USF received a transfer commitment from Jacksonville University linebacker Dakota Trice on Saturday afternoon - a valuable addition to a linebacker corps that is slowly starting to take shape.

Trice was a 2017 graduate of Brandon High School, in which he was named to the Hillsborough County All-Star Team during his senior year.

He was a menacing middle linebacker and a three-year starter at Brandon, compiling over 100 tackles in all three seasons he played. He had 130 tackles (72 solo) and two interceptions in 2015, guiding the Eagles to a 9-3 record and a second-round berth in the Class 6A, Region 2 playoffs.

At Jacksonville University, Trice appeared in six games and made seven tackles as a freshman in 2017.

During his sophomore year, he led the Dolphins in tackles with 71 and registered a forced fumble and two TFL in ten games. Trice finished with 11 tackles at Mercer on Sept. 8 and 12 tackles against Butler on Nov. 3. The linebacker arguably had his best game against Marist on Oct. 13 with a nine tackle performance with 1.5 TFL and a forced fumble.

Trice will start out as a preferred walk-on and is currently going through the appeal process with the NCAA to earn eligibility for the 2019 season. He will remain a junior no matter if he plays his first snap in 2019 or 2020.

“It means everything to me and my family to be given this opportunity to play where I was born and raised,” Trice said.

Listed at 5’11”, 220 lbs., he was one of the most sure tacklers around in high school. He can sit back in coverage and do a lot of different things. Trice is great at diagnosing plays early, getting through the junk at the line of scrimmage and making quick reads and cuts on running backs. He should be a solid addition to a linebacking corps that needs depth, especially in the middle.