But a lot of it has focused on Grimm the person, a 23-year-old senior who has given everything he has to the program and seen it pay off in a big way.
The Grimm File
Age: 23 | Height: 6-0 | Weight: 190 | Position: Wide Receiver
Notable: Last season, Grimm became the 16th Jayhawk to reach the 100-catch mark for his career... The senior wideout enters the 2024 season with 126 career receptions, putting him within striking distance of climbing into 4th place (155) on KU's all-time receiving chart and with an outside shot at cracking the top 3 (214 and 219)... He also is less than 300 yards away from reaching the top 5 on KU's receiving yards list... Dubbed "The Grimm Reaper" early in his career, Grimm appeared in 6 games as a true freshman and has finished each of the past three seasons in the top four in receptions, including leading the team in 2022 and finishing second last season... A 3-star recruit by Rivals.com, 247 Sports & ESPN, Grimm was ranked as the No. 7 wide receiver in the state of Missouri by Max Preps in the 2020 class.
Updating Grimm's stats/season: Through 10 games, Grimm leads the Jayhawks in catches (44), receiving yards (582) and receiving touchdowns (6) and last week moved into the No. 3 spot on KU's all-time receiving yards list with 2,364 yards, passing former KU great Kerry Meier. He also sits at No. 2 on KU's all-time receiving touchdowns list, with 23, and in 4th place on the program's all-time receptions list with 170.
Grimm and the Jayhawks had big goals for the 2024 season entering the year, and 4-6 overall and 3-4 in Big 12 play entering the final two weeks of the regular season was not what any of it looked like in their minds.
None of that mattered last Saturday night, though, when the Jayhawks played arguably their best football game of 2024 and handed No. 6 BYU its first loss of the season in Provo, Utah.
The 17-13, grind-it-out victory marked the first time in school history that KU had recorded wins over ranked teams in back-to-back weeks. The 13 points were the lowest KU had allowed a ranked opponent since holding Oklahoma to 11 in 1984. And, most importantly, KU kept its season alive with win No. 4 and now needs two wins in the final two weeks to become bowl eligible.
So, yeah, there was plenty to celebrate after that one. And celebrate the Jayhawks did. But the plane ride home was not quite as lively as one might think.
"I fell asleep before the plane even took off."
The immediate aftermath of the down-to-the-wire victory was electric. As soon as the final horn sounded, Grimm made his way to the BYU sideline to reconnect with former KU strength assistant Tanner Maher.
After a quick hug and hello, it was back to the KU sideline and then the Jayhawks' locker room, with a few screams of victory mixed in along the way.
"You get in the locker room, high-fiving everybody as they come in, hugging all the coaches as they come in, it’s so cool to see because, with how this season started and what the fans and all the outside noise was saying — Kansas this and Kansas that — those guys in that locker room went through it all. And they were the only ones that believed the entire time."
"It was just super-cool to be there and enjoy that moment with all the people that worked so hard for it."
While the Jayhawks themselves never gave in and have prided themselves on sticking with it and fighting to get back on track, Grimm said there were signs of positive vibes returning even before knocking off the 6th-ranked Cougars.
"You beat Iowa State and some people start to come back and they’re like, 'Wait, this Kansas team might be good.' And then you beat BYU and people start to jump back on. It's great. We always believed that we were a good team and that this was possible."
That belief, which never wavered, made last Saturday's celebration that much sweeter.
Grimm shared part of it with his girlfriend and parents, who made the trip. And the party vibe for the big win pretty much stayed in the locker room. Not because the Jayhawks weren't still feeling themselves. Instead, because of what their watches and clocks read in the hours after the big win in Provo, Utah.
"The locker room was awesome for about 30 minutes. But then it was like, 'All right, guys, we’re gonna get home at 6:45 in the morning, we gotta wrap this thing up so we can go home.'"
From there — lights out, close the door behind you — it was on to the team buses and a 50-minute drive to the airport.
"As soon as I got on the bus, it was like, 'Holy crap, it’s 2 in the morning and I’m tired.'"
To make matters worse, the winter weather that night forced the Jayhawks to sit on the tarmac for a while longer than usual, waiting for the plane to be de-iced so they could take off.
If things weren't already winding down, that scene brought an even greater subdued vibe to the plane. Grimm said nothing showed that more clearly than the 20-seat section of the plane where seniors sit just before takeoff.
"If you were to just take a picture of that moment, I’m pretty sure everybody was mouth-open passed out. I fell asleep before the plane even took off."
Finally back in Lawrence on Sunday morning — just before the sun came up —Grimm said he unlocked the door to his apartment at 6:43 a.m.
"I was gonna stay up. I text my dad and said, 'I’m gonna call ya in 15 minutes.' And then I went and washed my face and tried to wake myself up. But then I looked at my bed and thought, 'I’m going to sleep.' Slept for about 4 hours and woke up to watch some NFL football."
A little sleep, a little down time and then it was on to the next one and the early stages of prep for this weekend's massive showdown against No. 16 Colorado at Arrowhead Stadium.
It's Senior Day, which brings with it a new set of excitement, distractions and challenges. But, true to form, Grimm said he was most looking forward to Saturday because it's his next chance to play football.
"Obviously, I’m gonna be excited to be out there for the pregame senior ceremony. It’s gonna be cool to have my girlfriend and my family out on the field, to get the jersey and the flowers and everything. It’ll be emotional. But, at the end of the day, I’m still gonna be out there to play football. So, I’m excited to go through all that for my family."
Kickoff is slated for 2:30 p.m. on FOX, with the Jayhawks needing a win on Saturday and one more on Nov. 30 at Baylor to become bowl eligible.
Stay tuned...
Follow Along with Grimm's Senior Season...
• Chapter 1 - The beginning of the end
• Chapter 2 - Grimm talks media
• Chapter 3 - And so it begins...
• Chapter 5 - Operation bounce-back
• Chapter 7 - Aye, aye, captain
• Chapter 8 - Bye week a true break
• Chapter 9 - The art of being a receiver
• Look for Chapter 11 next week, after the Jayhawks play host to No. 16 Colorado on Senior Day for what will be the final home game Grimm and nearly three dozen of his teammates
— For tickets to all KU athletic events, visit kutickets.com
