The Florida Gators have gone nowhere but up since head coach Dan Mullen took over the program before the 2018 season. All they've done in the past two years is earn berths to back-to-back New Year's Six bowl games, beating Michigan in the Peach Bowl and Virginia in the Orange Bowl.
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UF has won 21 games over that span despite lacking a Heisman Trophy-worthy quarterback like LSU's Joe Burrow or Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa. Still, behind a plethora of offensive weapons, Florida's passing attack ranked right behind those two teams in 2019.
Set to lose starting running back Lamical Perine and a handful of top receivers, UF received some great news on Wednesday. Wide receiver Trevon Grimes announced on his Twitter account he'll be returning for his senior season in 2020, giving a massive boost to what could be a depleted offense.
Florida's Trevon Grimes Returns for Senior Season
One last ride Gator Nation.. 🐊💚 pic.twitter.com/r1KrNkJdHZ
— Trevon Grimes (@trevongrimes8) January 1, 2020
"After a great 2019 season I have discussed my future with my family and coaches. I am excited to say that you will see me playing in the swamp in 2020. I want to finish my degree and help lead the University of Florida to a championship. Happy new year Gator nation."
— Trevon Grimes, via Twitter
The 6-foot-5 Grimes caught 33 passes for 491 receiving yards and three touchdowns in 2019, an improvement from the 362 yards and two touchdowns he posted in 2018. He posted a career-high 118 yards against Florida State in 2018.
His combination of height and speed give quarterback Kyle Trask an optimal No. 1 receiver to lean on given the departures of receivers Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, Josh Hammond and Freddie Swain. Florida returns breakout tight end Kyle Pitts in 2020 and is awaiting speedster Kadarius Toney's decision as well.
Grimes told 247Sports that the 2020 NFL Draft class is loaded with receivers, which was a factor in his decision to return to Gainesville. Alabama alone has three receivers that could all be first-round selections.
"Declaring, it's a big draft, there's a lot of receivers in the draft," Grimes told reporters in Miami after the Orange Bowl. "Also the decision to come back and make my team better, be a captain, just like coach (Dan) Mullen said, I can come back and be a captain and lead my team. That's something I've always wanted to do."
Once rated the No. 6 wide receiver in the 2017 recruiting class, the four-star Grimes starred at St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, before attending Ohio State. He transferred into the SEC after experiencing an alleged "racially-charged altercation" at Ohio State under coach Urban Meyer.
Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Cris Carter once called Grimes "the next great one" after name-dropping receivers like Randy Moss, Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr.
Now Grimes has a chance to show the orange and blue faithful how talented he is in 2020.
