Many a Florida fan’s fears were allayed late last month when Jeff Demps shot down rumors that he would be leaving the football program to concentrate his attention on a career in track & field.
What’s interesting, however, is how close he actually came to ditching his football cleats for a pair of track shoes.
Speaking to reporters ahead of the start of the Gators’ summer camp, Demps confirmed rumors, which cropped up while he was running in a meet in Italy, that he had given serious consideration to becoming a one-sport athlete, with that one sport involving a track instead of a gridiron.
“I definitely gave it thought,” Demps was quoted by Jason Lieser of the Palm Beach Post when asked about quitting football. “When I got back in the football atmosphere and talked with my parents and my coaches — both sides; track and football — and prayed about it, I came out with the decision I wanted to keep playing football.
“I felt like I could run faster if I maybe gave track a full year: the whole fall and spring. Maybe I could run faster. But I wanted to be on the football team.”
Neither the team nor its fans appear to have to worry about the senior running back changing his mind at any point his eligibility expires, either; “I’m going to be here,” Demps said, referring to the entire 2011 season.
Demps has led UF running backs in rushing yards in each of the past two seasons.
On the track side of the ledger, Demps was the 2009 SEC Outdoor 100-meter champion. One interesting tidbit, by way of UF’s track & field website, is that Demps weighs zero pounds. How he stands up to the rigors of SEC football at that weight is beyond me.