Florida WR Trevon Grimes skips 2020 Cotton Bowl, declares for 2021 NFL Draft

By Adam Silverstein
December 28, 2020

Football

Florida Gators senior wide receiver Trevon Grimes announced Monday that he will skip the 2020 Cotton Bowl and begin preparations for the 2021 NFL Draft rather than play what could have been the final game of his college career. Despite Grimes’ status, he had an additional year of eligibility due to NCAA rules made this season amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

“After much discussion & thought with my family, I have decided to skip the bowl game and forgo my extra year of NCAA eligibility to enter the 2021 NFL Draft,” Grimes wrote. “Playing football at the highest level in the NFL has been my lifelong dream.”

After an unfulfilling freshman season at Ohio State in 2017, Grimes transferred to Florida and was granted immediate eligibility by the NCAA. He saw consistent action in his first two seasons but broke out as a senior, catching 38 balls for 589 yards and nine touchdowns in 2020. In three years with the Gators, he totaled 97 receptions for 1,444 yards with 14 touchdowns.

“To Coach [Dan] Mullen, Coach [Brian] Johnson, Coach [Billy] Gonzalez thank you for bringing me home to UF. Playing for you was and always will be a true honor; I am forever grateful,” Grimes wrote. “I also want to thank the rest of the coaches and support staff as well. You’ve all helped me grow as a football player on-the-field and helped me become more of a man off-the-field.

“From the day I stepped foot in the Swamp and into the locker room, I knew something special was in my future. The bonds I have created along my journey with teammates is something I will cherish forever. You are all my brothers for life. … Thank you Gator Nation, you all mean the world to me. I will forever cherish all my great memories from playing in the Swamp.”

Grimes joins junior tight end Kyle Pitts and senior WR Kadarius Toney as Florida players who will not suit up for the Cotton Bowl. Redshirt senior quarterback Kyle Trask has been seen practicing with the Gators ahead of Wednesday’s game against the Oklahoma Sooners and previously said he would play.