Minnesota wide receiver Corey Crooms will be chasing his NFL dreams following next week's Quick Lane Bowl. On Tuesday night, the sixth-year wide receiver announced that he was declaring for the NFL Draft.
Crooms declaring for the draft is all but a formality. The former Western Michigan transfer had just one year of eligibility remaining heading into the 2023 season.
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This fall, Crooms recorded 28 receptions for 376 yards but failed to find the endzone. He was the Gophers' No. 2 wide receiver only behind Daniel Jackson who totaled 57 receptions for 831 yards and eight touchdowns.
Prior to arriving in Minneapolis last offseason, Crooms had 115 career receptions for 1,766 yards and 12 touchdowns at Western Michigan from 2019 through 2022. In his announcement on X, he thanked P.J. Fleck and the rest of the Golden Gophers' coaching staff.
"First and foremost I want to thank God for everything that HE has done for me in my life," Crooms said in his announcement. "I am nothing without HIM. HIS favor and grace have led me to this exact moment of living out my lifelong dream to play the game I love. My time here as a Gopher has been amazing and it is because of my teammates, coaches, and gopher fans. The relationships that I've created during my time here at the University of Minnesota will last a lifetime and for that, I am so grateful. I want to thank Coach Fleck, Coach Harbaugh, and Coach Simon for giving me the opportunity to be a part of a great program that has allowed me to play the game at a high level.
Thank you to the Western Michigan University program, Bronco teammates, and Coach Lester. I want to give a big shoutout to Coach Mo. Thank you for the support and mentorship throughout this journey that is just getting started. I appreciate you more than you know for being there for me every step of the way.
Lastly, a huge thank you to my parents and support system. The unwavering love and support since I was a child has helped me grow into the man that I am today. The sacrifices my parents made for me and the love they showed me every single day has been what keeps me going. Mom & Dad, I love you.
I am forever proud to be a Gopher. With that being said, I am excited to announce that I will be declaring for the 2024 NFL Draft."
While the Gophers will not return Corey Crooms, they are expected to return a majority of the talent in their wide receiver room headlined by names such as Le'Meke Brockington, Daniel Jackson, and Elijah Spencer. They will also return plenty of young, high-upside talent in T.J. McWilliams, Kenric Lanier II, and Donielle Hayes. The Gophers have also been active in the transfer portal in the wide receiver market while holding a pair of 2024 wide receiver commitments in Dallas Sims and Jalen Smith.
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