Casey Kelly

[Mama_Bull]

I would have posted this on the prospects board, but with this kid being a 2 sport athlete, I thought more of the board members would read about him here.

Kudos to Alan.  He comes through with some great articles for us.

Teams willing to accomodate two-sport athlete

By Alan Dell, USFBullsEYE.com Associate Editor – Rivals.com

Colleges are coming up with ingenious ways to persuade highly touted Sarasota High quarterback Casey Kelly to sign, says his high school coach.

The 6-4, 190-pound Kelly is a rare breed. He is a high division I-A football talent, who could be selected in the first round of next year's Major League Baseball Draft.

Sarasota head football coach Bob Perkins says some colleges are suggesting he go ahead and sign a pro baseball contract and then play football, which is allowed under NCAA rules. They have different ideas about how he can combine spring football practice and baseball, but all are willing to work with him.

Kelly has received offers from Alabama, Tennessee, University of South Florida, Rutgers, Mississippi, Duke, Central Florida and Cincinnati.

He is the top-rated pro-style quarterback in Florida and ninth nationally by Rivals.Com and is among the top 15 finalists for the invitation only Elite 11 Quarterback camp in California.

"I want to play both sports and the coaches who have made offers understand that," Kelly said. "I don't have a solid top five, but I am looking at both the football and baseball programs at the schools I am considering."

Perkins said USF head coach Jim Leavitt offered Kelly back in February and came to his school last spring to reiterate his feelings. Alabama's Lou Saban also made a personal visit to show his interest.

"Coach Leavitt talked to me personally about Casey. He usually does a very thorough job before making an offer so that shows how much he is interested," Perkins said. "He said Casey would be given every opportunity to pursue both sports. Some schools are thinking Casey might try baseball and later decide on football like Doug Johnson (Florida) and Chris Weinke (FSU) did and want to keep in touch.

"Coach Saban came here personally because he also wanted to made it clear that Casey could do both. Once you are there I don't know how they are going to work it out. Todd Helton was probably one of the more successful at that when he was at Tennessee. A coach from Oregon, which doesn't have a baseball team, mentioned how he could play in the pro baseball leagues out there."

Kelly is a pro-style quarterback, who can make things happen with his legs. This past baseball season, he led Sarasota to the Class 6A state title. He was 11-0 with a 0.24 ERA and started at shortstop when not pitching, finishing with a .317 batting average. He prefers to be an everyday player.

Kelly stood out at the Nike Miami Combine camp despite the fact that he hadn't thrown a football since the high school season ended. His fastball has been clocked at 91 miles per hour and he can zing spirals all over the field for distance and accuracy.

Since he grew up in a baseball family (his dad Pat played briefly with the Kansas City Royals) Perkins believes Kelly could juggle both sports during the spring because baseball comes naturally to him and he knows the game so well. It might allow him to spend more time on football in the spring.

"I don't know what sport I like better. Right now, I like football better during the football season and baseball during the baseball season," Kelly said. "Most colleges are doing more of the pro style offense and getting guys ready for the next level, which I like.

"This summer, I am playing baseball for a travel team and working out a couple of days with my receivers. I am just playing shortstop because I want to save my arm. If I get picked for the Elite 11 Camp I am going."

Kelly's sister was a cheerleader at USF and he has seen some of its football games. He also knows running back Mike Ford, who enrolled there in January. Ford holds the school single season rushing record at Sarasota High and Kelly has the passing record.

Kelly says Leavitt text messages him every now and then and says in them that playing both sports is not a big thing to him and USF baseball coach Lelo Prado.

"They like to use a run and gun with (quarterback) Matt Grothe, but also throw the ball

down field vertical, which I like," Kelly said. "I think they are close to winning the Big East in football. In Big East baseball, you have to up to the cold places to play and I don't know if that appeals to me."

Having colleges and pro baseball scouts pursuing him doesn't bother Kelly. He takes everything in stride and believes he will make the right decision when the time comes.

"My dad's advice has been to have fun with all this stuff and the whole process and that is what I am doing," says Kelly, who turns 18 in October. "I am still flying high because of our state baseball championship."

If Kelly does sign with USF, Perkins jokes that Leavitt could have the one backfield he always dreamed.

"Mike graduated before Casey became our quarterback and I always wondered how great it would be to have Ford and Casey in the same backfield," Perkins said.

Updated on Friday, Jun 15, 2007 6:40 pm EDT

http://sports.yahoo.com/ncaaf/news?slug=rivals-135155&prov=rivals&type=story_recruiting

[USFbulls0208]

I live and Sarasota and have friends at SHS (Sarasota High School) who said he already accepted the full scholarship to Tenn.

SHS is my school's huge rival, so naturally, I wouldn't want him to come here

He got the Sarasota Herald Tribune's fall player of the year for all sports this past year.

[Rabbi Bull]

Scout has him as being offered by Tenn, Rutgers, Alabama, UCiF, Duke, Ole Miss, and USF.  Neither Scout.com nor Rivals.com has him as committed to any school.

[bulls96go]

he will sign with the baseball pros...for the first round $$$$

[Kyle]

Alan Dell is too one dimensional. Has he ever written anything about anyone that was not from the Sarasota area?

[Mama_Bull]

Alan Dell is too one dimensional. Has he ever written anything about anyone that was not from the Sarasota area?

Whether he writes about the Sarasota area or not, he does support USF.  We need someone covering that area of the State and why shouldn't he?

He supports USF that is the only thing that matters.

[E.T.]

That's the way I see it also Mama ... would like more "Dells" across the state !

Go BULLS !!!

[USFbulls0208]

Yeah Dell does all the USF stuff in the Sarasota Herald Tribune

He used to be really pessimistic about us, even if we had big wins.

But he's gotten better now.

[smazza]

he will sign with the baseball pros...for the first round $$$$

this is like smart play

[smazza]

AFTER GTOTHE I WOULD imagine usf would only take top rated qbs

no more projects,experiments or freaks