Nearly 400 student-athletes have graduated since 2016-17;
Virtual commencement Saturday at 9 a.m.
TAMPA, DEC. 11, 2020 – USF Athletics congratulates another impressive group of current and former student-athletes expected to receive their degrees during the University’s virtual commencement ceremonies Saturday morning on USF.edu.
A total of 29 Bulls are projected to earn their degrees this fall, which increases USF Athletics’ total number of graduates to nearly 400 since the 2016-17 school year. Heading into the 2020-21 school year, the Bulls had posted an overall annual department grade-point average in excess of 3.0 for a program record five consecutive years and 11 straight semesters.
Fourteen members of the head coach Jeff Scott’s 2020 football team are set to be recognized during the University’s virtual commencement. Among the group of projected grads are regular starters in cornerback KJ Sails (Tampa), safety Bentlee Sanders (Tampa), left guard Demetris Harris (Jacksonville, Fla.) and receiver Randall St. Felix (Miami).
Sails returned to his hometown to start all 20 games he played over the past two seasons. The 2019 American Athletic All-Conference Second Team selection and 2020 Wuerffel Trophy watch list member totaled 64 tackles as a Bull along with three interceptions, 11 passes defensed, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. The versatile playmaker also averaged 9.9 yards per return on 19 punts.
In addition to his football feats, Sails made the program proud while leading a 400-person unity walk in downtown Tampa over the summer to highlight social justice and positive change.
Sanders, another #BayMade Bull, has racked up 94 tackles since 2017, also totaling two interceptions (one for a touchdown), seven passes defensed and three forced fumbles in 31 games (14 starts).
On offense, Harris has been a staple at left guard since 2018 while making 29 starts at the position. Meanwhile, St. Felix has caught 70 passes for 1,090 yards and seven touchdowns in 32 games (24 starts) over the past three seasons.
Also set to represent USF football in the fall commencement event is former running back Dyral McMillan (Bradenton, Fla.), who became the first Bull to rush for 1,000 yards in a season in 1999. McMillan, who attended his last on-campus class in 2000, returned to school as a full-time online student this fall and is projected to receive a bachelor’s degree in general studies.
Another notable Bull who came back to complete his degree is David Villar, who shined on the baseball field for USF from 2016-18. The Pembroke Pines, Fla., native was named a Collegiate Baseball Newspaper All-American as a junior and was selected in the 11th round of the 2018 MLB Draft by the San Francisco Giants.
Ricquelle Farquharson (Davie, Fla.), Katie Kitching (Bedale, England) and Sabrina Wagner (New Port Rickey, Fla.) are all expected to graduate after helping USF women’s soccer post a school record 16 wins and reach the Sweet 16 for the first time ever in 2019. The trio of Bulls have been a part of three AAC championship teams as USF won the league’s tournament title twice (2017, 2019) and The American’s regular season crown once (2018) during their collegiate careers.
Six members of USF men’s soccer are projected to graduate, including star forward Adrian Billhardt and defender Avionne Flanagan.
Billhardt (Berlin, Germany) led the Bulls with six goals and 13 points during the 2019 season on his way to earning American Athletic All-Conference Second Team and United Soccer Coaches All-East Region Third Team honors. Billhardt also has a leadership role within USF Athletics as Co-President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee. Fellow projected fall 2020 graduate Trey Jackson (Ocala, Fla.) of USF men’s soccer also has served on the SAAC executive board as the Bulls’ diversity and inclusion representative.
Flanagan (Baltimore, Md.) ranked third on USF’s 2019 squad in scoring with nine points on one goal and seven assists in 18 matches played (16 starts), and was named to the All-AAC First Team.
Saturday’s virtual graduation event will be available on the USF Commencement website beginning at 9 a.m. Ceremony video will be archived and available for replay throughout the spring 2021 semester.
| Projected Fall 2020 Graduates | |
| Name | Sport |
| David Villar | Baseball |
| Matt Neeley | Men’s Cross Country |
| Troy Fields | Football |
| Darrien Grant | Football |
| Blake Green | Football |
| Demetris Harris | Football |
| Jarrett Hopple | Football |
| Kevin Kegler | Football |
| Jacob Mathis | Football |
| Dyral McMillan | Football |
| Brock Nichols | Football |
| Kelvin Pinkney | Football |
| KJ Sails | Football |
| Bentlee Sanders | Football |
| Odunayo Seriki | Football |
| Randall St. Felix | Football |
| Latrell Williams | Football |
| Michelle Burklund | Women’s Sailing |
| Adrian Billhardt | Men’s Soccer |
| Avionne Flanagan | Men’s Soccer |
| Freddy Gil | Men’s Soccer |
| Diego Guerrero | Men’s Soccer |
| Trey Jackson | Men’s Soccer |
| Josue Monge | Men’s Soccer |
| Ricquelle Farquharson | Women’s Soccer |
| Katie Kitching | Women’s Soccer |
| Sabrina Wagner | Women’s Soccer |
| Pierre Luquet | Men’s Tennis |
| Kiara Miles | Women’s Track and Field |
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 55th season in 2020-21. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fifth straight year in 2019-20 and have posted a program record 11 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 400 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
Follow USF Athletics on Twitter (@USFAthletics) and Facebook for all the latest information concerning the USF Athletic program.
– #GoBulls –
