More Lakeland Ledger Coverage

[E.T.]

Published Thursday, August 2, 2007

LHS Star Jamar Taylor Enrolls at USF

Running back plans to join the team when practice begins Monday.

By Rick Brown

The Ledger

Jamar Taylor is officially a USF Bull.

USF accepted Taylor’s transfer from the University of Alabama and Taylor will report with the rest of the team to USF on Sunday and start practice on Monday.

“I’m very excited,†he said. “Now I can get going.â€Â

Taylor, 5-foot-9 and 204 pounds, was one of many stars on the Lakeland Dreadnaughts’ 2006 state championship team and was ranked as the 25th best running back in the country by Rivals.com, a national recruiting service. He gained 1,062 yards and scored 13 touchdowns his senior season.

He must now get a hardship waiver from the NCAA to allow him to play this season. Normally, those who transfer from one Division I-A school to another have to sit out one year.

Taylor, a true freshman running back, said family concerns were the reason he wanted to get back home. When he approached Alabama head coach Nick Saban about his thoughts, Saban told him to check into USF.

“It was a hard choice to make,†he said. “It was never a football decision. But it was really important for me to be around my family (he has a 1-year-old son, Jamar Jr).

“USF is a good fit for me,†he said. “I’m happy where I am.â€Â

http://theledger.com/article/20070802/BREAKING/70802030

[USFMikeB]

Saban told him to check USF?

[BullsFanInTX]

Saban did not tell him to "check into USF".  Being from Lakeland, he already knew about USF.  Saban probably tried to convince him to stay at Alabama, until he realized Jamar was as good as gone and then let him go.

Did Taylor seriously consider USF out of HS instead of Ala?

[sdgukhsdgl]

Saban told him to check USF?

probably because he would not release him to UF or FSU

[Greg Auman]

Taylor said today that he always liked USF, said it would have been Alabama or USF, he just chose Alabama.

[bulls96go]

welcome on board

[E.T.]

He's a BULL now !

And he runs with an attitude and will move the pile. Expecting him to RS and be real strong for his debut in 2008.

Go BULLS !!!

[E.T.]

Published Friday, August 3, 2007

A NEW LESSON PLAN

Kathleen's Jones Is In Camp Trying To Earn A Spot With Bucs

By Mike Cobb

The Ledger

As far as Tim Jones is concerned, nothing's impossible. Jones, a 2001 Kathleen High graduate, is a defensive end who signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers earlier this week. On the surface, he looks to be a long shot to make the team, but then at this time a year ago, he was getting his lesson plans together for his job teaching math at Madison Middle School in Tampa. That's why he doesn't see himself as a long shot.

"I'm optimistic. If I play hard and do what I have to do, nothing's impossible," he said. "I'm here right now, so nothing's impossible."

Defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin says he's willing to give him a shot.

"I'm all for those guys. I love those guys," Kiffin said. "I don't care what your name is, where you came from, how tall you are, or how much you can bench press?

"It's 'Can you make the play or not?' We're going to look at him."

Kiffin said Jones made a couple of plays Tuesday on his first day to get his attention.

"He had a couple of good (pass) rushes," Kiffin said. "He's got real good quickness. He doesn't have good size, but you don't have to have that. Chuck Darby didn't. He was six foot and he played in the Super Bowl."

Darby, at 6-feet and 285 pounds, was the Bucs' starting nose tackle in 2002 when the team won the Super Bowl.

Jones, the older brother of former Kathleen and University of Florida basketball forward Chris Richard, drew only mild interest from the NFL after his playing career ended at South Florida. In April 2006, he was invited to the Bucs' rookie tryout camp but was not signed.

No other NFL teams came forward with offers that summer, and he had just graduated from USF, so he began his teaching career.

A call from the Green Bay Packers last year changed that and put him on his path to getting a shot in the NFL, Jones said.

"They told me they'd like to work me out and would like to see me in NFL Europe," Jones said. "I got drafted in the (NFL Europe) free agent draft. I went over there and played pretty decent, then the Bucs signed me.

"That's why I said nothing's impossible. At the same time last year, I was getting ready to go to school and teach."

Jones played four seasons at South Florida, sitting out one season before finishing his career in 2005. He began his college career as a tight end but moved to defensive end as a sophomore and finished his career with 122 tackles and 10.5 sacks.

He spent the summer playing for the Amsterdam Admirals, where he finished the season with 21 tackles, two sacks and four passes batted down in 10 games.

After that, it was a waiting game to see if any NFL teams called.

He had mild interest from a couple of teams, he said, but no offers until the Bucs called earlier this week.

The Bucs don't produce an official depth chart during training camp, but it's fair to say that Jones is starting out at the bottom of the chart. And that's OK. At least he's on the chart.

"It's a chance for anybody to see me," he said. "That's what my coach in NFL Europe kept telling me. Put it on tape, put it on tape.

"All of the (NFL) teams are going to look at the tape. This is just another opportunity."

He's also beginning to realize that sometimes it takes patience to find the right opportunity.

"I'm maturing with this because I understand the whole game now," he said. "It took some guys in NFL Europe to help me realize you have to be patient.

"Things will work out. You can't get upset about certain things because it's just part of the game," he said. "It's like any other business. You just have to keep working because you never know what's going to happen."