Kaiir Elam has announced that while he’ll forever be a Florida Gator, he has made plans to declare for the NFL Draft, and did so in a video he posted to social media when he wrote, “Forever Striving For More.”

One of the best cornerbacks around, Elam appeared in 30 games over his 3 years at Florida. He accounted for 78 total tackles (53 solo), 2.5 tackles for a loss, 5 interceptions, and a fumble recovery. This past season he made 29 tackles, with 5 pass breakups even though he missed 3 games.

Here’s his farewell message:

“Making my decision to come here, I felt like the University of Florida was a no brainer honestly,” Elam said in the video. “Not even the tradition or anything, I just feel like in my heart, I felt like I made the best decision for my family and I. Freshman year was definitely one of the funnest years I ever had, coming in the Orange Bowl and making plays. 2020 year with the pandemic, I feel like that really tested my faith and my love for football honestly, because they were taking about us not even having a season. For us to play, I feel like I couldn’t take that for granted. These last 3 years have been nothing but a blessing honestly. I wouldn’t trade this for the world. I wouldn’t trade this for anything else because it taught me a lot of learned lessons and it taught me how to keep battling and get up and keep going. Take a lick and get up and keep going. So my family have been having discussions and have a decision to make for the next year. We feel like it’s essential for me to forego my senior season and start preparing for the NFL Combine and Draft. I will forever be a Gator and I will forever be grateful for all the fans and all the real people who stuck with us through ups and downs. Being able to come back to The Swamp was something I will cherish for the rest of my life, and being a Gator is something I will cherish for the rest of my life. I am forever thankful and forever grateful. Thank you. Cinco out.”