Olympian Jeff Demps hopes to return to football in the NFL

World class speed…

At the University of Florida Jeff Demps was a standout two-sport athlete. On the track Demps was an All-American in 2010 in the outdoor 100-meter and 4x100m events. In 2011 he made his way to the indoor All-American team in the 60m and the outdoor team in the 4×100 again. Demps won or was a part of four national championships and five SEC championships during his time in Gainesville. Last year he set the school record of 6.53 seconds in the indoor 60m, winning his second consecutive NCAA championship in the process.

On the football field Demps used his speed to be one of the more explosive and exciting players in the country. His 2,470 rushing yards are eighth in school history and he had 23 touchdowns on the ground to go along with 481 receiving yards and one score through the air.

This 84-yard run against Kentucky last year was his the longest as a Gator.

Jeff Demps recently put his speed on display for the world to see at the London Olympics, where he ran in the qualifying heat of the 4×100 relay and came home with a silver medal for his efforts. Now it appears the former running back has shifted his focus back to football, with hopes of latching on with an NFL team and playing in 2012.

The 5’7″ blur, who was not drafted, could make an impact on special teams as a kick/punt returner and will likely draw comparisons to fellow former Gators Percy Harvin, now with the Minnesota Vikings, and one-time teammate Chris Rainey, who was selected in the fifth round of this year’s draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers. Demps probably wouldn’t see alot of time at running back but the way the New Orleans Saints implement Darren Sproles and the Kansas City Chiefs use Dexter McCluster would be models to best utilize the quickness and elusiveness Demps could bring to an offense.

You can never have too much speed and whichever team takes a chance on Jeff Demps will have plenty of it to figure out how to use.