An impressive athlete with tremendous speed and strength, his return is crucial to USF’s defensive front in 2005...Chose to utilize his redshirt year in 2004, in part to allow him to play a season of BIG EAST football...Extremely versatile player, he began the 2002 season at tight end but quickly made impressive switch to defensive end and became a starter...Spent portions of 2002 playing on both sides of the ball...One of a handful of true freshmen to play a positional role in 2001.
SOUTH FLORIDA ? 2004: Opted for redshirt season.
2003: Started all 11 games at left end and finished with 48 tackles, including 13 for losses...Had 2.5 sacks...Season-high seven tackles with a school-record five of those for losses in USF’s first-ever Conference USA game at Army (Sept. 27), helping Bulls to a 28-0 shutout win...Had two six-tackle efforts vs. TCU (Oct. 10) and vs. Nicholls State (Sept. 6).
2002: Moved to defensive end during the week leading up to Arkansas (Sept. 14) in Game Three, he actually played both tight end and defensive end in that game...Made impressive and rapid transition to end spot and finished with five sacks among eight tackles for loss and 27 total tackles...Had three tackles at Arkansas (Sept. 14) and two weeks later he had the first of two five-tackle games at Oklahoma (Sept. 28), and again vs. Memphis (Nov. 9)...Had two sacks among the five stops against Memphis...Closed out the season with yet another two-sack game at Houston (Nov. 23), giving him four sacks against C-USA opponents...Started at tight end and caught two passes for 34 yards in season opener vs. Florida Atlantic (Aug. 29) prior to switch to defense.
2001: Started three games in his rookie season and appeared in all 11...Caught four passes for 26 yards and a touchdown...TD came on three-yard halfback pass from Clenton Crossley vs. Utah State (Nov. 24)...Also caught a two-point conversion vs. Western Illinois (Nov. 10)...Had nine tackles on special teams.
KATHLEEN HIGH SCHOOL - He was both Offensive and Defensive MVP for his high school team in 2000, when he also earned second team all-state and first team all-region...Also played in Florida-Georgia All-Star Game...He played tight end and defensive end...Number one tight end and number 17 overall in the state of Florida, according to FloridaPrepFootball.com...Recovered nicely from a broken leg in his junior season and remained the most highly recruited tight end in Florida...Also considered Miami...In addition to football, he participated in track & field, where he finished fifth in the state in the discus in his junior season.
PERSONAL - Born November 17, 1982 in Bartow, Fla...Son of Melvilyn Richard and Willie Jones...Has one brother and two sisters.
