USF’s Giddins takes game up a notch

Posted Aug 10, 2011 by Adam Adkins

Updated Aug 10, 2011 at 10:34 AM

VERO BEACH It was back in January when University of South Florida defensive ends coach Vernon Hargreaves first began noticing some differences in Ryne Giddins.

After the Bulls lost both starting defensive ends from 2010 to graduation, the door was open for Giddins to grab a spot on the first-team defensive line. The opportunity to be an every-down player often triggers a change in mentality, Hargreaves said, with players understanding the need to crank things up a bit.

That’s exactly what the coach saw – and continues to see – from Giddins.

“He kind of understood what his role was going to be and the opportunity that was in front of him, and so he’s really kind of dived in,” Hargreaves said. “He’s taken that role now with the idea that ‘Hey, this is my opportunity,’ and he’s trying to grab it.”

Giddins came to USF with as much hype as any recruit, a prep All-American and local product of Seffner’s Armwood High who spurned offers from many of the nation’s top college programs in choosing to stay home and sign with the Bulls.

He’s shown glimpses of his talent through his first two years in the program. Giddins played in three games as a true freshman – when his first two tackles were sacks – before an ankle injury turned that into a redshirt season, then finished second on the team last season with 3.5 sacks as a top backup. In his first start, USF’s 23-20 overtime win at Miami last year, he had six tackles (two for loss) and a sack.

But 2011 could be the year Giddins fully taps into his potential. At the very least, it seems he’ll have a much greater opportunity to do so after being penciled in atop the depth chart at left defensive end.

“I’m trying to do some great things this year,” said Giddins, who has switched jersey numbers from No. 7 to the No. 97 he wore while terrorizing quarterbacks on high school fields in Hillsborough County, “and for me to do that I’ve got to keep pushing myself.”

To read the rest of the story, which appeared in Wednesday’s Tampa Tribune, click HERE.