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Incoming QB Virgin could go in baseball draft
Fort Pierce Westwood quarterback Isaac Virgin has been touted as one of the most versatile athletes in USF's incoming freshman class, and while the 6-foot-5, 245-pound passer was also recruited as a tight end, a new wrinkle could impact his future with the Bulls.
Virgin said Thursday he has worked out with two major-league teams and could be selected in next week's baseball draft, where he's being evaluated as a right-handed pitcher who can reach 92 miles per hour on the mound.
"I'm just testing the waters, checking the opportunity," said Virgin, who has worked out for the Mets and Angels and also talked with scouts from the nearby Florida Marlins. "I think I did fairly well (in the workouts) but as far as where I might get drafted, it moves around a lot."
Virgin, who stopped playing baseball this spring after six games to focus on football, said he has told USF offensive coordinator Mike Canales of the possibility of him getting drafted. He doesn't know where he'd have to be picked to consider signing a pro contract -- he said he is still committed to arriving at USF later this month to start summer classes.
Virgin is excited about his football future, and is set to be roommates with linebacker DeDe Lattimore and defensive ends Ryne Giddins and Julius Forte. One of the reasons he chose USF was the opportunity to play quarterback. "My main focus this season is to learn," he said. "The quarterback position isn't one where you can jump in right away."
Signing a pro baseball contract doesn't necessarily keep him from playing college football -- an athlete can maintain amateur status in one sport while playing professionally in another.
USF hasn't lost a football signee to pro baseball since 2005, when Armwood cornerback R.J. Anderson was drafted in the ninth round by the Texas Rangers. Anderson got a $235,000 signing bonus according to Baseball America and played three seasons in the minors before being released by the Rangers last spring.
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