USF sophomore JeyQuan Smith balances running routes, sprints

TAMPA, Fla. - Playing high school football in California, JeyQuan Smith could only imagine where his football career would take him one day. He never thought, however, football would bring him back home. 

"The crazy thing about it is my whole thing was I can't go back to Florida," the University of South Florida sophomore receiver said. 

Born and raised in Bradenton, Smith learned to love football playing around the Tampa Bay area as a kid before moving to California with his family when he was in middle school.

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"That's the roots. That's what made me the man I am today, really," said Smith. 

But before Smith ever ran a route or held a football, he found his first love: Track and field. 

"The one thing about it is you can't teach speed," Smith said. "Some people naturally are fast, and I have been blessed to have this speed."

From the time he was four years old, Smith has been a sprinter, only picking up football later when a coach noticed his natural speed. Later, when it came time to choose a college, Smith wanted someplace where he could be free to run routes and sprints. 

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"It was a deal-breaker honestly," said Smith. "I grew up doing it all my life and just felt like I couldn't change it just because I'm at a different level."

As it turns out, USF football head coach Alex Golesh was in need of a little speed to help round out his first recruiting class. 

"We were looking for a slot [receiver] and looking for someone that could run, run," explained Golesh. 

After what Golesh described as a "cold call" to Smith, the sprinter visited USF and decided to commit. 

"Golesh, that man can talk," joked Smith. "He was telling me all the good stuff about the program and what I could do. I just had the buy into it, and it's paying off."

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Running sprints with the USF indoor/outdoor track and field team and becoming a staple on Golesh's offense and special teams unit, Smith continues to appreciate his collegiate balancing act. 

"I really didn't understand. I've been doing it all my life. What is different about this level?" Smith remembered thinking. "It comes down to mental toughness and that's really what it took for me."

Now, as a sophomore, Smith is finding his footing on the track and on the field. 

"This is really his second year focusing on football. I think his future is so crazy bright," said Golesh. "It will be really, really fun to continue to watch him as he continues to go."

Now, Smith follows his feel on the track and gridiron each day, by first following them back home again. 

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