Game 1 Player to Watch: Jordan Cronkrite
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, AUG. 31, 2018 –
Jordan Cronkrite finally gets his chance to shine as a Bull in 2018 and the spotlight will immediately be on him when USF kicks off the season Saturday night at Raymond James Stadium.
The redshirt junior running back from Miami earned starter status in fall camp, which is a big deal considering the awesome company he's joining from USF's recent past. Previous starting backs Marlon Mack,
D'Ernest Johnson and
Darius Tice all played key roles in the
winningest era in Bulls football history (29-9 record from 2015-17).
"I appreciate the coaches giving me the opportunity to go out there and help my team in any way possible," Cronkrite said. "Those are all three great running backs. Obviously I want to produce like they did, that's always the goal, but I'm just honored to be in the position I'm in now."
Cronkrite's position on the team now is much different than it was at this time a year ago. As a new Bull, the former four-star prospect out of Westminster Christian High School had to serve a whole season on the scout team after transferring from Florida.
"I was able to learn what the standard is here for our team and what the coaches' expectations were," he said. "I was able to have a year up in the playbook, which is always a great thing."
USF sees great potential from an already seasoned back who has "kind of been there, done that," according to second-year USF offensive coordinator
Sterlin Gilbert. Cronkrite played in 24 games for the Gators from 2015-16 and averaged 4.0 yards per carry with four touchdowns in 75 attempts.
"He brings a calmness to the playing field, especially at that running back position," Gilbert said. "When he's got the ball in his hands, he can do multiple things with it. He's a physical pass blocker. He's got enough speed to take the ball the distance as well."
Cronkrite was quite explosive this fall at camp, breaking off long scoring runs and showing the pass-catching ability he used to post a 41-yard TD reception at South Carolina as a true freshman in 2015.
"It's been over a year since he's been here and sat, and now it's his time," Gilbert said. "He's excited about that."
So are his family members, which include his brother and five sisters who will have to wait until at least game 2 because of a special Cronkrite tradition.
"For (Elon), only my parents are coming because they have some thing where they just like to watch it by themselves, just the first one. They've been doing that since my freshman year, just them two," Cronkrite said. "I'm sure for every other game, a lot of my family is coming. I think for the Illinois game, about 25-30 people are coming for that game. A lot of people from my dad's side are from Chicago."
Cronkrite's parents, Sonya and Jack, certainly brought good fortunes to their son in a previous season opener. Back in 2015, Cronkrite averaged 4.8 yards per carry and scored a touchdown against New Mexico State as a true freshman.
"That was the time I scored my first collegiate touchdown. I had a pretty good game against New Mexico State," Cronkrite said. "It was a great feeling and I'll probably never forget that."
Cronkrite hopes for another memorable experience Saturday night, which marks his first game since playing against Alabama in the SEC Championship on Dec. 3, 2016. He'll have the full support of USF's loaded backfield that also features sophomore
Elijah Mack (Punta Gorda, Fla.),
Trevon Sands (Miami) and
Duran Bell Jr. (Tampa).
"It's a great feeling, we all push each other," Cronkrite said. "There's not any pressure of me trying to do everything on my own. We just try to make each other better."
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
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