Grimes leaves Buckeyes, becomes Gator
Former St. Thomas Aquinas standout receiver Trevon Grimes has transferred to Florida after one season at Ohio State.
The ex-Raiders AllAmerican and five-star wideout signed with the Gators on Friday afternoon. After the move was approved by UF’s compliance department, new Florida coach Dan Mullen announced the transfer on Twitter.
It had been known Grimes was likely to transfer after he first took a leave of absence from the Buckeyes in October for “family health issues,” Ohio State coach Urban Meyer confirmed to Cleveland.com at the time.
“I just felt like [Florida] fit for me. It’s close to home. Of course, being in my situation that I’m in right now, I have to be close to home,” Grimes said.
Rumors had been swirling during the season that a transfer to Miami might have been in store.
“It was a pretty big decision for me to know that Miami is 30, 40 minutes away from my house, but I also know that my mom always told me, ‘This is about you, and you have to go where you feel comfortable,’” said Grimes, who recorded three catches for 20 yards as a freshman with the Buckeyes. “I’ve talked to [UF co-offensive coordinator Billy] Gonzales about the receiver situation, about how many receivers they have. I feel like I fit in to that offense and that program very well.”
Grimes, who hopes the NCAA will not force him to sit out a year as he applied for a hardship waiver, will also be reunited with former Aquinas quarterback Jake Allen. Allen graduated the same year and signed with the Gators that National Signing Day.
Grimes had a decorated high school career come to an end with an ACL injury that occurred when St. Thomas went out to Las Vegas to take on Bishop Gorman during his senior year in 2016. He had already committed to Ohio State at the time, announcing his pledge that August.
Grimes was an Under Armour All-America Game selection that year. He was firstteam All-Broward following his junior season where he led the Raiders with seven receiving touchdowns on 27 catches for 496 yards. As a hurdler in track, he was track Athlete of the Year after his sophomore spring season.
St. Thomas signed several of its current seniors to colleges on Wednesday, the first day of college football’s new Early Signing Period.