Jeff Demps Jeffery Demps ( born January 8 , 1990 ) is an American football player and former track and field athlete . He attended the University of Florida , where he was a running back for the Florida Gators football team and a sprinter for the Gators track and field team . He is the only Florida Gator athlete to have won national championships in two sports with his 2009 BCS National Championship and multiple indoor and outdoor track titles over his four - year career . Demps matched the 100 meters world junior record with a time of 10 . 01 seconds in June 2008 . In January 2012 , Demps decided to focus on the instead of the 2012 NFL Draft , pursuing a career in track rather than professional football . After winning a silver medal at the 2012 Summer Olympics , Demps signed a contract with the NFL ' s New England Patriots on August 17 , 2012 . High school career . Demps attended South Lake High School in Groveland , Florida , where he was a second - team Class 4A all - state selection at running back , gaining 1 , 401 yards on the ground , along with 16 touchdowns on 157 carries during his senior year . As a junior , he rushed for 21 touchdowns and 1 , 761 yards on 170 carries , earning second - team all - state Class 3A selection honors . Regarded as a four - star recruit by " Rivals . com " , Demps was listed as the No . 36 football prospect from the state of Florida in 2008 . In track , he ran the 100 meters at the Florida state final , the fastest time recorded at that event at 10 . 37 seconds . He also clocked a 10 . 25 at the AAU Junior Olympics , the second - fastest time ever in the state and the fastest clocking recorded by a high school senior that year . Competing at the 2008 , Demps set a new national high school record with 10 . 01 seconds , beating J - Mee Samuels ' 10 . 08 seconds . His time also equaled the 100 meters world junior record , originally established by Darrel Brown in 2003 . College career . American football . Demps played a key role in Florida ' s third national title season , rushing 78 times for 605 yards , averaging 7 . 8 yards per carry . Stats . In 2009 , Demps competed in four outdoor meets for the Gators track and field team . He ran the anchor leg of Florida ’ s SEC Championship 4×100m relay team ( alongside Jeremy Hall , Calvin Smith , Jr . , and Terrell Wilks ) , which recorded the third - fastest time in school history ( 38 . 74 ) and won Florida ' s first the 4×100 - meter relay title since the 2004 season . Following an injury , Demps only ran a 10 . 30 over 100 meters at the SEC Championships , placing him ninth overall . At the War Eagle Invitational , Demps helped the Gators win the 4×100 - meter relay . In March 2010 , Demps won the 60 meters in 6 . 56 sec at the 2010 NCAA Indoor Track and Field Championships in Fayetteville , Arkansas . Three months later at the NCAA Outdoor Track and Field Championships , he beat favored Rondell Sorrillo by a margin of . 13 seconds , claiming the school ’ s first 100 - meter NCAA title since Bernard Williams won in 2000 . Demps ' time of 9 . 96 would have been a new school record had the race not been heavily wind - aided ( + 2 . 5 m / s ) . He claimed the 2012 NCAA Indoor title over 60 meters with a personal best run of 6 . 52 in the heats , then time of 6 . 56 seconds to win the final . At the 85th Texas Relays in March 2012 , Demps won the 100 metres in the university group , ahead of Aaron Ernest of LSU . On July 25 , 2012 , Demps was added to the as a member of the 4×100 meter relay pool , serving as a replacement for Mike Rodgers , who suffered a stress fracture in his left foot . He raced the first leg of the preliminary second heat and helped the U . S . 4×100 relay team achieve a time of the 37 . 38 seconds , which was the fastest time of the preliminary round and broke a 20 - year - old American record . The team would go on to win a silver medal in the final round with Tyson Gay and Ryan Bailey instead of Demps and preliminary teammate Davis Patton , but as part of the team , Demps still received a medal . Professional football career . Demps skipped the 2012 NFL Combine and Draft in favor of preparing for the Olympics . However , he attracted interest from NFL teams after the Games , and agreed to terms on a three - year deal with the New England Patriots on August 17 , 2012 . On August 31 , 2012 , he was placed on injured reserve . Coach Bill Belichick has stated that he will be out for the rest of the season .