TAMPA, Fla. - There’s no pomp and circumstance for USF senior Devontres’ Odoms-Dukes. The Coronavirus took care of that.
- USF senior wide receiver Devontres’ Odoms-Dukes is set to graduate in a couple of weeks
- As part in the Lee Roy Selmon Mentoring Institute, he was paired with Spectrum Sports 360 reporter Katherine Smith to learn more about sports broadcasting
- Dukes begins graduate school in May and has one year of football eligibility remaining
No graduation ceremonies. For Dukes though, no worries.
“I’ve learned things are going to be thrown at you, so you just got to roll with it,” Dukes said.
Years of football have taught this wide receiver to expect the unexpected.
“Most guys, you know, go off with Plan A and their Plan B is to make Plan A work,” he said. “I was one of those guys. You’ve got to have a back-up plan for the back-up plan for the back-up plan.”
So what happens when your playing days are over? USF is preparing its student-athletes for that day. The Lee Roy Selmon Mentoring Institute helps navigate the road of life after sports. Dukes is one of many participants who is getting a glimpse of the real world with some practical hands on experiences.
“A lot of different experiences happened throughout my life, which has helped me these past four years,” Dukes said.
Having set his sights on a career in sports broadcasting. this Communications major is using those experiences to set up his future with the help of a mentor - me. I first met Dukes at etiquette training for USF student-athletes. We learned how to use the proper fork and knife, how to fold a napkin in our laps and how to toast. But we also discovered a mutual love of sports.
“Football really helped me with that, you know, helped me in areas that I didn’t think I developed in myself, until now,” he said.
Football’s also prepared Dukes for his future. Just like in a football game, he discovered sports broadcasting can be controlled chaos.
“Throughout this whole semester, I think I’ve just gained more confidence in myself in doing it,” he said.
Look out world for this soon to be college graduate. He’s armed with knowledge and experience and can’t wait to put them to use.
“This college experience has really helped me grow as a man,” Dukes said. “I’m just happy, honestly, and I’m excited for what the future holds after this.”