Gators cornerback Elijah Blades no longer with the team

Florida’s secondary took a hit to its depth on Sunday, as according to multiple reports, cornerback Elijah Blades has left the team. The news was first reported by G. Allan Taylor of The Athletic.

Blades arrived late in the offseason as a graduate transfer from Texas A&M, where he had played the last two seasons. He saw some action in the rotation behind starters Kaiir Elam and Avery Helm, appearing in three games this season and notching three tackles and a pass breakup.

He played in the season opener against FAU, but he missed the next two games with injuries. With Elam out against Tennessee and Kentucky, Blades saw some reps against those teams. But he didn’t dress for Saturday’s game against Vanderbilt, and now it seems his time with the Gators has come to an end.

Now, Florida will mostly be relying on true freshman Jason Marshall Jr. for depth, and he started the last three games in Elam’s absence.

Blades’ next step is unclear. His college career has been a bit of a journey, as he was initially committed to the Gators coming out of high school under former coach Jim McElwain, but he eventually flipped to Nebraska. However, he enrolled at a JUCO instead before transferring to Texas A&M.

But whatever comes next for him, it won’t be with the Florida program.

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By: Tyler Nettuno
Title: Gators cornerback Elijah Blades no longer with the team
Sourced From: gatorswire.usatoday.com/2021/10/11/florida-football-elijah-blades-no-longer-with-team/
Published Date: Mon, 11 Oct 2021 15:16:33 +0000

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