Game 7 Player Spotlight: Omarion Dollison
GAME 7 MATCHUP:Â USF (1-5, 0-4 in AAC) at Memphis (3-2, 2-2 in AAC)
DAY & TIME:Â Saturday, noon
LOCATION:Â Liberty Bowl Memorial Stadium, Memphis, Tenn.
TV:Â
ESPN+
RADIO:Â Over the Air:Â 95.3/620 WDAE &Â
Digital:Â
Bulls Unlimited
SERIES:Â Memphis leads, 6-4
GAME NOTES:Â
USF |
Memphis
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By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, NOV. 7, 2020 – Months after committing to
Jeff Scott without even visiting campus,
Omarion Dollison is contributing right away for the Bulls as a true freshman playmaker.
Heading into Saturday's conference matchup at Memphis, dynamic Dollison leads USF with 202 receiving yards and his 15.5 yards-per-catch average is the best among Bulls with at least one grab this season.
"I think O.D. has probably had as good of a start to the season as any of our receivers in that room," Scott said. "He plays fast. He's a physical player. He knows how to get open. He knows how to separate, and then he's tough to tackle once he gets the ball in his hands. I'm really pleased with him."
Dollison wasted no time impressing his head coach by matching an NCAA record in the season opener while making a splash special teams. ESPN showcased highlights of the first big play Dollison made as a Bull when he tip-toed inside the end zone while reeling in a botched kick for a 0-yard punt return touchdown.
Three receptions in the next three games, all for at least 15 yards, showed Dollison was a promising pass catcher, especially after his 52-yarder against East Carolina. That set the stage for the next two games that saw "O.D." deliver often with 10 combined receptions for 118 yards.
"I'm feeling good about the spot I'm in right now. I'm just knowing this offense, staying in my books and taking notes," Dollison said. Â "I feel like I'm doing things for the offense right now."
Definitely so, and in field-stretching fashion, as Dollison is tied for the team lead with three explosive plays in the receiving game of at least 21 yards. The speedy slot receiver also has used his old youth football/high school running back skills on two jet sweeps totaling 19 yards.
"He just doesn't play like a freshman. He plays like a junior or senior," offensive coordinator
Charlie Weis Jr. said. "He plays tough. He plays physical. He can handle everything that we're doing."
Lots of Production Before Becoming a Bull
Dollison was kind of a Jack-of-all-trades as a young football player who ended up starting at receiver in his first varsity season as a sophomore with Gray Collegiate Academy in West Columbia, S.C.
He also played running back during his prep career and even took the ball away as a defensive back who reeled in 20 scholarship offers. Receiver was the role Dollison wanted to play at the next level, especially after finishing his senior season with 86 catches for 1,621 yards (18.8 ypc) and 21 touchdowns in addition to nine rushes for 118 yards (13.1 ypc).
"Every time I touch the ball, I try to make something happen," he said.
It almost happened for conference foe Cincinnati before
Jeff Scott dialed up Dollison in December while he was having a very good all-star experience at the Touchstone Energy Cooperatives Bowl in Myrtle Beach, S.C. Dollison had two catches for 104 yards, including a 95-yard TD, in the game and got a big shock from USF's new head coach during the trip.
"I was like, 'Who is this?' He told me who it was and I was shocked," Dollison explained. "… He said, 'Hey, how are you doing? I just got the job with the South Florida Bulls. I would like to offer you.'"
Dollison was very intrigued, especially with Scott's very caring approach that the receiver still respects to this day. He also liked what he saw of USF when his head coach gave him a virtual tour of campus.
Once it was time to make an official commitment, not many people in Dollison's circle knew which program he would pick when he sat down at the press conference table to announce his college team.
"On signing day, I surprised Coach Scott with a South Florida Bulls hat. I committed on the spot," Dollison said with a smile earlier this week.
Another person very happy with the decision was Dollison's mother, Nicole, who did research with her son on colleges' scholastic status.Â
"She's big on schools that have good education. We looked at the academics and were like, 'Yeah, (USF) is a good school for academics,'" said Dollison, who is now majoring in public health.
Before becoming a Bull, Dollison said he had only been to Florida once but he feels right at home in Tampa.
"I came down here and I'm really doing my thing right now," he said.
More O.D. Details
BIG BRO: Once the Bulls are off for holiday break, Dollison looks forward to heading back up to Columbia, S.C., to see his three younger brothers – 14-year-old Darius, 10-year-old Kaleb and Cayden, who is 8. "I just try to be their role model," Dollison said. "I want them to go to their friends and be like, 'My brother plays college football. You can watch my brother on TV.' I just want be a role model for everybody around in South Carolina. When I go back, I want to train with younger guys." Eventually, Dollison would like to pursue a career in physical education once his playing days are over. "My dream is to make it to the NFL. Hopefully I do, but if that doesn't happen, I'm (also) looking to be a youth league football coach," he said.- MUSICAL BACKGROUND: Dollison doesn't play much anymore, but he spent two years learning the trumpet in middle school. "My mother, she wanted me to try something new," he said. Another family member who get a big kick out of Dollison expanding his horizons was his grandfather, Lewis, a skilled saxophonist. Dollison said he calls his grandparents daily to check on them and looks at Lewis as a best friend. "We talk every day about any kind of sport that goes on. After every game, he asks me about what happened and stuff," Dollison said. "He's been there for me every day."
- THIS AND THAT: Dollison's favorite hobby is playing video games, like Madden and NBA 2K, especially on Xbox Live with his cousins back home in South Carolina. Growing up, he also enjoyed paintballing… Dollison said he's been a devoted follower of New England's NFL team since he played for the Patriots in youth league football. "I've been a Patriots fan for a good minute," said Dollison, who started rooting for the six-time Super Bowl champions in 2009.
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About USF Football
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 23rd season (20th at the FBS level) in 2019. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 14 All-America selections and 29 first-team all-conference selections and has seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft.Â
USF has made 10 bowl games appearances (going 6-4 in those games) and posted a program record six straight appearances from 2005-2010. The Bulls most recently made four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18 and posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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