Colleges

Leavitt's aim: strike first

By GREG AUMAN
Published December 14, 2006

TAMPA - How much is USF coach Jim Leavitt looking forward to his team going bowling next week in Birmingham, Ala.? He's even "kind of excited" about ... going bowling. Leavitt, offensive coordinator Rod Smith and four carefully selected Bulls players will compete against an East Carolina contingent in a "Bowling and BBQ Challenge" on Dec. 21 as part of the pregame fun for the inaugural Papajohns.com Bowl on Dec. 23. "The four players better darn well be good," Leavitt said Tuesday. "I heard (tight end) Will Bleakley's a pretty good bowler. We might have to look into that, and we'll probably have tryouts and things like that. (Defensive tackle) Julian Riley was showing me his form the other day. I was not impressed. I don't know for sure if he'll make it or not. (Offensive tackle) Walter Walker says he did some bowling in Jamaica, where his family is from, but I'm a little leery about that." Had Leavitt gotten any footage to scout ECU's bowling lineup? "No," he said. "We're confident in our group."

Looking ahead

The bonus practices leading up to last season's bowl game gave USF coaches their first long look at quarterback Matt Grothe and defensive end George Selvie, who went on to earn Big East all-freshman honors in the fall. This month's equivalent future stars could be at receiver, where Gaither's Carlton Mitchell and Jacksonville's Jason Sherman are showing promise as potential playmakers in 2007.

"They're going to be good," receivers coach Lawrence Dawsey said, also praising A.J. Love and Chamberlain's Edner Alcin, who are also redshirting. "As a whole, they've got the potential to be better than anybody that's come through here. That whole class has a lot of upside. I'm expecting them to be real contributors next season."

Another name to remember is sophomore Jessie Hester Jr., who redshirted this season, primarily to add some bulk to his frame. He's added about 10 pounds to get up to 175, Dawsey said, and he'll join Taurus Johnson as one of the team's top speed threats next season.

This and that

- Senior linebacker Stephen Nicholas has been invited to participate in the North-South All-Star Classic, a new showcase game for college stars in Houston on Jan. 13. Nicholas said he hasn't decided if he'll play, waiting to hear from other draft showcases such as the Senior Bowl, which running back Andre Hall played in last season.

- Former USF guard Frank Davis, who made the roster of the Detroit Lions as an undrafted free agent, will likely make his first NFL start Sunday in place of the injured Ross Verba. Davis has played in eight games as a rookie this season.

- Interim women's golf coach Kelly Lagedrost, competing at the LPGA's final qualifying tournament in Daytona Beach last week, missed an exempt card for the 2007 season by one stroke, taking one of 41 non-exempt conditional cards from the tournament. She played in 11 LPGA events in 2006.

Greg Auman can be reached at (813) 226-3346 or at auman@sptimes.com Check out his blog at blogs.tampabay.com/usf.

[Last modified December 14, 2006, 00:58:45]