Hornes leaves USF football team

Faron Hornes winding journey to become a Division I football player has apparently ended with one season remaining.

The former multi-purpose standout at Southeast, who took the long route to USF going through junior college amid a family tragedy, has left the USF football team, according to various reports.

There was speculation it was for academics, but USF head coach Skip Holtz would not confirm it.

Hornes left the team’s training facility in Vero Beach just nine days after fall practice began. He joined the Bulls in 2009 under then head coach Jim Leavitt after winning a national championship at Butler Community College.

It was hoped Hornes could be the punt return man USF desperately needed in 2009, but things never worked out for the 5-7, 175 pounder and he eventually lost the job to Terrence Mitchell last season.

In 2010, Hornes had 164 total all-purpose yards. He caught 11 passes for 135 yards that included his only TD, a 70-yarder in a big win against Cincinnati. In ‘09, he was strictly a punt returner and had 16 returns for 80 yards.

In his senior year at Southeast 2006, Hornes was an all-everything standout, playing quarterback, running back and receiver while returning punts and kickoffs. He piled up 1,486 all-purpose yards and averaged 30.2 yards on punt returns and 23.2 on kickoff returns. He averaged 19.6 yards per catch with 30 receptions and 8.4 yards per rush with 40 attempts.

Hornes stayed out of school for a few years to help his mother, who was battling cancer that eventually took her life.

He was the hero in Butler’s 37-30 double overtime victory over Snow College in the 2008 national junior college championship game, catching six passes for 76 yards. He caught a 14 yard TD pass in the first overtime to send the game into a second OT where the Grizzlies won on a fumble recovery off a blocked field goal.

With Butler, he had 32 catches for 433 yards and three touchdowns. He came on strong the second half of the season, highlighted by a 41-yard TD catch in a victory over Hutchinson, which qualified the Grizzlies for the championship game.

Hornes is the third USF player to leave the team during fall pre-season. He follows running back Dontae Aycock, who has given up football and Venice High defensive end Brandon Wilkinson who left because he was looking for more playing time.

Lakewood Ranch's Reiter holds onto backup center spot at USF

Austin Reiter finished spring practice as the backup center for the University of South Florida football team.

The Lakewood Ranch High graduate, who will be a redshirt freshman for the 2011 season, is behind redshirt senior Kevin McCaskill (6-0, 315).

The 6-4, 273 pound Reiter enrolled in USF in the winter of 2010, participated in spring drills last spring, but sat out the season working with the scout team. He did a solid job in this year's spring game.

Southeast High grad Faron Hornes, who is headed into his senior season at USF, is listed as one of two backups at the slot receiver position.

USF Gamer: Hornes struggles; Bulls trail 14-7

Punt returner Faron Hornes got off to the worst possible start for USF.
The Southeast grad fumbled his first punt on a fair catch, but managed to recover the ball. On his next return, Hornes lost the ball on an attempted return. Stony Brook recovered on the Bulls 35 and three plays later scored to tie the game at 7-7.

On the Bulls next possession, officials ruled punter Just Brockhaus-Kann's knee touched the ground and Stony Brook was given the ball on USF's 27. The Seawolves then scored on a 27 yard TD pass to lead 14-7.

Hornes has big catch of the day for USF

USF receiver Faron Hornes, who has been trying to move up the depth chart, may have helped himself Saturday when the caught the longest pass of the day in the Bulls first scrimmage of fall practice at the Vero Beach Sports Village.

The former Southeast High standout hauled in a 58-yard pass from freshman Jamius Gunsby that set up a four yard touchdown run by Bradley Battles. That turned out to be the only TD for the Bulls in about a 150 play scrimmage. But Gunsby looked impressive connecting on 12 of 17 passes for 168 yards while starter B.J. Daniels struggled and was 7 for 22 for 70 yards.

Hornes drew praise from USF head coach Skip Holtz, who is expected to come up with a new depth chart before the end of the weekend, probably Sunday night. It appears the senior will be among the two deep.

“That was a great play by Faron Hornes. The ball was thrown up there like a punt and he kept running and caught it,” Holtz said. “I think we will be fine in the secondary. There is some talent back there and we just have to keep working. B.J. is going through some growing pains and didn’t have a great throwing day.”

The defense controlled the day and got a big jump start from Palmetto High graduate and senior defensive back Mistral Raymond, who picked off a pass on the first series of the scrimmage. Redshirt freshmen JaQuez Jenkins and Reshard Cliett also had interceptions.