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NFL Draft

Gaither alum selected in NFL Draft

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Before he became a big-time college football standout at Penn State, Amani Oruwariye could be seen locking down wide receivers on Friday nights at Ron Allen Field at Gaither High School.

Now, Oruwariye is advancing on to the sport’s biggest stage — the National Football League (NFL).

The Penn State defensive back and 2014 Gaither graduate was selected in the fifth round (146th overall) by the Detroit Lions in the 2019 NFL Draft, which wrapped up on April 27.

Before he was an All-Big Ten cornerback at Penn State, Amani Oruwariye was a three-year letterman at Gaither High School. He graduated from the local high school in 2014. (Courtesy of Gaither High athletics)

Oruwariye joins the latest in a growing line of Gaither products to be drafted into the NFL.

He’s also the second athlete drafted from the local high school in as many years.

Former Gaither/Florida International University quarterback Alex McGough was selected in the seventh round by the Seattle Seahawks in last year’s NFL Draft.

As a fifth-round choice, Oruwariye is believed to be the local high school’s highest NFL draftee.

Other known Gaither alums drafted into the NFL include J.R. Russell (seventh round in 2005) and Carlton Mitchell (sixth round in 2010). Current Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Anthony Chickillo (sixth round in 2015) attended Gaither his freshman and sophomore years before transferring to Alonso High School.

Oruwariye was a three-year letterman at Gaither under former head coach Jason Stokes, and finished his career with 121 tackles and 12 interceptions. His senior year he was named team MVP, earned first-team all-district honors and was invited to play in the Hillsborough County All-Star Game. Various recruiting services ranked him a three-star prospect and top 100 recruit in the state of Florida.

Oruwariye lived up to that billing and more at the Division I FBS college ranks.

After redshirting his freshman season at Penn State, the 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive back went on to play in 48 career games and develop into a two-time All-Big Ten Conference selection.

He tallied eight career interceptions, 20 pass breakups and 108 total tackles in his Penn State career.

His best season came in 2018 as a redshirt senior — leading the Nittany Lions with 12 pass breakups and tied for the team lead with three interceptions, to go along with 51 tackles (two for loss) in 13 starts.

The yearlong performance earned him first team all-conference honors and a semifinalist for the Jim Thorpe Award, given to the top defensive back in college football.

The 23-year-old Oruwariye was initially projected by many draft experts to go higher in the draft, given his combination of size, length, athleticism and production at the cornerback position, to go along with an impressive showing at the NFL combine that saw him post a 4.47 40-yard dash, 36.5-inch vertical jump, 16 reps on the 225-pound bench press and 10 feet in the standing broad jump.

In a media conference call following his selection, Oruwariye highlighted his physical gifts, which he figures to translate to the sport’s most competitive level.

“(My size) just allows me to match up with bigger receivers,” Oruwariye said. “It allows me to use my body to my abilities and really dominate at the line of scrimmage, and go up with receivers and make plays on the ball. There’s a lot of strengths that my size brings, and I’m hoping to implement them into my game.”

Although he wasn’t selected as early as anticipated, Oruwariye said he was happy to be given an opportunity, but still is out to prove wrong the other NFL organizations that passed on him.

Oruwariye put it like this: “I knew my time would come, my opportunity would come, so I’m not going to sit there and dwell on what didn’t happen and what should’ve happened. I’m just going to make the other 31 teams that didn’t draft me pay when my opportunity comes and just hold my standard. I’m going to work hard regardless of where I’m picked. It doesn’t matter what day, when, where — I’m going to work hard. That’s just how I am, that’s my standard.”

Oruwariye is expected to report to the Lions three-day rookie minicamp, which runs May 12 through May 14.

He is expected to sign a multiyear contract worth nearly $3 million in total value.

Published May 08, 2019

McGough, other local athletes get NFL shots

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The 2018 NFL Draft has come and gone, and one athlete from The Laker/Lutz News Coverage area had the privilege of hearing his name called during the three-day event from April 26 to April 28 — Gaither High School product Alex McGough.

McGough was selected by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round (220th overall) as a quarterback out of Florida International University.

Florida International University/Gaither High quarterback Alex McGough was selected in the seventh round (220th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks in the 2018 NFL Draft. (File)

A four-year starter, the 6-foot-3, 214-pound McGough cemented his legacy as FIU’s most decorated passer, completing 807-1335 passes (60.4 percent completion rate) for 9,091 yards, 65 touchdowns and 37 interceptions. He also rushed for 535 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Last season, he guided FIU to an 8-5 record — the program’s third-ever winning season and first since 2011 — a mark achieved in Butch Davis’ first season as FIU head coach.

“I couldn’t be happier for Alex,” Davis said, in a released statement on McGough’s draft selection. “His passion, leadership and performance last year was incredible. He played a huge role in our team’s success, and he has absolutely earned this opportunity to play in the NFL.”

In a post-draft media conference call, McGough said he’s “beyond grateful” to get chosen by the Seahawks, adding he’s “ready to get to work.”

Said McGough, “I wanted to come into the draft just kind of open-minded, and obviously, whatever happened, happened…The only thing I could control was the work I put in. I’m very happy with what I put in, and Seattle saw that and they took me.”

Though he didn’t earn an invite to the NFL Scouting Combine in March, many NFL draft analysts viewed McGough as a late-round sleeper, spotlighting his physical tools, poise, and red zone accuracy, while also spotlighting his limitations.

An ESPN.com draft analysis characterized McGough as “a good athlete with a good frame, though his hands (9 1/8 inches) are on the smaller side. His 30:19 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the past two seasons isn’t ideal.”

Seattle brought McGough in for a private workout a few weeks prior to last month’s draft. During his visit McGough said he developed a connection with quarterbacks’ coach Dave Canales and came away overall impressed with the organization.

“It’s an organization full of great people, and they want to win bad,” McGough said.

McGough was one of 13 quarterback prospects taken in this year’s draft and the

first by the Seahawks since Russell Wilson was selected in the third round of the 2012 draft.

Besides Wilson, Seattle’s starting quarterback and a four-time Pro Bowler, the roster includes two other quarterbacks — seven-year veteran Austin Davis and second-year player Stephen Morris.

McGough likely will have to beat out one of those backups in training camp and preseason to solidity a roster spot.

“I’m a competitor that wants to win and I’ll do everything to win,” McGough said. “I just want to play football and succeed.”

Though he’s facing a relative uphill battle, McGough is no stranger to perseverance, nor proving doubters wrong.

He most recently underwent a full recovery from a broken left collarbone he suffered in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl in December.

And, despite a noteworthy high school career — amassing more than 5,100 career passing yards and 52 touchdown passes in four varsity seasons — McGough was rather under-looked. He earned just two football scholarship offers (FIU and Colgate University, in upstate New York). He went on to achieve instant success at FIU, setting numerous school passing records and then becoming the program’s eighth player to be drafted in its 14-year football history.

Meanwhile, McGough joins rare company as just the fifth player from a Hillsborough County high school to be drafted as a quarterback in the last 50 years. The others are Robinson’s John Reaves (1972), Leto’s Gary Huff (’73), Chamberlain’s Dean May (’84) and Plant’s Aaron Murray (2014). (McGough transferred from Wesley Chapel High School to Gaither following his freshman year.)

Besides McGough, a handful of other athletes with ties to The Laker/Lutz News coverage area have been given shots with various NFL teams, signing as either priority undrafted free agents or invited tryout players.

Each will have an opportunity to stick with their respective teams at rookie mini-camps, which run from May 11 through May 14.

Here’s a closer look at the others:

Janarion Grant, receiver — Baltimore Ravens (mini-camp tryout invitation)
College: Rutgers University (Piscataway, New Jersey)
High School: Pasco High School; graduated in 2013

(File)

When healthy, the 5-foot-9, 177-pound receiver was one of the most electrifying offensive playmakers in college football, chiefly in the return game. But, Grant struggled to stay on the field of late, playing in a combined 11 games the last two seasons, dealing with an ankle injury and other nagging ailments. Despite limited action in 2016 and 2017, Grant

became Rutgers’ all-time kickoff return-yardage leader (2,857 yards) and tied for the NCAA record for combined kick return touchdowns (eight). That skill on special teams perhaps gives him a leg up on other tryout players the Ravens signed.

Before college, Grant left a lasting legacy at Pasco High School, where he was a four-year starter and still holds the county record for most career touchdowns (77) by a skill player. He was also a two-time All-State selection.

Also notable, Grant is the grandnephew of Lacoochee native Jim “Mudcat” Grant, a 14-year MLB veteran and two-time All-Star, who, in 1965 became the first black pitcher to win 20 games in a season in the American League and the first black pitcher to win a World Series game for the American League.

Trey Johnson, defensive back—Pittsburgh Steelers (priority undrafted free agent)
College: Villanova University (Villanova, Pennsylvania)
High School: Steinbrenner High School; graduated in 2013

(Courtesy of Villanova University Athletics)

A standout defensive back at a small school in the FCS ranks — 45 total tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss, one interception and 13 pass break-ups in 2017 — Johnson further landed on NFL scouts’ radars after showcasing elite athleticism at Villanova’s Pro Day in late March. At the sanctioned workout, the 5-foot-11, 177-pound Johnson touched 36 inches in the vertical jump, reached 10-foot-8 in the broad jump and posted a sizzling 4.37-second 40-yard dash.

Johnson becomes the first Steinbrenner High graduate to sign an NFL contract. There, Johnson earned four varsity letters in football, as well as three in basketball and two in track. He was also inducted into the National Honor Society.

Jacob Pugh, linebacker — Seattle Seahawks (priority undrafted free agent)
College: Florida State University
Schools: Godby High School (Tallahassee); Jefferson County High School (Monticello, Florida); Pasco Middle School (Dade City native)

(Courtesy of Florida State University Athletics)

A decorated high school player and highly-touted blue chip prospect who won state championships at two different north Florida programs, the Dade City native never seemed to fully blossom at Florida State, where he posted a combined 108 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, seven sacks and two interceptions across four seasons.

Solid numbers, sure, but a bit anticlimactic considering Pugh was named an Under Armour High School All-American and widely viewed as one of the nation’s top five linebacker prospects in the 2014 recruiting class.

Blessed with length, agility and athleticism in a sturdy 6-foot-4, 246-pound frame, Pugh has moldable traits to stick on an NFL roster.

Pugh attended Pasco Middle School before his family moved to the Panhandle, where he began, and ended, his prep career.

His ties to east Pasco run deep. His uncles, Darren and Troy Hambrick, led Pasco High to the county’s only state championship (1992) before spending five years each in the NFL. He’s also related to Pasco High alums Janarion Grant (Rutgers) and Josh Johnson, a former NFL who now plays in the Canadian Football League. Pugh is also cousins with fellow Auburn wide receiver Nate Craig-Myers, a Dade City native who attended Tampa Catholic, where he was one of the most prized football recruits to come out of the Tampa Bay area in years.

Shaheed Salmon, linebacker—Tampa Bay Buccaneers (mini-camp tryout invitation)
College: Samford University (Homewood, Alabama)
High School: Land O’ Lakes High School; graduated in 2014

(File)

The 6-foot-2, 232-pound outside linebacker solidified himself as one of the most dominant tacklers in the FCS ranks the last two seasons, racking up a combined 202 tackles, 28.5 tackles for loss, and 5.5 sacks in 2016 and 2017. Though an undrafted player from a lower-level division of college football, a path to the NFL isn’t out of the question for Salmon, as more than 150 FCS players made NFL active rosters in 2017.

At Land O’ Lakes, Salmon was a four-year starter and an All-State selection as a senior. He also competed in basketball and track.

Published May 9, 2018

DuJuan Harris patiently awaits next NFL shot

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Once or twice a week, a veteran NFL running back can be found training at Wesley Chapel District Park, readying for another shot to play on Sundays.

“I’ll get that call soon. I know how the game goes,” he says.

Indeed, Brooksville native DuJuan Harris knows pro football all too well.

Since 2011, the 29-year-old has bounced around to eight NFL franchises across both coasts, in various capacities.

Since 2011, the 29-year-old Brooksville native has bounced around to eight NFL franchises across both coasts, in various capacities. That included a stint with the Green Bay Packers, from 2012 to 2015. (Courtesy of NFL.com)

It has included multiple stints with the Jacksonville Jaguars (2011, 2017), and stops with the Pittsburgh Steelers (2012), Green Bay Packers (2012 to 2014), Minnesota Vikings (2015), Seattle Seahawks (2015), Baltimore Ravens (2015) and San Francisco 49ers (2015 to 2016).

He’s spent just weeks with some teams, and months with others. He’s been on practice squads and active rosters. He’s even been a starter multiple times.

For Harris, it’s all been a “blessing.”

“I’ve bounced around to a lot of different places, but I got to meet a lot of great guys. I played side by side with some future Hall of Famers and some Hall of Famers now, so it’s been amazing. It’s been tough, but I wouldn’t try to change it for anything; every team has been fun.”

More recently, Harris spent preseason and training camp with the Jacksonville Jaguars, until he was released in September.

It’s not the first time he’s been cut, and it surely won’t be the last — should another NFL opportunity arise.

“Every year you’ve got to prove yourself, so it’s a grind,” Harris says. “It’s a different kind of life, definitely. It’s been a struggle throughout my career…”

The average NFL career is 3.3 years, according to the NFL Players Association.

It’s undoubtedly shorter for undrafted free agents, like Harris.

“You can make the same mistake as a first-round guy, and (coaches) are going to pat him on the back and say, ‘Oh, it’s OK.’ You make that same mistake (as an undrafted player), you’re going to be gone,” Harris explains.

The circumstances entering the league don’t matter anymore to Harris.

Instead, he bides his time, relishing the chance to prove himself once again as a veteran player.

“It’s something that I hold my head up for when I go to new teams,” he says. “I don’t get nervous about anything. I feel like you see someone new come in that door, you’re going to have to worry. That’s how it is in the NFL. That’s what I tell some younger guys, ‘Don’t get down when you get released.’”

Whatever the reason, Harris consistently has been overlooked as a football player.

Despite starring at Central High School in Brooksville — where he recorded 3,000 career rushing yards and 45 touchdowns, and holds a Hernando County record for the most yards in a single game with 363 yards and five touchdowns — Harris only had offers from Troy (Alabama) University and Florida A&M University.

And, after a prolific four-year college career at Troy — nearly 3,200 scrimmage yards and 32 touchdowns — Harris didn’t receive an invite to the NFL combine.

Perhaps it’s his stature. He stands at just 5-foot-7.

It’s certainly not his athleticism or aggressive running style.

At 206 pounds, the chiseled Harris recorded the highest vertical leap (41.5 inches) and fastest 40-yard dash time (4.37 seconds) on his college team.

But, an eye-opening pro day workout wasn’t enough to have Harris’ name among the 254 chosen during the 2011 NFL Draft, either.

“I didn’t mind even not getting my name called on draft day,” Harris says. “I really just wanted to hear my name called for my family. Just for them to hear it and for them to cheer about something. Other than that, my mindset is, ‘I’m going to play football anyway. I’m going to be in the NFL, I’m going to get my respect one way or another, if I’m going to get picked or not.’”

He’s done that year in, year out.

In 38 career NFL games, Harris has tallied 590 rushing yards, 244 receiving yards and three touchdowns. In regular season action, he’s proven to be a productive back, averaging a career 4.1 yards per carry, and a reliable pass-catcher, with 21 receptions.

Harris, meanwhile, is confident he can still make plays, at 29 years old — aging by NFL standards.

“There’s older guys that can still do it, and I feel like if they can, then I can, too. It’s doable,” he says.

His newfound athletic trainer, Bebe Roberts, also shares the sentiment.

“He’s amazingly fast, but I didn’t know he was that fast,” Roberts says of observing Harris in a recent workout.

Roberts is a former Wesley Chapel High School track star. He’s worked out other NFL hopefuls through his athletic training company, Fast Sprint Quick Performance LLC.

His relationship with Harris dates back to high school, when they went head-to-head in local track meets — where Roberts beat the NFL player in the 100-meter dash. “He brings that up all the time,” Roberts jokes.

Roberts’ job is to maintain the NFL veteran’s speed and flexibility, through hip stabilizers and other routine running back drills.

“He’s a running back, so we don’t want him to get tight, especially in the offseason,” Roberts explains. “I did a lot of research on him, so I could help make him a better athlete.”

Those personalized workouts are critical to Harris, who’s fighting to stay in the sport that skews young.

“Every year since my rookie year, it’s been the same thing. Just pretty much trying to work on everything. In this league, you learn something every year—and people get better every year,” he says.

“You just got to stay prepared. You could have a skill set that’s pretty good, but that doesn’t mean it’s going to work for you all the time. You’ve got to keep working at it.”

Harris has temporarily settled in Wesley Chapel with his family, while he awaits his next football opportunity.

With ample downtime, he’s been assisting in his wife’s custom wig business, DarVida by Keysha.

“She makes the wigs, and I take care of everything else; we make a good team,” says Harris, noting he developed the professional website.

Interestingly, it’s not the first non-NFL job he’s had.

Harris garnered national headlines in the 2012 season, when he went from working at a Chrysler-Jeep-Dodge dealership in Jacksonville to the Green Bay Packers’ practice squad, eventually working his way onto the active roster as a starter.

That year, Harris took the sales job to supplement his income, as he awaited his next NFL roster spot.

Harris recalls the unique circumstance:

“I’m not a big spender, but during the offseason there’s only so far that your money can stretch. I didn’t have enough to get me through an offseason and some of the season, so I had to get up and work. I couldn’t just sit around and wait for something to happen.
“The process of getting a job was new for me. I never had to go in for an interview, dress nice and everything else. It all was new to me. I was only there for a week —didn’t sell a car, but came close on a couple.

“It was fun, and I was thankful for them giving me the opportunity. I was doing workouts in between, got a call from Green Bay, and they asked me if I wanted to fly out the next day.”

Now Harris hopes for a similar call, from any of the 32 NFL franchises — or even the Canadian Football League.

It may come sooner than later, as injuries mount and wide-eyed rookies make mistakes.

“In this game, if a young guy’s not doing too well, they’re going to go to a vet, no matter what. I’ll get my name called soon,” he said.

Additional Q-and-A with veteran NFL running back DuJuan Harris

On having his No. 20 jersey retired at Central High School’s Sept. 29 Homecoming game:
“It didn’t hit me until I got on the field. I was thinking, like, ‘Wow, nobody in this school is ever going to wear my number again.’ It kind of just hit me. My wife was trying to ask me, ‘Did it really set in yet?’ She saw, once I kind of got some tears in my eyes.”

On the challenge of bouncing from various NFL franchises, with a family at home:
“That’s when it got hard. When I was by myself it was simple. …Just bouncing around from place to place, sometimes I’ve got to leave my wife, and for her to take care of things on her own—I hate having to do that. When you get to a new city and she has to go, now she’s in a new place by herself. So, that’s another thing that I’ve got to try to worry about on top of all the new (stuff) I’ve got to get ready for. So, it’s difficult, but it is what it is. We’d rather go through all of it now.”

On the feeling of getting released:
“You might feel like you’re an outcast when you leave ‘here’ and get released ‘here,’ and you might feel a little embarrassed, and you want to be in your shell. But, when you get a call from another team and go there, there’s guys in that locker room that are going to worry because, ‘Hey, they just brought in a new running back, who’s going to go?’ And in this league, it’s a numbers game. You just can’t really think about all the negativity in the league because there’s a lot. There’s nothing you can do about it.”

On what he misses most about the NFL:
“Just pretty much being in that (locker) room. Just that atmosphere itself, it’s amazing, and it’s something that a lot of people wish they could be apart of. If I get another opportunity to prolong my career, it would be a blessing…”

On the difficulty of learning an NFL playbook, especially in a short period of time:
“It’s definitely not like the video games. You’ve got to learn a new language pretty much. It’s a little difficult. One word might mean something for one team and it means something else for another. And then the routes, they call the routes a little differently. But, it’s a copycat league. Everything you pretty much learn from other teams, you end up running that same play. …I go to one team, and I just try to learn the basics and then go from there. You’ve just got to put in the time. There’s a lot more to it than people think.”

Published October 25, 2017