Most of his life, USF nickel back Jarvis Lee Jr. was told he was too small for major college football. If those doubters could only see him now. 

Lee, 5-foot-11 and up to about 185 pounds after gaining about 30 since his USF arrival, has become arguably the most influential player on USF's defense. He's a knockout tackler, a sticky cover man and a menacing blitzer who consistently creates sacks and turnovers in the opponent's backfield.

As the Bulls (7-2, 4-1 American Conference) continue their upward trajectory with a huge Saturday afternoon road showdown looming against the Navy Midshipmen (7-2, 5-1), Lee, the reigning American Conference Defensive Player of the Week, again figures to be a key influencer for USF's league-title ambitions.

"Jarvis Lee is playing out of his mind,'' head coach Alex Golesh said. "What he has done … it's powerful.''

Lee has a team-leading 10.5 tackles for a loss with 41 tackles overall, three sacks, two interceptions, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. Against UTSA, Lee disrupted both of the Roadrunners' first two possessions, first with a quarterback hurry, then a forced fumble, both of which set up teammates for tone-setting touchdown returns.

Clearly, Lee has made a name for himself. And that's very meaningful.

"There's nothing more important than your good name and what it means to people,'' he said.

Jarvis Tyrone Lee Jr.

It's the name Lee shares with his father, a man he barely knew through most of his life, a shadowy figure who showed up for his son's ninth birthday. That's the sum total of the father-son memories. Who was this guy? Lee wasn't exactly sure.

"I never really knew my dad,'' Lee said. "He wasn't around. I didn't know his situation at all.'' 

Now everything has changed. Lee's father is incarcerated in Tallahassee, paying a heavy price for his mistakes. Lee, who once came across as someone "mad at the world'' according to Golesh, has softened. He wants a relationship with his father. He wants to know more. For the first time, the father can watch his son play football on television. Lee calls whenever he's able. They exchange text messages. During the offseason, he has visited the prison so they can speak face-to-face. 

"This situation has happened and I could just turn my back,'' Lee said. "I don't want to do that. Some things have happened, but how can we make it better? At the end of the day, he's my dad. I'm taking (the initiative) to make it a positive. And it has gotten better with each day.''

 

Maturing Into A Man

When Golesh talks about Lee, the football almost seems secondary. It's more about the person.

"He has grown as much as anybody in our program,'' Golesh said. "I'm so proud of that dude. He is why you get into coaching. He's just one of my favorite human beings in this building. And I've got to tell you it sure didn't start out that way.''

At first, Golesh couldn't figure out Lee, who grew up outside of Jacksonville but finished high-school football with IMG Academy's elite program. During the recruiting visit, on a trip from downtown Tampa to USF's campus, Golesh tried to engage in some small talk. 

No reaction. None.

"He wouldn't talk to me,'' Golesh said. "He just sat there. I came to realize he was bottling up a lot. He had it really, really tough.''

There was also the question of whether a 150-pound defensive back could develop into a productive USF player.

"When we first went down there to recruit him, he got on the scale and you were like, 'Oh my goodness,' '' defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said. "I don't remember the exact weight, but it wasn't good.

"What swung it was his attitude and his mindset. He had a chip on his shoulder. I fell in love with his confidence. He felt like he should be playing and getting more attention. Granted, we weren't a great program back then. But he came with us, and I just had a feeling that he was going to develop into something special.''

From Day One, Lee said he felt he should be playing more, not sitting the bench, not sharing a spot. But he had to earn all of it. Somehow, a light went on, and he realized that he needed a change — on and off the field.

"He figured out that he had to pave his own path for his future,'' Golesh said. "Now he works that way. He prepares that way. He studies film that way. As he came out of his shell, he became an incredible leader.

"He became a high, high, high-energy guy. The way he plays the middle of the field, what he has done on the perimeter, the amount of negative plays he has forced, man, this guy is dynamic. Both in football and in life, he learned that he could accept help and he could help others. He's a selfless, hungry, elite teammate and elite worker. And you know what? Even with his success, he still plays with that chip on his shoulder.'' 

At IMG, Lee was surrounded by five-star talent, guys like defensive back Jordan Johnson-Rubell (Texas), cornerback Dezz Ricks (Texas A&M), defensive back Ellis Robinson IV (Georgia), wide receiver Carnell Tate (Ohio State) and offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa (Miami). 

"Some real dogs,'' Lee said. "I learned to set my sights high. My goal is to play in the NFL. But I'm going to have a great degree from the University of South Florida and I'm going places in life. I want to set a great example for my family.''

 

Setting The Example

Lee is the second oldest of 10 siblings, so he feels an example-setting responsibility.

"I want to show them that, where we're from, you can make it out, do something productive and not just be part of your environment,'' Lee said. "Be something better.''

You can't miss Lee's family at Raymond James Stadium. Everyone wears shirts with Lee's name, his likeness and, of course, No. 0.

For two seasons, Lee wore No. 28 at USF, a desirable, symmetrical number for a defensive back. To many people, No. 0 literally represents nothing. But to Lee, it's everything. That's why he switched, so he could honor his former USF teammate, the man he considers a big brother, the Bulls' former No. 0 — Daquan (Day-Day) Evans. 

"I'm not going to lie, it was hard for me to come from a place like IMG and to not be playing (initially) at USF,'' Lee said. "He (Evans) told me everyone's path was different. He sat me down like he was a teacher. He taught me how to be patient, how to watch film, how to take care of my body, how to do everything for college. Because of him, that motivated me to help show the way for others, to be an example.'' 

Even for his father.

"I think seeing me play, it makes my dad happy,'' Lee said. "It brings him some joy. He's probably bragging on me. I'll tell him some things I want to accomplish, then he gets to see me do it. I never saw my dad outside of prison except for that one time, my ninth birthday, so we missed a lot. But we're building a connection now.''

As Lee builds his football resume with a ferocious attitude — "This is a collision sport and I don't back down from anything or anybody,'' he said — he takes particular pride in how his name is now recognized in a positive light.

Not that he clamors for attention. But in recent years, anybody searching for "Jarvis Lee'' would find some unfavorable mentions. Now Jarvis Lee represents one of the best stories in USF football.

There's nothing more important than your good name.

Jarvis Lee is grateful for that, along with the maturity that transformed his mindset and the example he gets to set — for his teammates, for his family back home and for his father. It's his namesake, the guy he's still getting to know, day by day. 

Even though so much time was lost, even though it all could have been different, some things don't change. The son just wants to make his father proud.

–#GoBulls–