The Florida football program has reinstated wide receivers Tyrie Cleveland and Rick Wells, who were arrested and slapped with felony charges of criminal mischief for damaging property and shooting a missile inside an occupied dwelling earlier this summer.
The duo later had their charges reduced, but remained suspended for the team’s season-opener against Massachusetts.
On Friday, it was announced that Cleveland and Wells have finally been reinstated by the program and will be eligible to play in the team’s Week 2 SEC meeting against Kentucky.
The pair of wide receivers came to Florida with high expectations, so quarterback Luke Del Rio is eager to get his weapons out on the field, especially after a season-ending injury to Dre Massey.
“Tyrie and Rick are extremely athletic and fast,” Del Rio said. “Big guys for freshmen. If you just saw them in the locker room, you probably wouldn’t think that they’re true freshmen because they’re pretty developed physically.
“The biggest thing with them is just getting comfortable. They both had hamstrings, so just getting them reintegrated back into the offense. It’s really good to have them back, especially with Dre being down.”
Cleveland was a four-star recruit and the No. 2-ranked wide receiver in the nation. Wells, meanwhile, was a three-star recruit, and a top 10 player at the position. It’s not the way they would have liked to begin their careers, but let’s hope the two true freshman can learn from their mistake and get their careers back on track.
The Gators return to action with Cleveland and Wells at 3:30 p.m. ET at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium on CBS.
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Photo Credit: Rick Wells, Twitter
