Grimes and Jefferson Have Impressed Fellow Receivers

Trevon Grimes is eager to reboot his career after transferring from Ohio State. (Photo: Tim Casey/UAA Communications)

Grimes and Jefferson Have Impressed Fellow Receivers

Sunday, August 5, 2018 | Football, Scott Carter

By: Scott Carter, Senior Writer

GAINESVILLE, Fla. – Following the Gators' second practice of preseason camp on Saturday, a trio of players remained on the far side of the field as most others headed toward a cold shower and the lunch line.

Stretched out on the ground, they took some additional time to recover from practice in the midday heat. Finally, receivers Van Jefferson, Trevon Grimes and Tyrie Cleveland rose to their feet for the walk back to the team's locker room at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium.

Grimes and Jefferson, the transfers who joined the program in January, learned this week the NCAA ruled them eligible to play without having to sit out a season. After starting his career at Ohio State, Grimes can play immediately. Meanwhile, the Gators still await word from the Southeastern Conference on Jefferson, a junior who transferred from Ole Miss.

Their arrival has Cleveland, UF's leading returning receiver, imagining the possibilities as the Gators seek to rev up a passing game that ranked 11th in the SEC and 102nd nationally.

"Those guys have a lot of talent, a lot of size,'' said the 6-foo-2, 205-pound Cleveland, who caught 22 passes for a team-high 410 yards last season. "Those guys are going to help us, make plays for us and help us win ballgames. I'm so excited and proud of those guys because they worked their butt off during the offseason."

Cleveland, Grimes and Jefferson – along with a receiving corps that includes Josh Hammond, Kadarius Toney, Freddie Swain, Daquon Green, Rick Wells, Dre Massey and true freshman Jacob Copeland – give the Gators arguably its most talented batch of pass catchers this decade.

Jefferson is the most accomplished of the group, which is why the Gators are anxious to hear from the league office. He caught 91 passes for 999 yards over the past two seasons, but with an NCAA investigation leading to the departure of former Rebels head coach Hugh Freeze, Jefferson was one of several players who opted to leave the program for a better opportunity.

Jefferson (6-2, 192) caught 49 passes two seasons ago to earn All-SEC Freshman Team honors and hauled in 42 catches last season.

"He's smooth, flowing. He's taught me a lot since I first got here,'' Grimes said. "Just the little things, like showing me how to get in and out of my breaks, how to be smooth with the route running. He's one of the best receivers I've probably ever been around."

Meanwhile, Grimes has physical traits that jump out immediately at 6-foot-2 and 214 pounds. He had only three catches in two games as a true freshman at Ohio State before having to return to his home in South Florida to assist his ailing mom and younger brother. He finished his classes online and enrolled at UF for a second chance on the field.

Green, a sophomore who played in only two games a season ago, is impressed at the way Jefferson and Grimes have come in and made their presence felt in such a short time. Their talent is there for everyone to see.

"Van, he's very dominant and he's real quick, smooth in his routes so he can get in and out real fast, in just a second,'' Green said. "And with Tre, he's a big body, he real strong so he's going to be used a lot for the deep threat and going across the middle and stuff like that."

Florida's struggles in the passing game in recent years didn't prevent Jefferson from considering the Gators. He left an Ole Miss offense that returns talented receivers A.J. Brown, DeMarkus Lodge and D.K. Metcalf. He said UF has similar talent.

"I think this receiving corps is going to be top-notch this season. Ole Miss has three receivers over there who are going to be very good. And I think all three of those guys are going to play a long time in the NFL,'' Jefferson said. "But I think we got guys here who are going to do the same thing as well. When you put all the pieces together, I feel like we are going to be unstoppable."

Much of that will depend on what first-year head coach Dan Mullen can do in developing the quarterbacks. With the ongoing battle in camp between Feleipe Franks, Kyle Trask and Emory Jones the top question mark entering the season, whoever wins the battle has some options when dropping back to pass.

Franks and Grimes are roommates this fall and he lived with Jefferson over the summer. He has his thoughts are what the two newcomers can mean to the offense.

"They're both really good weapons for us,'' Franks said. "They're both going to be utilized."

Grimes said Saturday he and Franks have already built a strong bond off the field, which is starting to translate onto the practice field. A former standout at St. Thomas Aquinas in Fort Lauderdale, Grimes was rated a five-star recruit.

When he got a call from Mullen on Wednesday informing him the NCAA had granted his eligibility waiver for the 2018 season, he immediately called his mom.

The two shared a tearful moment on the phone. By the end of Saturday's practice, on that walk back to the locker room, Grimes engaged in a conversation with Jefferson and Cleveland.

They have a lot to talk about as centerpieces of Florida's new offense.

"I feel like I can contribute right away with being able to stretch the field,'' Grimes said. "We have a lot of great receivers like Tyrie Cleveland and Van Jefferson. I feel like all of us bring a different thing to the game plan."