Ray Bellamy trying to pave the way for Southeast product A.J. Love

Ray Bellamy offers advice

As an undrafted free agent A.J. Love is  a long shot to make the Minnesota Vikings opening day roster.

But in Ray Bellamy, Love is learning from a person who could be the master of long shots.  It helps that both are receivers, but it's the history here that could prove invaluable to Love, the Southeast grad who had to overcome two ACL surgeries during his career at USF.

When he came out of old Lincoln High in 1966 during segregation days, Bellamy did what most would consider the impossible.

Major college football in the South during that time was all-white. Bellamy and the University of Miami had a dream that they turned into reality.

Bellamy broke the color barrier for major college football in the South in 1967. It was an enormous task, but so were the other things he did.

Bellamy become the first Africa-American president of the University of Miami Student Government. The fact that he was an excellent student despite coming from parents who were not educated was another one of his great achievements.

"I just believed I could do certain things that most people considered impossible," is one way Bellamy sums up his accomplishments.

Bellamy believes in Love and likes his work ethic. He won't make a prediction about his future, but
says anything is possible and insists staying positive is crucial.

Highly touted QB recommits to USF

First you do then you don’t then you. College football recruitingcan often be fickle, but suitors are never swayed by a potential rejection or change of  heart.

And so as of now heralded quarterback Asiantii Woulard from Winter Park High is committed to the USF football program for the second time in four months.

 Woulard committed back in April and then changed his mind. He announced on AM 1010 radio Friday that he has recommitted to USF giving the Bulls their first four star prospect of the 2013 class (Scout.com).

 The 6-3, 205 pounder is rated the 13^th best dual threat quarterback in the country in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com and the 24^th best by Scout.com.  Rivals.com has him rated at three stars.

 After transferring from Freedom High last season, Woulard threw for more than 1,600 yards and rushed for another 600 plus yards while throwing 15 touchdown passes. He led the Wildcats to a 6-5 record and runner-up spot in Class 8A-District 3.

 Woulard reportedly has offers from nearly 20 major college programs including USF Big East Conference rivals Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, Cincinnati and Connecticut and UCF, which is scheduled to join the conference for the 2013-14 school year.

 With B.J. Daniels heading into this senor season, the quarterback position could be wide open by the time the spring of 2013 rolls around.

A.J. Love signs with Minnesota Vikings

A.J. Love catches pass against Miami

A.J. Love, coming off a litany of injuries and setbacks of various kinds since his high school days at Southeast, may have pulled off another coup when he signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikiings today.

The undrafted wide receiever out of the University of South Florida becomes the 12th receiver on the Vikings 90 man roster and joins former USF teammate Mistral Raymond, a defensive back from Palmetto, a sixth round pick in 2011.

The 6-2, 208 pound Love caught 74 passes for 1,092 yards and eight touchdowns during his career at USF.  But those stats could areleading misleads becuase of the time he missed due to injury.

A torn anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) caused Love to miss all of the 2010 season. He returned in 2011 and after getting back to his old form suffered some nagging injuries that included a sprained ankle and missed signficant playing time.

His best season came during his junior year when he averaged 18.8 yards per reception and showed his big play capabilities with 26 recepions for 489 yards and four touchdowns.

Before his ACL injurty, he was being touted as one of the top receivers in the Big East Conference and a likely NFL draft pick.

Vitale praises Rudd's decision to return to USF

Victor Rudd's decision to remove his name from the 2012 NBA draft and return to USF is one of the best off seasons moves, according to ESPN college basketball super analyst Dick Vitale.

"He would not have been a first round pick and needs a lot more seasoning. He has talent, but needs to show more consistency in his game," Vitale said.

The 6-8 sophomore wing man played his first season for USF after transferring from Arizona State and was an integral part of the Bulls magical run to the NCAA tournament.

Rudd was USF's second leading scorer at 9.3 points per game and averaged 4.8 rebounds. He played his best basketball in the post season helping the Bulls reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament and the Big East Conference tournament quarterfinals averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds.

"Based on this process and the feedback that I received after putting my name in the NBA draft pool, I've decided that it's in my best interests to return to USF," Rudd said.

Vitale called it a wise decision, noting if you are not a first round pick you don't receive a guaranteed contract. But he was adamant that Rudd needs to play an entire season at high level and develop his game where he is consistently among the top players.

"Victor has to show he can play at a high level for an entire season. He showed promise during the end of the season, but he needs to do it for a longer period of time," Vitale said.

Needless to say, USF head coach Stan Heath is pleased to have Rudd back. His return means the Bulls will have four of their top five leading scorers and three of their top six rebounds for next season.

Should Skip Holtz seek out Michigan State for advice on penalty woes

Should USF head football coach Skip Holtz contact Michigan State's Mark Dantonio for advice on how to get out of a penalty funk.

In its last two games (both losses), USF committed 19 penalties for 198 yards. The worst came Saturday when the Bulls were flagged 10 times for 109 yards in a heartbreaking 37-34 loss to Cincinnati.

Michigan State had similar penalty problems, but in the Spartans 37-31 victory over Wisconsin Saturday night they were perfect in the discipline department and did not receive one penalty, which is rare as a Florida snowfall.

The previous week Michigan State was whistled 13 times for penalties totaling 124 yards against Michigan and even had a player, William Gholston, suspended for punching a player.

USF's Darrell Scott seeks redemption against Cincinnati

After Connecticut turned his fumble into the deciding points in a tough loss last week Darrell Scott wanted redemption.

The junior running back never got it. He was pulled him from the game and never returned.

It was a tough pill to swallow for Scott, who has added a new dimension to the University of South Florida running game that has been stagnant the last few years.

Scott was disappointed, but not angry. He knows redemption is a process and has already gotten quite a bit of it by winning a starting job.

The California product was the country’s most ballyhooed high school player when he signed with Colorado. He later was often referred to as the number one bust in the national recruiting Class of 2008.

Criticism seemed to follow him like a shadow even as recent as last summer when some questioned how he could carry 240 pounds on his six-foot-one inch frame.

A likeable, personable individual, Scott took everything in without a complaint and to his credit worked hard on the scout teams last year after he transferred to USF.

Skeptics rightfully questioned what his 146 rushing yard performance really meant against over matched FAMU earlier this season. But he seemed to be on the verge of realizing his promise with a solid 12 carry 76 yard performance at Pittsburgh.

He had 58 yards on 13 carries against Connecticut when his fumble about midway through the third quarter was returned for a 10 yard touchdown and gave UConn what proved to be the deciding points. He was exiled to the bench for the remainder of the game.

Scott said his fumble lost the game though there was plenty of blame to go around with three other turnovers, numerous failed third down conversion attempts and failure to score a point after five trips inside the UConn 35.

“My mistake was crucial so that is why I put it on my shoulders,” Scott said. “I definitely wanted to go back in because I wanted to redeem myself. I didn’t ask. It is the coach’s decision and I just had to ride the wave. Things didn’t pan out the way I wanted and I just had to clear my head after the game.”

Scott said the fumbles at Pittsburgh and Connecticut were the only two of his collegiate career and he just wants to move forward.

USF head coach Skip Holtz intimated that all is forgotten with Scott and that his playing time won’t be reduced.

“We don’t have a doghouse. Darrell played 50 plays in that game and on 48 you would give him a double plus grading,” Holtz said. “His understanding of the blocking schemes is getter better and he is hitting people and falling forward with all that power. We have two talented backs with him and Demetris Murray. We will continue to preach ball security and they will both continue to play.”

Scott believes he is not close to his potential and has a few things he needs to work on along with protecting the ball. He wants to be that break-away runner again that wooed so many college scouts when he was in high school.

“I don’t feel that I am there yet. I can definitely improve on my open field moves,” Scott said. “On the fumble, I didn’t tuck it all the way and somebody from the side or behind me poked it out. But I can’t let it bother me. If you do that it will put doubt in your mind when you get to the line of scrimmage and hesitate and that will mess up your game.”

With some family and friends living in Tampa, Scott feels he has finally found the right place to let his talents blossom. He believes the Bulls offense is the perfect fit for his style of running.

“A big thing for me now is that I am real comfortable with this offense, which is better suited for me and I am healthy compared to when I was at Colorado,” Scott said. “I am very confident with our offensive linemen; that if one of them is supposed to go off and get the linebacker I know he will do that. I can trust in that and do what I have to do, which is hit the hole fast.”

“Right now we are really trying to stay focused because we know these fans want us to win. We want to make our fans happy, but ultimately we want to make ourselves happy.”

Boise State could save Big East and USF football

It looks as if the presidents of the remaining Big East Conference football schools are improving their math skills.

The announcement today that the Big East would go after Boise State in its search for more football teams is sure to get the adrenalin going for the University of South Florida and the other five remaining football members.

Unless the BCS changes its evaluation rules, Boise State could just about guarantee the Big East would remain a BCS conference___And that's what everybody wants.

The Big East should go after Boise State with every carrot it can dangle. There are reports that Colorado based Air Force would be invited, which gives the Broncos at least one team in close proximity.

The Big East needs to make this deal and use its best selling point,which is a ticket to the BCS championship.

Boise State, the little engine that could, wants to be in a BCS conference and if the Broncos joined the Big East and the current football schools (minus Pittsburgh and Syracuse) remain this could happen.

Sources in the Big East say the conference is going hard after Boise State, Air Force and Navy along with UCF and Temple. If Louisville stays and one more is added it would give the conference 12 teams and a conference championship game, which means more money.

The Big East needs to make Boise State an offer it can't refuse and it's all there. There is the New York TV market provided by Rutgers, the Philadelphia market that Temple, which is also being considered, could bring___not to mention Florida. There is a Big East championship game.

If Louisville bolts to the Big 12 get another team; there are plenty of them around including East Carolina, undefeated Houston and up and coming SMU knocking on the door. If you get desperate there is always Villanova, already in Big East basketball juggernaut, but a woeful 1-5 FCS (I-AA) team this season.

Boise State is the key. Get the Broncos and the Big East should remain a BCS automatic qualifier. If the Broncos join the rest should be easy. Arguably the football conference will be stronger with Boise State, Air Force, Navy, Temple and UCF.

Big East officials need to be aggressive and go after what they want instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen.

Boise State can make it happen. Heck pay their plane fare to come east and play if you have to. We are talking life or death.

Will Manatee County ever see another Clifford Rozier

It’s been 17 years since Clifford Rozier became the first and only Manatee County player selected in the first round of the NBA draft.

The former Southeast great was chosen16^th overall by Golden State in 1994 after finishing up his All-American career at Louisville.

Rozier played four seasons in the NBA prematurely ending his career in 1998. His rookie season was his best, averaging 6.8 points and 4.3 rebounds per game.

The 6-11 forward/center, who turns 39 in October, was named Florida’s Mr. Basketball in 1990 when he averaged 35 points and 16 points for Southeast.

Thursday night's draft ended with hoops fans around here wondering if Manatee County will ever see another first or second round NBA pick?

We all know this is football country, but still that’s a long time since Rozier’s name was called in the draft. The closet we’ve had to anyone since then getting drafted were both from Sarasota County.

Riverview High’s Altron Jackson, who is the number two career scorer at the University of South Florida, figured to be selected after his junior season with Bulls. He decided to stay in school for another year and his numbers went down and he was not selected.

Justin Hamilton, a standout point guard for four years at Florida, was another player who seemed on the cusp of getting drafted, but the Booker High product never had his name called.

Both went to Europe. Jackson had a solid career overseas reaching all star potential while Hamilton is still playing.

Hamilton, who finished up at Florida in 2003, played briefly in the NBDL. The 30-year-old guard has played six seasons in Europe winning the Spanish National Championship with Real Madrid in 2005 and has won three Belgian National Championships in the last four years.

The 31-year-old Jackson finished his career at USF in 2002 with 2,017 points averaging 16.5 points per game. He is Conference USA’s third ranked career scoring leader and was number one when he finished his college career.

Lincoln High’s Waite Bellamy was the 33d pick in the 1963 NBA draft after averaging 27.9 points per game at Florida A&M. He had a standout pro career in the Eastern Basketball League where he won three scoring titles.

Big East hits jackpot in MLB Draft

The Big East Conference sure has its critics in football, but the league’s baseball image continues to rise.

A record 40 Big East Conference players were taken in this year’s MLB Draft topping the previous record of 35 that was set last year.

For the first time, the Big East had three players selected in the first round including Connecticut outfielder George Springer, who was the 11^th overall pick and is the highest player selected in school history.

USF had five players drafted, including right handed pitchers Kevin Quackenbush, Jim Moran and Randy Fontanez, and lefty Junior Carlin. Infielder Jonathan Koscso was selected in the 29^th round by the Tampa Bay Ray.

The highest pick for USF was Quackenbush, who was selected in the eighth round (263d overall) by San Diego. Moran was chosen in the 18^th round (565^th overall) by Cincinnati.

Mistral Raymond organizes workouts for Vikings in Tampa

Mistral Raymond is an unsigned draft pick, but that hasn’t stopped him from taking a leadership for the Minnesota Vikings, the team that selected him in the sixth round of this year’s NFL draft.

The former USF defensive back along with former FSU quarterback Christian Ponder, a first round pick by the Vikings, have organized team workouts to be held in Tampa as the NFL lockout continues.

Raymond said he has received permission from his former college to allow himself, Ponder and other Vikings players to work out at USF.

“If Christian gets his stuff together, we’ll have the opportunity to get some of the Vikings skill players down here right on campus at USF,” Raymond told Tom Pelissero of ESPN1500.com radio.

Raymond, a Palmetto High product, said he has gotten the approval of USF head football coach Skip Holtz to conduct the workouts on campus.

Blakely visted USF on Monday

Former Manatee High running back Mike Blakely, who recently announced he was leaving Florida, visited the University of South Florida on Monday.

It is one of several schools Blakely is said to be considering. His release from Florida prevented him from signing with another SEC school and FSU or Miami.

The running back situation at USF right now seems to be uncertain or flexible. The leading candidates for next season figure to be transfer Darrell Scott and returnee Demetris Murray, both juniors.

Blakely would have to sit out the 2011 season in accordance with NCAA transfer rules. One attraction for him at USF might be the relationship USF head coach Skip Holtz had with Chris Johnson when both were at East Carolina.

Johnson was a little recruited running back out of Orlando Olympia who flourished under Holtz and went on to break the NFL single rushing record in 2009 with Tennessee.

Johnson was one of the top all purpose backs in college football and that is a role Blakely seems suited to handle. Besides being an electrifying runner he is a very good pass catcher out of the backfield and even played some quarterback in high school.

USF point guard Crater dismissed from team

University of South Florida point guard Anthony Crater has been dismissed from the men’s basketball program due to a violation of team rules, head coach Stan Heath confirmed on Monday.

"I am disappointed for Anthony,” said Heath. “He is a good young man, who made a number of positive contributions to our program, but he made some mistakes and was unable to meet our team’s standard. I am hopeful he will learn from this experience and achieve great things in the future."

Crater is the third guard to leave the program since the season ended following Palmetto's Shedrick Haynes, who transferred to Division II Tarleton State in Texas and Mike Burwell, who transferred to Division I Towson.

Crater led the Bulls in minutes last year and was a stabilizing force, but injured his right shoulder in USF's final game and needed surgery. It is expected competition for the point guard job will be between juco transfer Blake Nash, incoming freshman Anthony Collins from Houston and sophomore LaVonte Dority.

Should USF utilize the speedy Hopkins more

Maybe USF head football coach Skip Holtz should find a way to get the ball to his diminutive but speedy wide receiver Derrick Hopkins.

Only 5-5, 155 pounds, Hopkins is still an unknown factor in football, but in track and field he is becoming a household name.

The sophomore won the 100 meter dash in last week’s Big East Conference Outdoor Track and Field Championships at Villanova’s Jumbo Elliott Track with a blistering time of 10.44 seconds. He has yet to catch a pass or put up an offensive statistic for the Bulls football team.

Also showing his speed was defensive back Kayvon Webster, who was fifth with a time of 10.65 second and Antillio Bastian, who was third (10.58). Hopkins and Webster along with Neaman Wise and David Hunter were also on the 400 meter relay team that placed second.

USF finished fourth in the meet, which was on by Connecticut with Notre Dame second and Louisville third. With his time, Hopkins qualified for the NCAA Preliminary Round meet.

The 5-5, 155 pound Hopkins won the 60 and the 200 meter dashes at the Big East Indoor Meet this past winter with times of 6.77 seconds and 21.30 seconds respectively.

QB Gunsby who got Carnes scholarship leaves USF

Jamius Gunsby, the quarterback who got the scholarship that became available when former Manatee High standout Brion Carnes would not commit to USF, has left the Bulls.

The 6-4, 232 pound freshman has transferred to Georgia Military College in his home state after sitting out spring drills at USF to concentrate on academics.

Carnes was the earliest verbal commit to the Bulls in the class of 2010. However, after former head coach Jim Leavitt was fired, he wavered on that commitment. When Skip Holtz took over the football program he gave Carnes an ultimate about committing and withdrew the scholarship.

It created a rift between Holtz and Manatee head coach Joe Kinnan, which has now been mended according to Kinnan.

In fact, the Bulls are actively pursuing the ‘Canes Mike Blakely, who left Florida this week and Kinnan said USF is in the running just like every other college program.

A native of LaGrange, Ga., Gunsby was a redshirt last season. He fell deeper down the depth chart this spring because he didn’t participate and the emergence of former walk-on Bobby Eveld, who is the backup to starter B.J. Daniels and now on scholarship.

Early enrollee Matt Floyd, third on the depth chart, also looked impressive this spring furthering speculation that Gunsby chances of getting significant playing time were dwindling