GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Florida has received a jolt of depth and talent for spring football as the Gators have welcomed nine mid-year enrollees to campus for the spring semester.
"These guys have the opportunity to get a jump start on their college careers," Coach
Dan Mullen said. "Being able to participate in our offseason program and spring ball will help them lay the foundation for their future on the field and in the classroom."
The Gators list of early enrollees includes, offensive linemen
Noah Banks (Pensacola/Iowa Western College) and
Chris Bleich (Hanover Township, Pa./Wyoming Valley West), running backs
Iverson Clement (Mount Holly, N.J./Rancocas Valley Regional) and
Dameon Pierce (Bainbridge, Ga./Bainbridge), wide receivers
Van Jefferson (Brentwood, Tenn./Ole Miss) and
Trevon Grimes (Fort Lauderdale/Ohio State), defensive back
Trey Dean (Hampton, Ga../Dutchtown), athlete
Amari Burney (Clearwater/Calvary Christian) and quarterback
Emory Jones (LaGrange, Ga./Heard County).
Both Jefferson and Grimes join the Gators by way of transferring from Ole Miss and Ohio State, respectively. Meanwhile, Banks is the lone junior college transfer of this class.
Jefferson and Banks have enrolled at the University of Florida as redshirt juniors with two years of eligibility remaining, while Grimes will enroll as a freshman with three years of eligibility left.
All nine student-athletes are enrolled in classes at UF.
Meet Florida's Early Enrollees
Noah Banks / 6-7, 305
OL / Pensacola, Fla. / Iowa Western College
- Played in 10 games in the 2017 season for Iowa Western College, helping the Reivers to an 11-1 overall record
- Helped his offense average 515.4 yards per game – 240.3 passing yards per game and 275.2 rushing yards per game
- Coached by Scott Strohmeier at Iowa Western
- Played for Murray State in 2016, seeing time in 10 games under coach Mitch Stewart
- Coached by Harry Lees during high school
- Chose Florida over Arkansas, Texas, Auburn, FAU and Iowa State
247Sports Info (JUCO)
- 247Sports.com star rating: Three
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 28
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 6
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 2
Personal Info
- Christopher is his first name
Chris Bleich / 6-6, 313
OL / Hanover Township, Pa. / Wyoming Valley West
- Named First Team All-USA Pennsylvania as a senior in 2017
- Helped Wyoming Valley West to a 7-7 record
- Anchored an offensive line that allowed Wyoming Valley West to rush for 260.1 yards per game and 46 touchdowns
- A Pennsylvania Class 5A All-State selection in 2016
- Attended the IMG Academy in Bradenton, Fla. for part of his junior season
- Played for coach Pat Keating
- Chose Florida over UCLA, Penn State, Pittsburgh, Maryland and Nebraska
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: 3
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 434
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 29
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 15
Amari Burney / 6-1, 219
ATH | Clearwater | Calvary Christian
- Played three seasons at both wide receiver and safety. Defensively, he recorded 182 total tackles, 10.0 tackles-for-loss, three interceptions, three forced fumbles, three fumbles recoveries, 23 pass deflections, two sacks, 22 quarterback hurries and three defensive touchdowns. Offensively, he compiled 992 receiving yards on 54 catches while scoring 12 touchdowns
- Senior season: 18 total tackles, one defensive touchdown, one interception and a tackle-for-loss … On offense he caught 33 passes for 558 yards and five touchdowns
- Also rushed the ball 10 times for 48 yards and a score
- Played his freshman, sophomore and junior years at Clearwater Central Catholic
- Sophomore season: Had 91 total tackles with 54 solo tackles while he intercepted two passes, forced 21 pass breakups, forced two fumbles, recovered five fumbles and scored five times on defense. Offensively, he caught 20 passes for 404 yards and seven touchdowns.
- Freshman season: Had 73 total tackles with 41 solo tackles. Also recorded five tackles-for-loss, two sacks, 19 quarterback hurries and one forced fumble.
- Played for coach Todd Yoder
- Chose Florida over Florida State, Miami, Ohio State, Tennessee and Auburn
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: 4
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 169
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 15
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 30
Personal Info
- Amari's uncle graduated from UF in 2004
- Amari's cousin, Brandon Facyson, plays cornerback at Virginia Tech
- Enjoys playing Madden and NBA 2K
Iverson Clement / 5-11, 199
RB / Mount Holly, N.J. / Rancocas Valley Regional High School
- A three-year starter for Rancocas Valley, Clement compiled 3,404 yards on the ground while finding the endzone 46 times in his career including five receiving touchdowns
- Led his team to a 10-2 record his senior year and a berth in the South Jersey Group Five Championship Game
- Senior season: rushed for 1,419 yards on 199 carries, averaging 7.1 yards per carry and 129.0 yards per game while scoring 13 rushing touchdowns. Also, caught 10 passes for 128 yards and two touchdowns
- Junior season: rushed for 1,430 yards on 194 carries, averaging 7.4 yards per carry and 158.9 yards per game while scoring 19 rushing touchdowns. Also, had seven receptions for 24 yards and a touchdown.
- Sophomore season: rushed for 555 yards on 92 carries, averaging 6.0 yards per carry and 69.4 yards per game while scoring nine rushing touchdowns. Also caught the ball 18 times for 171 yards and two touchdowns.
- Played for coach Dan Haussman
- Chose Florida over Ohio State, Michigan, Tennessee and Baylor
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: 4
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 285
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 11
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 7
Personal Info
- Enjoys cutting and styling hair
- Would like to wear number seven
Trey Dean / 6-2, 180
DB / Hampton, Ga. / Dutchtown
- Selected to participate in the 2017 Under Armour All-American Game
- Had two pass breakups and one tackle in the game
- In 19 games on varsity, he recorded 45 tackles, three interceptions and 10 pass breakups
- He also forced a fumble and recovered a fumble during his career
- Helped his team to a 7-4 record overall and a 5-3 record in region play in the 2017 season
- Coached by Clifford Fedd
- Chose Florida over Alabama, Kentucky, Tennessee and Georgia
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: Four
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 249
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 22
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 27
Personal Info
- Cousins with former Gator great and All-American Ahmad Black
- Grew up a Gator fan his entire life
- Has two sisters, Kayla and Jada
Emory Jones / 6-2.5, 195
QB / LaGrange, Ga. / Heard County
- Selected to participate in the 2018 Under Armour All-America Game
- Recorded nine yards passing and eight yards rushing in the game
- Participated in the Elite 11 Finals all-star camp in 2017
- Through the first eight games of his senior season, he went 61-of-103 for 1,197 yards and 10 passing touchdowns
- Also rushed for 494 yards and six touchdowns in those eight games
- Coached by Tim Barron
- Chose Florida over Ohio State, FSU, Auburn and Alabama
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: Four
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 40
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 4
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 7
Dameon Pierce / 5-11, 208
RB | Bainbridge, Ga. | Bainbridge
- A four-year starter for Bainbridge, Pierce compiled 6,779 yards on the ground while finding the end zone 92 times in his career including two receiving touchdowns
- Led his team to a 8-4 record his senior year and a berth in the AAAAA State Playoffs
- Senior season: rushed for 2,123 yards on 227 carries, averaging 9.4 yards per carry and 193.0 yards per game while scoring 32 rushing touchdowns. Also, caught four passes for 124 yards and a touchdown
- On October 20th, passed Herschel Walker on GHSAA's All-Time rushing list.
- Finished his career in the top 10 in the state's rushing list
- 2017 Class AAAAA All-State
- Junior season: rushed for 1,686 yards on 243 carries, averaging 6.9 yards per carry and 168.6 yards per game while scoring nine rushing touchdowns. Also, had 20 receptions for 248 yards and a touchdown.
- 2016 Class AAAAA All-State
- Broke a school record when he rushed for 330 yards and four touchdowns on Oct. 1, 2016 against Rickards HS (Fla.)
- Sophomore season: rushed for 2,060 yards on 308 carries, averaging 6.7 yards per carry and 147.1 yards per game while scoring 33 rushing touchdowns. Also caught the ball 13 times for 148 yards
- Freshman season: rushed for 910 yards on 164 carries, averaging 5.5 yards per carry and 82.7 yards per game while scoring seven rushing touchdowns. Also, caught eight passes for 51 yards
- Played for coach Jeff Littleton
- Chose Florida over Alabama, Florida State, Miami, Georgia, South Carolina and Auburn.
247Sports Info
- 247Sports.com star rating: 4
- 247Sports.com national ranking: 200
- 247Sports.com position ranking: 10
- 247Sports.com state ranking: 24
Personal Info
- Fan of snacks, including fruit roll ups, gushers, gummy worms and Nutella
- Has two older brothers and a younger sister
- Braided his younger sister's hair each morning before school when they were young
Van Jefferson / 6-2, 195
WR / Brentwood, Tenn. / Ole Miss
- Transfer from Ole Miss
- Finished second on the team in 2017 with 456 receiving yards and one touchdown on 42 catches
- Saw action in 10 games – starting three
- Best game statistical game in 2017 came against California – he recorded 94 yards on 10 catches
- Earned Athlon Freshman All-America third team honors in 2016 to go along with Freshman All-SEC first team accolades (Coaches, Gridiron Now)
- Also named Freshman All-SEC second team by Athlon
- Finished second on the team in 2016 with 49 catches, third with 543 receiving yards and he also tallied three touchdown receptions
- Started every game as a redshirt freshman in 2016
- In high school, he was selected to play in the U.S. Army All-American Bowl
- Garnered Tennessee Sports Writers Association All-State and the Tennessean All-Midstate honors after recording 1,223 yards and 13 touchdowns on 67 catches
- Coached by Will Hester in high school
- Father Shawn Jefferson played for 13 years in the NFL as a wide receiver and has coached in the NFL as a wide receivers coach for the Detroit Lions, Tennessee Titans and is currently with the Miami Dolphins
Trevon Grimes / 6-4, 202
WR / Fort Lauderdale, Fla. / Ohio State
- Transfer from Ohio State
- Saw action in two games and recorded three receptions for 20 yards
- Finished his career at St. Thomas Aquinas with 42 receptions for 770 yards and 11 touchdowns
- Notched an average of 18.3 yards-per-reception
- St. Thomas Aquinas won state titles in 2015 and 2016
- Sustained a season ending injury in the third game of his senior season in 2016
- Grimes had 15 receptions for 274 yards (18.3) and two touchdowns as a senior before his injury
- Named All-Broward County as a junior after a 27-catch, 496-yard season with a team-best seven touchdowns
- Attended The Opening in Beaverton, Ore.
- Played for coach Roger Harriott at St. Thomas Aquinas
- Ran track in high school
- State of Florida 300-meter hurdles champion as a freshman and sophomore, and was 110-meter hurdles runner-up as a freshman
- Named Broward County and Sun Sentinel Class 4A-3A Track Athlete of the Year in 2015
Personal Info
- Originally, from Indianapolis, he moved to Florida in the sixth grade with his parents, Leah and Lebron Grimes.
