Since he arrived at USF in 2019 — yes, that long ago — all Logan Berryhill ever wanted was an opportunity. He was a receiver who never had a reception (and very few targets). Last season, he went back and forth from pass-catcher to defensive back. Mostly, he kept his head down and played special teams. His breakthrough never came.

Until now.

Berryhill, now settled in at safety, drew raves throughout training camp from coaches who loved his instincts and length. Last week, he grabbed two interceptions, more evidence that he has finally found a home.

"The football gods reward people who do things the right way,'' defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said.

Now Berryhill and the Bulls (1-1) have the opportunity of a lifetime on Saturday night when they host the No. 10-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide (1-1) at Raymond James Stadium.

"It's our big chance,'' said Berryhill, 6-foot-4, 196 pounds, from the South Georgia coastal community of St. Marys, a small Navy town of 19,000 just up the road from Jacksonville. "We have to take advantage of it. The way life goes, some people unfortunately don't get many chances.''

Sometimes, those chances get snuffed out.

The late-night accident happened more than nine years ago, just east of Interstate 95's Exit 1, along the four-lane St. Marys Road. A distracted driver, reaching down to pick up his cell phone and play music, was doing about 55 mph when his 2003 Mercury Marquis swerved and slammed into an unaware 15-year-old walking to the right of the fog line on the edge of the highway. The youth was killed instantly.

More than nine years later, there's still a memorial cross at that spot, its base buried deep into the ground, a reminder of the rampant grief felt by the entire town over the fallen teen, a football star about to enter his freshman year of high school.

He was Braxton Sullivan — Berryhill's older brother.

Sullivan had been with a friend and they walked down the road, uncommon for pedestrians, to a nearby party. Sullivan's grandfather had told him to wait. He was on the way home from Jacksonville and could handle pickup and drop-off. But the kids were itchy and didn't wait. The grass was overgrown on the road's shoulder, leaving them only the pavement's edge and making it even more precarious.

"You never get over it and you never come back from it,'' said Berryhill, 14 at the time, who was awakened in the middle of the night with news of his brother's death. "All you can do is keep living, keep striving, keep pushing through. But you never forget.''

Berryhill doesn't want to forget. There are tattoos along his stomach and arms that tell the story — a drawing of Sullivan's face, the date of the accident (6/7/14), a heart, Sullivan's football number (5), a depiction of Sullivan entering the gates of Heaven and a small verse from Proverbs 17:17.

A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for a time of adversity.

"The night it happened, I said, 'Logan, it's OK to cry. You don't hold it inside. You don't bottle it up,' '' said Sherell Graham, his great aunt, the woman who raised him. "He didn't want to cry. He was concerned about everyone and was trying to be very strong.

"I believe when Logan was by himself later, he did an awful lot of crying.''

When your brother is buried at the first funeral you ever attend, how difficult can anything else really be?

Berryhill kept fighting for his football future, even when things seemed bleak. But he never gave up. Sullivan, a quarterback and receiver, wouldn't have tolerated anything less from his little brother.

"I'm happy to be out there starting the game and playing a lot,'' Berryhill said. "I'm playing for myself, but I'm playing for Braxton, too. He would've loved this. I think about him every day.''

Dealing With Adversity

Asked to evaluate Berryhill's best characteristics, Orlando didn't choose size, speed, range or instincts.

"The No. 1 thing I love about the kid is he's an incredible kid — humble, selfless, hard-working,'' Orlando said. "He's so respectful and so polite. That kid was raised the right way.''

And that's a reflection of Graham, the great aunt, the elementary-school teacher who already had raised two grown children of her own. When Berryhill was 3, she took him in and got help from the grandfather, James Berryhill. Really, there was no other choice.

Berryhill's mother, Casharra, simply couldn't care for her sons any longer. She also couldn't care for herself. Berryhill never had a relationship with his father.

"What has happened to Casharra is almost unfair,'' Graham said.

When Berryhill's mother was 9, doctors found a tumor and she fought brain cancer. Chemotherapy shrunk the tumor, but complications led to blindness in one eye. She returned to school and that's when the seizures began, a condition that was difficult to diagnose and nearly impossible to regulate.

"The doctors didn't think Casharra would live through all of this,'' Graham said. "But she kept on living. She had two boys. She just kept having these incredible health issues. They didn't stop.''

Berryhill's mother now lives in a convalescent center, a heart-wrenching decision, but Graham was overwhelmed and there were no good backup plans because around-the-clock care was needed. Berryhill's mother has since had a stroke, which paralyzed most of her right side. It's an almost unthinkable existence for a 42-year-old woman. She spends most of her days confined to bed and her memory sometimes fades.

"She'll say, 'Where's my baby?' and I'll say, 'He's down in Tampa, playing football, getting that good college education,'' Graham said. "And she'll smile. She knows. She's pleased.

"It's all more than anybody should have to bear, but I know Logan's mother is proud. I am very proud, too.''

Graham relied on school-teacher discipline and leaned on Berryhill early, insisting that he treat people with respect, work hard and get an education. Berryhill followed the instructions, always in a mannerly way. At USF, he got his criminology degree in three years. Now he's working on a master's in physical education.

He'd love to play football beyond USF and he draws inspiration and tips from his position coach, James Rowe, who worked five seasons in the NFL. When his playing days are done, Berryhill wants to become a coach.

"I think with what happened to Braxton and maybe my mother, too, I learned how to appreciate every moment of my life,'' Berryhill said. "I've got to give this my absolute best. I can't waste anything. I've got to make every moment count.''

Patience Leads To A Payoff

The moments went by slowly during four USF seasons, including an initial redshirt year. The sky-walking receiving talent Berryhill displayed at Camden County High School — where he was recognized as one of Georgia's top talents — was lost in the shuffle at USF.

Last season, willing to try anything, he alternated between receiver and safety, changing from No. 83 to No. 37 and back, before going all in on his last chance after the hiring of Alex Golesh as the Bulls' sixth head coach. He became a full-time safety. That decision now looks brilliant.

"When I got here, nobody knew much about Logan,'' Golesh said. "From winter workouts to spring to summer to fall camp, we saw this dude who was long, who could cover, who could run and play in the middle of the field.

"You want a middle of the field safety who can make plays like him. He has been phenomenal and he has earned the right to have success. Now we want him to be more vocal and bring some other players with him. He's an example of what we want.''

Orlando discovered that pretty quickly.

"He has major tools,'' Orlando said. "He has great range. He can track the football. He's good in space.

"At first, we were like, 'We've got to do the things he can do.' Well, we found out he can do a lot. He has a unique skill-set and he responds to coaching. I'm telling you, I love the kid. I don't think the stage is too big for him.''

With Alabama coming to town, that's a very good thing.

"Logan would call me from time to time and I'd tell him to just keep working and things would get better with his football,'' Graham said. "He had to deal with some hurtful things in his life, a lot more serious than football, but he never let anything stop him. He's a good person.''

"I wish Braxton was still here,'' Berryhill said. "I wish my mother didn't have to deal with (health issues). Everything happens for a reason, but sometimes you wonder what the reasons are. I just have to keep pushing forward.''

When Berryhill is back in St. Marys, he always spends time with his mother, telling her about his life and his hopes, even if she's unresponsive and it's a monologue. He'll also visit the cemetery and talk to Braxton.

"That child cares,'' Graham said. "He cares about other people.''

Graham and other family members are coming to Tampa this weekend to see Berryhill's Bulls take on Alabama. It's shaping up as a memorable weekend. Sometimes, he almost feels guilty to have such invigorating, exciting moments because some of the people closest to him have endured tragic times.

But he learned long ago that even if you're dealt an unfair hand, you don't quit, no matter what. You keep going and keep striving. Usually, that patience will get rewarded.

"I try not to dwell on the things that happened,'' Berryhill said. "You try to keep everything in the present.''

For Berryhill, the time is now. Finally.

– #GoBulls –