Bulls QB arrested on drug charges
By GREG AUMAN and ANTONYA ENGLISH
Published June 30, 2006
TAMPA - USF quarterback Carlton Hill and two former Bulls football players were arrested Monday and charged with possession of marijuana, a misdemeanor.
According to a USF Police report, Hill, 21, was arrested in a dormitory apartment with four other men, including former USF linebacker Devon Davis and former safety Drametrice Smith.
Coach Jim Leavitt said Thursday night he would wait for more information before making any decision about Hill, who was released on his own recognizance and given a court date.
Leavitt said Hill has not been dismissed from the team, but USF's Student Affairs committee can hand down sanctions for drug-related arrests on campus.
Hill, who was listed as USF's starting quarterback entering spring drills, missed much of those workouts because of academic problems and lost the starting job. Leavitt has mentioned redshirting Hill in the fall, and said he is also considering moving him to receiver.
Hill, who could not be reached for comment, was arrested and expelled from Jefferson County High in March 2004 after he and a female student were found having consensual sex on school grounds.
He completed his senior year at an alternative school and adjudication was withheld on a charge of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after he completed probationary requirements.
Davis and Smith last played for USF in 2004.
RECRUITING: Jefferson quarterback Stephen Garcia, one of the nation's top recruits for the upcoming recruiting season, will make an official campus visit to South Florida on Wednesday. Garcia, who has South Carolina, Florida, Mississippi, Louisville and N.C. State among his top choices, will take a tour of campus and USF's athletic facility with his family. David Fonua, a defensive end from Bradenton Southeast, will not attend USF this fall after failing to meet initial eligibility requirements. He plans to take entrance exams this fall and join USF on scholarship in January. Taking his spot as a scholarship freshman will be a high school teammate, receiver A.J. Love, a 6-foot-2, 185-pounder who will start summer classes on Monday.
Defensive tackle Leslie Stirrups and quarterback Alwan Lee, who signed with USF in February, will attend junior college after failing to qualify academically.
Florida releases CB
GAINESVILLE - Nearly two weeks after Florida sophomore cornerback Avery Atkins' ex-girlfriend filed a sworn complaint of felony false imprisonment and misdemeanor domestic battery, he was granted a release from the team by coach Urban Meyer.
Last week, Atkins was "suspended indefinitely" after Benarah Sanford, 19, who has a child with Atkins, accused him of repeatedly punching her in the face and keeping her in a locked car on June 17. Police declined to press charges initially because of conflicting statements. But the incident is still under investigation.
But this month, Atkins asked to transfer. At the request of Atkins' mother and grandmother, Meyer would not grant his release. But on Thursday, Meyer did.