This Miami native set a school record after transferring from UF to USF

A change in scenery turned into one of Jordan Cronkrite’s best football decisions.

The Miami native, who played high school football at Westminster Christian, tallied just 302 rushing yards on 75 carries in two seasons with the Florida Gators.

The former four-star recruit transferred to USF in April 2017, according to The Daily Stampede.

Now getting his chance to shine with the Bulls, Cronkrite hasn’t disappointed. The career total of 302 yards? That went by the wayside after three games this season.

And then Cronkrite did something even more special: breaking USF’s single-game rushing record held by NFL running back Marlon Mack, who is a Sarasota, Florida native.

Cronkrite ran for 302 yards on 23 carries against UMass.

“I wanted [Cronkrite] to get 300 yards,” Bulls coach Charlie Strong told the Tampa Bay Times. “I left him in the game…because the way he had played that night he deserved it.”

His follow-up performance against Tulsa on Friday night yielded 151 yards and his sixth touchdown of the season. It was Cronkrite’s fourth consecutive game of 100 or more rushing yards.

The Bulls escaped the Tulsa game with a 25-24 victory on a late field goal as USF scored 15 unanswered fourth-quarter points.

“After the game, that song ‘Lean on Me’ was on and it clicked for us,” Cronkrite told the Tampa Bay Times after the win. “It was a bonding, special moment for us.

“We leaned on each other at the end of the game and kept each other in the game.”

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This story was originally published October 16, 2018 at 11:39 AM.