 Demps in 2018 | |||||||||||
| No. 42, 32 | |||||||||||
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| Position | Running back | ||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||
| Born | (1990-01-08)January 8, 1990 (age 35) Winter Garden, Florida, U.S. | ||||||||||
| Height | 5 ft 7 in (1.70 m) | ||||||||||
| Weight | 191 lb (87 kg) | ||||||||||
| Career information | |||||||||||
| High school | South Lake (Groveland, Florida) | ||||||||||
| College | Florida | ||||||||||
| NFL draft | 2012: undrafted | ||||||||||
| Career history | |||||||||||
* Offseason and/or practice squad member only | |||||||||||
| Awards and highlights | |||||||||||
| Career NFL statistics | |||||||||||
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Jeffery Barnard Demps (born January 8, 1990) is an American formertrack and field athlete and professionalfootballrunning back. He attended theUniversity of Florida, where he was a running back for theFlorida Gators football team and asprinter for theFlorida Gators track and field team.
He is the only Florida Gator athlete to have won national championships in two sports with his2009 BCS National Championship and multiple indoor and outdoor track titles over his four-year career.[1] Demps matched the100 metersworld junior record with a time of 10.01 seconds in June 2008.[2]
In January 2012, Demps decided to focus on the2012 United States Olympic Trials instead of the2012 NFL draft, pursuing a career in track rather than professional football.[3] Demps signed a contract with the NFL'sNew England Patriots on August 17, 2012.[4] He was a running back for the New England Patriots, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Indianapolis Colts. He only had regular season playing time with the Buccaneers.
Demps attendedSouth Lake High School inGroveland, Florida, where he was a second-team Class 4A all-state selection at running back, gaining 1,401 yards on the ground, along with 16 touchdowns on 157 carries during his senior year. As a junior, he rushed for 21 touchdowns and 1,761 yards on 170 carries, earning second-team all-state Class 3A selection honors. Regarded as a four-star recruit byRivals.com, Demps was listed as the No. 36 football prospect from the state of Florida in 2008.[5]
In track, he ran the 100 meters at the Florida state final, the fastest time recorded at that event at 10.37 seconds. He also clocked a 10.25 at the AAU Junior Olympics, the second-fastest time ever in the state and the fastest clocking recorded by a high school senior that year. Competing at the 2008U.S. Olympic trials, Demps set a newnational high school record with 10.01 seconds, beatingJ-Mee Samuels' 10.08 seconds. His time also equaled the 100 metersworld junior record, originally established byDarrel Brown in 2003.
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Demps played a key role in Florida's third national championship season, rushing 78 times for 605 yards, averaging 7.8 yards per carry as a freshman. During his sophomore season Demps rushed for a career high 745 yards on 99 carries and 7 scores. He also averaged 7.5 yards a carry that season. During his junior season, Demps battled several injuries which caused him to rush for a career low 551 yards on 92 carries and 3 touchdowns. as a senior, Jeff Demps rushed for 569 yards on 98 carries and 6 touchdowns. This included a career long 84-yard touchdown score against Kentucky.
| Year | Stat | Carries | Yards | Average | TD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Rushing | 78 | 605 | 7.8 | 7 |
| 2009 | Rushing | 99 | 745 | 7.5 | 7 |
| 2010 | Rushing | 92 | 551 | 6.0 | 3 |
| 2011 | Rushing | 98 | 569 | 5.8 | 6 |
| Medal record | ||
|---|---|---|
| Men'sathletics | ||
Representingthe United States | ||
| Olympic Games | ||
| Disqualified | 2012 London | 4×100 m relay |
In 2009, Demps competed in four outdoor meets for the Gators' track and field team. He ran the anchor leg of Florida's SEC Championship 4 × 100 m relay team (alongside Jeremy Hall, Calvin Smith Jr., andTerrell Wilks), which recorded the third-fastest time in school history (38.74) and won Florida's first the 4×100-meter relay title since the 2004 season. Following an injury, Demps only ran a 10.30 over 100 meters at the SEC Championships, placing him ninth overall. At the War Eagle Invitational, Demps helped the Gators win the 4×100-meter relay.
In March 2010, Demps won the60 meters in 6.56 seconds at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships inFayetteville, Arkansas. Three months later at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships, he beat favoredRondel Sorrillo by a margin of .13 seconds, claiming the school's first 100-meter NCAA title sinceBernard Williams won in 2000. Demps' time of 9.96 would have been a new school record had the race not been heavilywind-aided (+2.5 m/s).[6] He claimed the 2012 NCAA Indoor title over 60 meters with a personal best run of 6.52 in the heats, then time of 6.56 seconds to win the final.[7] At the 85thTexas Relays in March 2012, Demps won the 100 metres in the university group, ahead ofAaron Ernest ofLSU.[8]
On July 25, 2012, Demps was added to the2012 U.S. Olympic roster as a member of the 4×100 meter relay pool, serving as a replacement forMike Rodgers, who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot.[9] He raced the first leg of the preliminary second heat and helped the U.S. 4×100 relay team achieve a time of the 37.38 seconds, which was the fastest time of the preliminary round and broke a 20-year-old American record.[10] The team would go on to win a silver medal in the final round withTyson Gay andRyan Bailey instead of Demps and preliminary teammate Darvis Patton, but as part of the team, Demps still received a medal.[11] The medal was later stripped, after Gay admitted to using a banned substance.[12] During the 2018 season, Demps has won the Cayman Invitational and the Bermuda Invitational track meets both in the 100m. He also placed 6th in the USATF National Championships with a time of 10.02 seconds.
| Event | Time (seconds) | Venue | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 meters | 6.52[13] | Nampa, Idaho | March 9, 2012 |
| 100 meters | 10.01[13] | Eugene, Oregon | June 28, 2008 |
| 200 meters | 21.04[13] | Sanford, Florida | April 6, 2012 |
Demps skipped the 2012NFL Combine and Draft in favor of preparing for the 2012 Summer Olympics. However, he attracted interest from NFL teams after the Olympics, and agreed to terms on a three-year deal with theNew England Patriots on August 17, 2012.[14] On August 31, 2012, he was placed on injured reserve and thus missed the entire 2012 season.[15]
On April 27, 2013, the Patriots traded Demps to theTampa Bay Buccaneers along with a seventh-round selection (229th overall) in the2013 NFL draft for running backLeGarrette Blount.[16] Demps was released by the Buccaneers on August 30, 2014, as part of the final roster cuts. On August 31, Demps was re-signed to the Buccaneers' practice squad.
Demps signed with theIndianapolis Colts on October 21, 2014.[17] He was released on October 29,[18] and re-signed on November 25.[19] Demps was waived by Indianapolis on May 4, 2015.
Demps' cousin isNew York Jets wide receiverMalachi Corley.[20]
