Hillsborough running back running back and sprinter Lindsey Lamar, a first-team athlete in both sports, has made a verbal commitment to the University of South Florida.

“I figured if I can stay at home and still play big-time, Division I football, why not USF,” Lamar said. “With the school being right here, I’ll be able to learn the system before I start playing and get familiar with the program.”

The news of Lamar’s decision pleased Hillsborough head coach Earl Garcia.

“I got my undergrad and graduate degrees from USF so obviously, I’m tickled to death Lindsey is staying close to home where I can watch him play,” said Hillsborough coach Earl Garcia. “The 2008 season was the first time there wasn’t a Hillsborough Terrier on the South Florida roster and it’ll be good to have at least one on there next fall.”

Among public schools, the 5-foot-8, 165-pound Lamar was Hillsborough County’s leading rusher last fall with 1,319 yards and 18 touchdowns. For his career, he finished with more than 3,300 rushing yards.

In track, Lamar was a regional champion in the 100- and 200-meter dashes and ran a wind-aided 100 time of 10.35 seconds. At the Class 3A state finals, Lamar finished fourth in the 100 (10.86) and sixth in the 200 (22.06) to lead the Terriers to fourth place in the team standings.

Lamar had been recruited by several Division I schools, including academically-prestigious schools like Duke. Other schools were looking at him solely as a track athlete, including Georgia, three-time NCAA champion Florida State and the storied track program at the University of Southern California. For football, Lamar had official offers from the University of South Carolina, Clemson, Duke, Wake Forest, USF and Iowa State.

Lamar said he has already talked to Bulls coach Jim Leavitt about running track for South Florida, which recently completed a renovation of its track facility.

“Both football and track are important to me and I plan to work just as hard in each sport,” Lamar said. “Of course, I’ve got to take care of my football duties first because that’s what I’ve signed for. But coach Leavitt has told me that as long as I keep up my grades, he has no problem with me running track.”

Grades should not be an issue for Lamar at USF. While at Hillsborough, he has carried a 3.5 grade point average and has been an honors student. He has also been part of a mentoring program to help youth athletes succeed on and off the field of play.