It's understandable if your eyes study other athletes on the USF men's track and field team before finally focusing on Jaleel Croal. He's a dynamic sprinter — no doubt about that — but he's not physically imposing. 

He's 5-foot-9 … maybe.

Bulls head coach Erik Jenkins has a curious nickname for Croal — "Big Dog.''

"It's not the size of the dog,'' Jenkins said. "It's the fight in the dog. This dude competes. Trust me, if you're going against Jaleel in a race or a relay, he's a major problem. Jaleel is absolutely that guy, the one you want on your team. What he has done so far absolutely speaks for itself.''

It doesn't just speak.

It shouts.

At the American Athletic Conference Outdoor Championships, Croal was named Most Valuable Performer after tripling in the sprints, winning the 100 meters (10.26) and 200 meters (meet-record 20.28), while running the second leg of USF's championship 4x100 relay team (38.73).

The 200 meters was especially meaningful for Croal, who set a national record for his homeland, the British Virgin Islands, and surpassed the 23-year-old mark of Dion Crabbe, who ran a 20.30 in 2002 at Starkville, Miss.

"That has been one of my goals all along,'' Croal said. "I wanted to do that. I wanted to win conference titles. And now I want one of those trophies they give out (at the NCAA Championships).''

First things first. Croal is headed to the NCAA East Regionals (Wednesday through Saturday at the University of North Florida in Jacksonville) and hoping to qualify for a championship run in each of his three events.

Earlier this season, Croal ran a 10.05 in the 100 meters, fastest in the NCAA during 2025, before being surpassed by his teammate, Abdul-Rasheed Saminu (9.87). It's a considerable shadow when your teammate is also one of the world's fastest men, but Croal and Saminu are great friends and supporters of each other.

"Rasheed is a big help because I never had a teammate like that until I got to college,'' Croal said of Saminu, who false-started in the AAC 100 meters, but remains on track to qualify for that event in the NCAA Championships. "It's amazing because running with him, he's so elite. If I can be next to him, I can compete with any other athlete in the NCAA or even in the world. So having him as a teammate is nothing but a positive.

"The only time when we're crazy competitive or talking to each other, that's in practice. If we're in an actual race, we're all about helping each other and being there for each other. But I know we push each other. We have such a great team at USF and I'm very happy that I came here.''

Croal learned about USF because Steve Augustine, the president of the BVI Track and Field Association, was teammate of USF assistant coach Abigi Id-Deen at Central Arizona College in the late 1990s. Croal agreed to join USF's program without ever visiting the campus.

"When I talked to Coach Deen, it was never just about track,'' Croal said. "It was about life and different stuff. And I just realized that he cares a lot. I feel like everyone there (at USF) is the same. So I chose USF because that's how I grew up, in an environment where everybody cares for each other.''

Croal hails from Road Town, the BVI capital and the center of the island's horseshoe-shaped south coast, but the population hovers around 15,000. Arriving in Tampa was a culture shock.

"I was wondering what it was going to be like,'' Croal said. "I saw the school on the map and it looked huge. Then when I flew to Tampa and was driving to my hotel, I saw the gates of USF. And I was like, 'This is amazing. I've never seen anything like this before.' I was amazed.''

That awe didn't last long.

"Jaleel fit right in because he wants to be good and he has the discipline to go get it,'' Jenkins said. "He went from being a guy who was on the outside looking in to a guy who's winning big-time events indoors and outdoors and being a leader for our program. He has many accolades that he has earned, but by no means is he satisfied. He is driven to do a lot more.''

Croal said he tolerates practice — "Not my favorite part,'' he said, laughing — but puts in the work because he knows that it leads to racing. And there's nothing he loves better than the adrenaline of meet-day.

"I'm a little nervous before every single race,'' Croal said. "I speak to myself with self-confidence — 'I'm here for a reason' or 'I am better than them' — so I feel ready when I'm lining up.

"When the starter says, 'Set,' everything just goes away. It's like, now's the time and everything else goes blank. It actually feels like a long race because it seems like it's in slow motion. After the first 10 meters, I usually know how it's going to feel. When you perform and cross (the finish line) first, there's nothing like that feeling.''

Croal said he feels equally confident in each of his three events, although he believes he was "born to run the 200.''

"You need good acceleration for the 100,'' Croal said. "Sometimes I have it, sometimes I don't. It's very weird. But in the 200, I get better and better and kick hard at the end. The mental part is important. You must believe you can win. When I get out there, I believe it's my race.''

Pay attention to Jaleel Croal. USF's "Big Dog'' has some bite.