MOBILE, Ala. ? University of South Alabama head football coach Joey Jones announced Friday that former Pensacola High School prep standout Chris Lett has transferred from Alabama and will enroll in school in the fall. He will have three years of eligibility remaining beginning with the 2009 campaign.
The 6-foot-2, 205-pound defensive back practiced with the Crimson Tide last year but sat out the season as a redshirt.
“Chris is a big-time player and after meeting him, he is an even better person. He will make a tremendous impact on building this South Alabama football program,” said Jones. “He’s a player with great versatility who is big and physical enough to play the run, but has the cover skills of a cornerback.”
Lett was the top-ranked safety in Florida and stood 40th nationally in Scouts.Inc.’s ratings following his senior year of high school, while he was also included among the Rivals.com 250 and was the organization’s 13th-ranked cornerback. Rivals.com also rated Lett as the fourth-best defensive back and 22nd overall among prep players in Florida that year, and he was a member of the Orlando
Sentinel Florida Top 100. He helped PHS to an 8-3 finish and a berth in the state 3A playoffs that fall, posting 47 total tackles and three interceptions.
Following the season, Lett was invited to play in the Max Emfinger Third Annual High School All-American Bowl Game Classic in Shreveport, La. He would go on to be voted the East team’s most valuable defensive back after collecting eight tackles in the contest.
As a junior, Lett was credited with 32 stops and he intercepted four passes to be selected second-team all-state, while he was chosen first-team all-region his sophomore season after helping lead the Tigers to an 8-4 record and a first-round victory in the state playoffs.
Lett, who played basketball and ran track at PHS as well, was also recruited by Florida and Arkansas out of high school.
The USA Board of Trustees approved the addition of football as the school’s 17th sport on Dec. 6, 2007. The Jaguars will practice during the 2008-09 academic year before playing their first-ever contest in the fall of 2009.
For more information about South Alabama athletics, check back with www.usajaguars.com. Season tickets for all Jaguar athletic events can be purchased by calling (251) 461-1USA (1872).
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