William & Mary football coach Mike London was an assistant at Boston College in 2000 when he learned that his daughter, Ticynn, was diagnosed with Fanconi anemia, a rare blood disorder that can lead to cancer and bone marrow failure. London and his wife sought a match through the National Marrow Donor Program but couldn\u2019t find one.<\/p>\n
London had his other children tested, but they weren\u2019t a match, either. With desperation setting in, London and his wife got tested. London came up as a match, and he and Ticynn underwent a transplant in 2003 that ultimately saved her life.<\/p>\n
The experience moved London to lead and participate in bone marrow drives throughout his coaching career. When he brought it up during spring practice in 2022, a young offensive lineman named Charles Grant was quick to add his name to the national bone marrow registry.<\/p>\n
Grant went on to become a starter at left tackle that season. He played well enough to land on the radar of NFL scouts.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat was when the thought was like, \u2018I can actually do this,\u2019\u201d Grant said last month. \u201cIt\u2019s something that I grabbed and just tried to strive for.\u201d<\/p>\n
Then, in May 2023, he was notified that he had been identified as a match for a Hodgkin\u2019s lymphoma patient. He called the coaching staff to notify them that he\u2019d be following through as a donor.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen they called him and said, \u2018Hey, you\u2019re a match,\u2019 there was no hesitation,\u201d former William & Mary offensive line coach Mario Acitelli said recently. \u201cIt wasn\u2019t like, \u2018Oh, well, let\u2019s see what kind of procedure it would need to be to determine if I\u2019m going to do it.\u2019 It was like, \u2018I can save somebody\u2019s life? Hell yeah, I\u2019m doing it.’\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant underwent a successful peripheral blood stem cell donation shortly after. His taking the time to do that, even as he aspired to play in the NFL, resonated with William & Mary players and coaches alike.<\/p>\n
\u201cI tell you what, man, you\u2019re talking to a guy that saved his daughter\u2019s life, and when you get a guy like that,\u201d London said Tuesday before taking a moment to gather his emotions. \u201cThat\u2019s a big-time deal. It\u2019s a character thing that I see in him. He\u2019s truly special. I love the guy because of what he stands for.\u201d<\/p>\n
This offseason, under general manager John Spytek and coach Pete Carroll, the Las Vegas Raiders placed an increased emphasis on character when deciding whether a player was worth adding to the team. As much as Grant\u2019s 6-foot-5, 309-pound frame, exceptional athleticism, uncommon movement skills and ability to manhandle defenders got their attention in the draft process, so did who he was as a person.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a man of high character,\u201d London said. \u201cI\u2019m so proud of him, of what he\u2019s done and what he\u2019s still yet to do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The top-30 visit Grant took to Raiders headquarters leading up to the draft confirmed he was the total package. And when Grant was still on the board at pick No. 99 in the third round, the Raiders didn\u2019t hesitate.<\/p>\n
\u201cA good athlete and a good person,\u201d Spytek said last month. \u201cHe can really move his feet and run into space. (Offensive coordinator) Chip (Kelly) is super fired up about getting him in there. He fits the scheme great.\u201d<\/p>\n
Grant is aware of the negative stigma often attached to prospects from small schools like William & Mary, an FCS program. There\u2019s typically some doubt they\u2019ll be able to cut it against NFL-level talent. While Grant acknowledges it\u2019ll be a steep uptick in competition, he believes he can silence the skeptics.<\/p>\n
\u201cI have a chip on my shoulder,\u201d Grant said. \u201cI know what I can do. I\u2019ve just got to prove it to everybody.\u201d<\/p>\n
day one @CharlesGrant51<\/a>#TribeInTheNFL<\/a> | #RaiderNation<\/a> <\/p>\n \ud83d\udcf8 @Raiders<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/BW6CeM05Ig<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 William & Mary Tribe Football (@WMTribeFootball) May 10, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Grant didn\u2019t play sports until he picked up wrestling in seventh grade, and he didn\u2019t play football until he was a junior at Churchland High in Portsmouth, Va. The coaching staff put him at left tackle and, while he was raw, he showed some early flashes that he attributed to his wrestling background.<\/p>\n \u201c(It was) the mental fortitude. It takes a lot to go out on the mat and just keep doing it even when you\u2019re dog tired,\u201d Grant said. \u201c(You have to) just keep fighting and finishing the match. \u2026 I used to wrestle for like four hours a day. I know I can persevere through anything I\u2019ve been going through. \u2026 And I\u2019d also say my ability to move off the ball, be quick, be nimble and cut the backside off, just things like that. I knew how to position my body.\u201d<\/p>\n Nonetheless, Grant remained a no-star recruit. He weighed just 240 pounds and hadn\u2019t participated in many camps since he continued to wrestle. He landed a Division II offer from Virginia-Wise following his junior season, and his only Division I offer came from William & Mary.<\/p>\n Grant committed to William & Mary at the start of his senior year. He received more offers after earning first-team all-region honors that season but stuck with his pledge since William & Mary is less than an hour from his hometown and the Tribe staff showed faith in him early.<\/p>\n \u201cHe was an offensive lineman that had some growth and development still left to do,\u201d London said, \u201cbut he had measurables, he was athletic and he had a great attitude.\u201d<\/p>\n When Grant enrolled in 2020, his first order of business was bulking up. Even at the FCS level, 240 pounds wouldn\u2019t cut it at offensive tackle. He redshirted as a freshman and spent that time improving his physique, refining his technique and working on the team\u2019s zone-based blocking scheme.<\/p>\n Grant progressed enough to start five games the next season, but the real turning point came in 2022. William & Mary was down to just five scholarship offensive linemen, and then one got hurt in fall camp.<\/p>\n That put more pressure on Grant to step up. Grant started every game that season, and then did the same in 2023 on his way to being named a first-team FCS All-American.<\/p>\n \u201cThe confidence level (went up),\u201d Acitelli said. \u201cOnce he knew, \u2018Hey, I can be good at this and I can be dominant,\u2019 it really started to take off.\u201d<\/p>\n Thank you!! https:\/\/t.co\/AWdFQTOWt6<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Charles Grant (@CharlesGrant51) April 29, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Following that breakout 2023 season, Grant had several opportunities to leave William & Mary for a bigger program. FBS teams attempted to poach him with lucrative NIL offers.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were some teams that offered him a lot of money to forgo his last year here and go to their place,\u201d London said.<\/p>\n Grant knew William & Mary wouldn\u2019t be able to match those deals, but he turned them down anyway. The biggest reason Grant stuck with the Tribe was the connection he had with his teammates over four years. They voted to name him a team captain, and he went on to have his best collegiate season as he was again named a first-team FCS All-American.<\/p>\n \u201cWilliam & Mary had given him an opportunity, and he wanted to make sure he finished it with those guys,\u201d Acitelli said. \u201cHe was dominant. I mean, he was throwing guys around and knocking guys down on an almost play-by-play basis. He was cutting guys off. We never had to worry about, \u2018Yeah, if we run the ball to the right, is he going to be able to cut off the 4i or the three technique?\u2019 That wasn\u2019t an issue. And then we knew when we ran to this side, there was going to be movement on the front side. It was a pretty awesome deal. \u2026<\/p>\n \u201cI moved from offensive line (coach) to offensive coordinator last year. I still coached the offensive line, but then on game day, I was trying to do two different things. \u2026 It forced (Grant) to become even more of a leader on game day and be more vocal.\u201d<\/p>\n .@WMTribeFootball<\/a> @CharlesGrant51<\/a> what a fascinating prospect. Great length; Great feet; lots of action. Good coaching; more strength and we have a starting tackle in the NFL #nfldraft<\/a> #BaldysBreakdowns<\/a> pic.twitter.com\/IvbK6F0sPU<\/a><\/p>\n