With the upcoming NFL draft approaching this Thursday, I thought it would be a good time to put together a series of posts that talk about some of the top prospective athletes trying to make their dreams come true by getting selected by an NFL team. I'm beginning the posts with two great athletes in Sabbath Joseph and Kevin Gidrey.
First up is Sabbath Joseph. A linebacker out of Miami Central High School, Joseph redshirted his freshman year in 2006 before making his debut in 2007, where he played as a reserve linebacker. In his first year, he recorded 14 total tackles, including a season-high four against Pitt, and another three against UCF. In 2008, Joseph played in 12 of the Bulls' 13 games, recording 19 tackles and an interception. 2009 was Joseph's real breakout year, where he started in 12 games, missing the one start due to illness. His best game was the Bulls' program-changing win against Florida State, where he recorded two fumbles and seven tackles and a pass defensed. In his senior season, Joseph had 43 tackles, including 6 for loss and a fumble recovery.
The biggest thing Joseph brings to the draft is his strength. At USF's pro day, he posted an impressive 25 repetitions on the 225 lb bench press. He also recorded a 4.96 in the 40 yard dash, which was a relatively good time considering he had a bit of trouble with his footing. His performance on the weights earned him some looks from NFL executives and hopefully will prove to make a difference in separating Sabbath Joseph from the other talented linebackers in the draft.
The other subject of this post, Kevin Gidrey, followed coach Skip Holtz to Tampa after three loyal years at East Carolina. A tight end from Kempsville High School in Virginia Beach, VA, he saw playing time in all of his respective teams' games, earning a lot of time on the offensive line in his first year. Gidrey was mostly utilized as a blocker throughout his career, but that doesn't mean he can't catch and run, either. In his second year at ECU, he started in half the team's games, tallying four receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown in the team's Conference-USA championship season. In his third season at ECU, Holtz got a bit more used to playing Gidrey, starting him in all 14 games. He had a career year then, pulling in 9 catches for 101 yards. Gidrey came to Tampa as a graduate student, following Holtz for his final year of eligibility. He again posted consistent solid numbers all season, with his career day against Connecticut when he had 43 receiving yards.
As I stated before, Gidrey is a good blocking tight end, posting 14 repetitions on the 225 lb bench press. But that doesn't mean he can't run. Gidrey has good hands in the field, and his 6'2" frame can take a hit. He completed the 40-yard dash in 4.96 seconds as well. Gidrey has had multiple workouts with NFL teams, including the Atlanta Falcons, who called him earlier this weekend.
Joseph has put together an excellent four years here in Tampa, and has shown good improvement in each of his seasons. His size and talent on the field suggest that he has the potential to bring great athleticism wherever he winds up. Gidrey obviously doesn't have much of a body of work here at USF, and therefore isn't going to be one of those players all the students in Tampa will be watching for his whole career, but he is no doubt a part of the USF family as much as anyone else. We hope for the best for both of them, and wish them well wherever they go.
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