This weekend, when the UF men's track and field team competes for the first time since its second-place finish in the NCAA Indoor Championships on March 14, there will be a new yet familiar face looking to contribute on the track for UF: Jeff Demps.
The Gators will travel to Tallahassee for the Florida State Relays with Demps as the newest addition to an already excellent squad.
Demps, who plays running back on the football team, began practicing with the track team on March 17 and has impressed his coach, Mike Holloway, with his work ethic.
"He's been fine, he's been awesome, he's Jeff Demps," Holloway said. "He shows up every day, he's a great guy (and) does everything you ask him to do.
"The big thing with Jeff is I have to be careful not to let him do too much, because he'll just go all day if I let him."
Demps will make his much-anticipated debut this weekend, competing in the 4x100-meter relay and possibly the 100-meter dash, Holloway said.
When Demps takes the track, all eyes will be on him to see if he lives up to the preseason expectations placed on him after he ran a 10.01-second 100-meter dash during the 2008 U.S. Olympic Trials.
Demps didn't make the Olympic team but received loads of media attention for his effort.
Prior to this season, Demps was named one of the Top 12 U.S. Sprinters/Hurdlers to Watch in 2009 by TrackShark, largely due to his 100-meter performance. Joining Demps on the list were accomplished Olympic sprinters Walter Dix, Tyson Gay, Sanya Richards and Allyson Felix.
Holloway said the addition of Demps will certainly make the Gators better, but it will not affect the team's weekly preparation for meets.
"The process doesn't change here. Our goal is to be better weekly. We have to keep everybody focused on the Gators," Holloway said. "Jeff's gonna help this team, he's gonna run well, and he's gonna help our relay run well."
As Demps laces up his track cleats, he will not only look to live up to the hype surrounding him, he also will look to help UF's men kick off their outdoor season and reach the standard Holloway has set for them.
"We've been training pretty hard for the last couple weeks," Holloway said. "Our goal is simply to go up there and get the rust of indoor off. We're not expecting to go up there and set the world on fire, but we're expecting everybody to go up there and be very competitive."
