Colleges

Nose tackle gets Bulls pumped up

Richard Clebert's bench-press prowess shows his work ethic.

By GREG AUMAN, Times Staff Writer
Published December 28, 2007

ADVERTISEMENT [Brian Cassella | Times (2006)] Richard Clebert has bench-pressed 225 pounds a USF-record 43 times, and might be ready to top that at the NFL combine after the Sun Bowl.

EL PASO, Texas - People ask Richard Clebert about the number all the time, just to make sure it's not a typo.

If the 40-yard dash is the official measurement of an athlete's speed, a player's strength is best quantified in the number of times he can bench-press 225 pounds. Before Clebert, USF's record was 36. During the summer, the senior defensive tackle destroyed that mark with 43 reps.

"When I hit 43 last summer, I surprised myself," said Clebert, who will play his final college game Monday in the Sun Bowl against Oregon.

Clebert hopes he isn't done surprising people. He'd like a chance to attend the NFL's official combine workouts in Indianapolis, where each year's draft prospects are poked, prodded and measured. Clebert hasn't been tested on the bench press since he achieved 43, and assistant strength coach Kaz Kazadi told him not to limit himself to that astounding number.

"He told me I'd hit 50 at the combine," Clebert, 22, said. "It was exciting, but I always expect things like that from myself. It's something I can control. It's up to me. If I work hard in the offseason, I can get that done."

Any number in the 40s would catch scouts' attention. The bench-press record at the NFL combine is said to be 43 reps, from offensive lineman Scott Young of BYU, now with the Eagles. The high mark at the most recent combine in February was 42, from N.C. State defensive tackle Tank Tyler, now with the Chiefs.

"He's as strong as all-get-out. He came in strong, but he loves the weight room," strength coach Ronnie McKeefery said of Clebert. "He's naturally gifted, and he's always worked hard in the weight room, but he's really excelled in the last year and a half."

Clebert's dedication goes back to his days at Miami's Edison High, where he could do 25 reps before he got to Tampa. His coach, Corey Bell, told him his height - 6 feet 1 - would be something he'd have to overcome in other areas.

"My strength and my speed were always something I focused on. My high school coach told me I was short, so I had to be better at everything else," said Clebert, who is 3 inches shorter than USF's other starting defensive tackle, Aaron Harris.

Clebert knows better than to judge a player by a single number from a single workout. He remembers his senior year at Edison, when he attended a recruiting combine with his friend and teammate, linebacker Brouce Mompremier, who followed him to USF and also is a starter.

"I told him not to run the 40, because he didn't know how to do it," Clebert said. "At the time, he was like the No. 6 linebacker in the country, blue chip and all. He ran that 40, came over and I said, "What'd you run?' He ran a 4.9. You could see his stock just drop. It doesn't make any sense, but so many people judge people on numbers."

Clebert hopes he can get a closer look from the NFL based on those numbers. Despite an ankle injury that has kept him from playing at full strength in the second half of the season, Clebert has career highs with 32 tackles, including eight for losses. He's been the inside force flushing quarterbacks out to All-American defensive end George Selvie and leads the team with 15 quarterback hurries.

Clebert said his work ethic on the field started in the weight room, where Kazadi and strength coach Ronnie McKeefery have always pushed him, even after he had broken school records.

"Sometimes you'll curl and you'll do 60 pounds," Clebert said. "You look at those 80s and you're like 'Dang, that's heavy. I could do it though.' The coach isn't asking you, so you don't do it. You're still working hard when you have 70 pounds on your arms, but you could do 85. If you're doing 85 on curls, Coach Kazadi would be more like, 'Go get those 120s.'"

Clebert said one of his unreached goals for this season was to block a field goal; his position coach, Dan McCarney, also handles the field-goal block unit and expects the same intensity on special teams as he gets on defense.

"In the offseason, we were blocking so many field goals. I remember one day I blocked three or four," said Clebert, due to graduate in the spring with a degree in communications. "During the year, I was always a centimeter away from blocking, and that was very frustrating."

If Clebert can get to the combine, he wants not only the bench-press record, but also wants the fastest 40 time of any lineman his size; for a 312-pound lineman to get under 4.9 seconds would also be attractive to NFL scouts. His previous best is a 4.93. Coach Jim Leavitt said Clebert needs a breakout game against Oregon to help his chances to showcase his strength with all the scouts watching in Indianapolis.

"He's always been strong, but he's matured a little bit," Leavitt said. "He's an outstanding player, and when he was hurt, you could see how much he was missed. He needs to have a great game in this game if he wants to make that combine. He needs to really tear it up."

[Last modified December 27, 2007, 23:44:15]