Trevon Grimes was given a gift.
The sophomore stands 6-5 and weighs over 200 pounds. He has tremendous size but like a lot of young receivers he didn’t know how to utilize it to his advantage.
“When he first got here? No,” receivers coach Billy Gonzales said when asked if Grimes knew how to use his size as an advantage. “You see those videos of guys with great footwork and they’re moving their feet around, which is awesome, I think fantastic. But there’s different guys with different attributes.”
Grimes agreed.
“I wouldn’t say stiff, but just wasn’t as fluid as I wanted to be,” Grimes said. “I give him the biggest props for helping me transition from being a 6-5 receiver that’s kind of stiff to being a 6-5 receiver that plays fluid and smooth. He’s taught me a lot with that.”
Grimes has speed. He can stretch a defense, that’s for sure, but Gonzales’ biggest teaching point with the sophomore receiver has been to figure out what his God given ability is and use that. You can’t teach being as big as Grimes is. Many receivers would give up some speed to be that tall and that long. Due to his size Grimes isn’t going to be challenged with press coverage as much as a smaller receiver because he’s strong enough to beat the press and fast enough to make you pay for it, too.
“If you’re a big guy, I want you to play big. He’s strong. Play big and strong. Play fast. I don’t need all the quickness,” Gonzales said. “I want you to play physical, big, strong and exert your force on the defensive backs against us.”
Gonzales has stressed that point with Grimes through watching film. He’s showed him receivers with similar size and how they play. How they position their bodies to shield smaller defensive backs, how they high pint the football and, most importantly, how to get off the line of scrimmage.
“I don’t want you to do anything with footwork. We want what we call a speed release,” Gonzales said of Grimes. “Everything I want with you is the speed release that you get in the habit of coming off the ball. He’s got good speed, now. He can run by people. If you sit back and say he’s just a big receiver, he’s got good speed and he can run by you.”
Grimes has primarily been working at the X and Z positions but says he and the coaches plan to work him into the slot at some point — a fact that on Tuesday Gonzales said was “down the road.”
For now he’s continuing to take the coaching he’s getting from Gonzales and work on it during practice and on his own time. He’s developed a bond with redshirt sophomore quarterback Feleipe Franks — the two will soon be roommates. He’s already ingratiated himself to the team and doesn’t feel or look like a transfer. He looks like he’s been a Florida commit for years and heading into his second year with this roster. He’s excited and confident in what the 2018 season will bare.
“We feel like we can bring a lot to table,” Grimes said. “We’re excited to get on the field and show Gator Nation what we really can do.”