© Calvin Mattheis/News Sentinel
Former Tennessee football player and booster Grant Frerking is in hot water for a potential financial scam involving his $1 million company, Metro Shaw. The school and his business have since cut ties.
Frerking was a walk-on tight end that spent six years with the Vols. He played from 2017 through 2022 and grew to fame due to his off-field professional savvy.
The pass catcher appeared in 13 games in Knoxville, totaling three catches for 12 yards. While his on-field contributions were minimal, he gained media attention for his entrepreneurial success.
Frerking was the teenage CEO of Metro Shaw, a ground cover business with branches in Atlanta, Nashville, and Charlotte. It’s described as “one of the largest ground cover solutions companies in the southeast” in his 2022 Tennessee football bio.
He was also the founder of GFT Enterprises, whose mission was to “change the landscape of college athletics through NIL opportunities,” as well as the president of On3’s NIL University, a branch that provides resources for NCAA student-athletes to “successfully navigate the new frontier of name, image, and likeness.”
Grant Frerking was named 2016 Baylor Entrepreneur of the Year. He was one of On3’s Top 25 Most Influential Figures in NIL. Now, he’s caught in controversy.
Grant Frerking allegedly scammed customers.
Mike Wilson, Adam Sparks, and Tyler Whetstone broke down the situation in a story on Knoxville News Sentinel. They claim that the former Tennessee football player and booster pretended to continue working for Metro Shaw to collect money from customers with no intention of completing the work.
Former Tennessee football player Grant Frerking, who gained fame during his playing career as the teenage CEO of what was described as a $1 million company, has tumbled into a mess of financial scams and legal issues that have him asking former Vols athletes for loans.
In the past six months alone, a Davidson County judge has ordered Frerking to vacate two apartments in swanky Nashville neighborhoods where he ran up nearly $16,400 in unpaid debts, according to court documents reviewed by Knox News.
All the while, Frerking has been accused of pretending to work for Metro Straw, his former ground cover business, to collect money from customers who sent payments believing he still worked there only to be left without product delivered.
Unpaid rent and ensuing eviction notices were reported. Metro Shaw claims to have cut ties with Frerking two years prior.
His association with On3 has also been severed. Founder and CEO Shannon Terry posted an update on Frerking’s employment with the company on Wednesday.
On3 is aware of allegations concerning a former employee, whose employment ended on May 27, 2025. On3 has a zero tolerance policy for blatant violations of its internal standards and values, and takes allegations of criminal misconduct seriously. An internal investigation into… pic.twitter.com/FcL3Z1NFm2
— Shannon Terry (@ShannonTerry) June 11, 2025
Terry says Frerking’s employment ended in May of 2025. He’s since been removed from the company’s list of Influential NIL Figures.
Frerking’s involvement with Tennessee football wasn’t minimal. He been a mainstay at sporting events. He was on the board for Volunteer Legacy, a non-profit within the framework of NIL that was started in 2022 by UT Collective Spyre Sports.
After graduating, he pledged money to become a part of the school’s Shareholder Society, which boasts a minimum $25,000 requirement across five years. Tennessee refused to disclose details on his past donations, according to Knox News.
Grant Frerking’s ties to the university are now marred by controversy. He finds himself in a legal mess. He’s yet to respond publicly to the accusations.