Baxter gave football a shot over break
After Jimmy Baxter participated in off-season 7-on-7 practice drills at USF over the summer break, people started asking questions.
But talks between Baxter and Jim Leavitt ended with Baxter needing a scholarship and Leavitt not knowing if one was available, the Tampa Tribune reported.
The 6-foot-5 track and field standout played football at Boca Ciega High School as a freshman and sophomore. At USF, besides being a three-time track and field All-American, he was a two-year starter on the basketball team.
In late July, Leavitt said Baxter told him he wanted to play on the football team. At that time Leavitt said, “I’ve been so buried I haven’t sat down and talked to him about all the different things. There’s a lot of things involved with it.”
When asked if the prospect of Baxter joining the team excited him, Leavitt said, “No, because hasn’t done anything for us yet.
“I am more excited about (wide receiver) Joe Bain, who I know is coming back, or (receiver) S.J. Green or (receiver) J.B. Garris. People that I know what they can do. Just because Jimmy Baxter can jump up in the air and slam a basketball doesn’t mean he’s a good football player. You do have to wear a helmet and you do have to put on shoulder pads and you do have to run and catch that ball real high when somebody is putting their head right through your mouth. That’s a little different. I don’t know, he might be great at that or he might not. That’s the unknown.”
It looks as though it will remain unknown.
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