Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

-----------------------------------------------
#16 MISS (9-4, 7-3) | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 || 17
#1 USF (13-0, 10-0) | 0 | 10 | 7 | 14 || 31
-----------------------------------------------

USF Walks Off With a 31-17 Win vs. Ole Miss Despite White Injury
With their star quarterback on the sidelines in street clothes and USF trailing 10-3, Ole Miss smelled blood in the water and as did the rest of the nation.

It didn't last very long however as USF rattled off 31 unanswered points to beat the Rebels 31-17 on Saturday and win their first ever SEC championship and punch their ticket to the big dance.

Heisman favorite Jed White suffered a concussion in the second quarter of the game and did not return. Jay Jackson replaced White and did enough to keep the Bulls in the game before the defense started taking over.

Jackson finished the game with 130 yards passing and 72 yards rushing, throwing and rushing for a touchdown apiece with no major mistakes.

Even with their own quarterback healthy this time around, Ole Miss' offense continued to struggle against USF just as they did in the first matchup.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[MISS] J. Hadley, 6 Yd run (2:03)

Quarter 2
[MISS] K. Allen, 25 Yd FG (7:01)
[USF] K. Justice, 26 Yd FG (3:56)
[USF] D. Fuller, 17 Yd run (0:37)

Quarter 3
[USF] R. Wagner, 20 Yd pass from J. Jackson (5:49)

Quarter 4
[USF] J. Francois, 1 Yd run (7:08)
[USF] J. Jackson, 10 Yd run (3:32)
[MISS] D. Sutherland, 8 Yd pass from G. Wilson (1:49)
----------------------------------------------------------------
#1 South Florida Bulls
QB Jay Jackson: 14 of 22, 130 yards, touchdown, 10 carries, 72 yards, touchdown.
QB Jed White: 8 of 12, 99 yards, interception, 7 carries, 30 yards.
HB David Fuller: 10 carries, 72 yards, touchdown.
WR Jason Barbour: 7 receptions, 73 yards.
TE Vincent Everett: 6 receptions, 80 yards.
CB Pierre Francois: 11 tackles, 4 tackles for loss.

#16 Ole Miss Rebels
QB George Wilson: 23 of 26, 177 yards, touchdown, interception.
HB Jeff Hadley: 22 carries, 69 yards, touchdown, 7 receptions, 44 yards.
WR Dustin Ferwerda: 3 receptions, 30 yards.
LB Jeremy Williams: 5 tackles, tackle for loss, interception.

[Soapy]

Conference Championship Game Results
ACC: #6 Louisville 35, #21 Georgia Tech 7
Big Ten: #15 Michigan State 41, #5 Minnesota 38
Big XII: #19 Oklahoma State 34, #8 Texas A&M 17
C-USA: #14 Florida Atlantic 31, #9 Louisiana Tech 28
MAC: #17 Eastern Michigan 45, #13 Miami University 21
MWC: #24 Boise State 22, San Jose State 21
Pac-12: #10 Oregon 35, USC 27
SEC: #1 USF 31, #16 Ole Miss 17
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
New Years Six Bowl Matchups
Rose Bowl :: #11 Michigan State (12-1, 9-1) vs. #7 Oregon (11-2, 9-1)
Fiesta Bowl :: #6 Clemson (9-3, 7-2) vs. #9 Florida Atlantic (10-3, 8-1)
Sugar Bowl :: #15 Oklahoma State (11-2, 8-1) vs. #3 Alabama (10-2, 7-2)
Orange Bowl :: #5 Louisville (11-1, 9-1) vs. #4 Ohio State (11-1, 8-1)
Cotton Bowl :: #24 Florida State (8-4, 5-4) vs. #17 Texas A&M (10-3, 7-2)
National Championship :: #2 Navy (12-0, 9-0) vs. #1 USF (13-0, 10-0)
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
CFB Awards
Heisman: QB Jed White (USF): 325 of 445, 4251 yards, 45 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 195 carries, 1245 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Maxwell: QB Jed White (USF): 325 of 445, 4251 yards, 45 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 195 carries, 1245 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Walter Camp: QB Jed White (USF): 325 of 445, 4251 yards, 45 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 195 carries, 1245 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Bednarik: CB John Miller (Texas): 38 tackles, 9 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, forced fumble, fumble recovery.
Nagurski: DE Patrick Cobb (Ball State): 75 tackles, 30 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, fumble recovery.
O'Brien: QB Jed White (USF): 325 of 445, 4251 yards, 45 touchdowns, 11 interceptions, 195 carries, 1245 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Walker: HB Chris Gary (Eastern Michigan): 311 carries, 2211 yards, 31 touchdowns.
Biletnikoff: WR Michael Moses (Alabama): 94 receptions, 1552 yards, 17 touchdowns.
Mackey: TE Tevita Rodriguez (UL-Monroe): 97 receptions, 1347 yards, 18 touchdowns.
Outland: C Russ Matthews (Ohio State): 19 pancakes, sack allowed.
Rimington: C Russ Matthews (Ohio State): 19 pancakes, sack allowed.
Lombardi: DE Freddie Bonner (Alabama): 49 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles.
Butkus: LB Justin Woods (Minnesota): 55 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, forced fumble, 3 interceptions.
Thorpe: CB John Miller (Texas): 38 tackles, 9 interceptions, 9 pass breakups, forced fumble, fumble recovery.
Groza: K Jeremy Quinn (Louisville): 22 of 24 FG, Long of 46, 60/60 XP
Guy: P Marcus McClelland (USF): 20 punts, 41.4 Yd Net, Long of 63
--------------------------------------------------------------------------
AP First Team All-Americans
QB Jed White, USF (So)
HB Chris Gary, Eastern Michigan (Sr)
HB Jared Love, Stanford (Jr)
WR Michael Moses, Alabama (Jr)
WR Leon Brown, Minnesota (Jr)
TE Tevita Rodriguez, UL-Monroe (Sr)
LT Dustin Francis, Alabama (Sr)
LG Joey Smith, Minnesota (Sr)
C Russ Matthews, Ohio State (Sr)
RG Jared Greenwood, Navy (Sr)
RT Alan Burnett, Navy (Sr)
DE Kyle Swain, USF (So)
DE James Smith, Nebraska (Sr)
DT Travis Scott, USF (Sr)
DT Youdlain Sutherland, Texas A&M (Sr)
LB Justin Woods, Minnesota (Jr)
LB Calvin Franz, USF (Sr)
LB Jason Bennett, Oregon (Sr)
CB Pierre Francois, USF (So)
CB Corey Johnson, USF (Sr)
S Jay Jacobs, USF (So)
S Paul Williams, USF (So)
K Jeremy Quinn, Louisville (Jr)
P Marcus McClelland, USF (Sr)

[Soapy]

BCS National Championship Game Preview: vs. #2 Navy Midshipmen
Record: 12-0, 9-0 AAC
Head Coach: Troy Calhoun (94-21 at Navy, 9th year, 172-84)

Team Leaders
Passing: Colton Rivera (63.0% completion, 1979 yards, 20 TD, 3 INT, 171.7 QB rating)
Rushing: Roger Poland (1462 yards, 7.4 ypc, 17 TD)
Receiving: Justin Goodman (62 receptions, 949 yards, 13 TD)
Defense: Anthony Horton (67 tackles, 19 TFL, 4.5 sacks, 2 INT)

Team Rankings
Total Offense: 5th
Total Defense: 1st
Points Per Game: 5th
Turnover Differential: 5th

Injuries
ILB Ryan Smith, Rs Junior | 5'10", 257lbs | 89 ovr, 90 spd, 87 acc, 81 tkl, 87 prc, 87 bsh, 87 pur, 84 zcv

Team Schedule
at Connecticut: W 52-10
at East Carolina: W 42-21
at Air Force: W 45-21
at Tulsa: W 45-0
vs. Memphis: W 28-7
vs. Houston: W 42-14
vs. #10 Notre Dame: W 44-38 OT
vs. Temple: W 38-7
vs. Cincinnati: W 28-13
at Tulane: W 52-10
vs. SMU: W 42-28
at Army: W 56-30

Navy Midshipmen Projected Starters
QB Colton Rivero, Rs Junior | 6'1", 226lbs | 90 ovr, 81 spd, 80 acc, 86 thp, 84 tha
SB Roger Poland, Senior | 6'1", 201lbs | 95 ovr, 90 spd, 92 acc, 97 btk, 89 car, 95 elu
SB Landon Anderson, Rs Senior | 5'10", 176lbs | 88 ovr, 96 spd, 99 acc, 82 btk, 75 car, 98 elu
FB Matt Bright, Rs Sophomore| 6'0", 252lbs | 86 ovr, 87 spd, 92 acc, 84 btk, 76 car, 89 trk, 78 rbk
WR Anthony Wright, Senior | 6'4", 203lbs | 88 ovr, 98 spd, 98 acc, 83 cth
WR Joel Mark, Rs Senior | 6'1", 182lbs | 84 ovr, 84 spd, 84 acc, 89 cth
TE Jamie Prater, Rs Senior | 6'3", 267lbs | 86 ovr, 80 spd, 78 acc, 84 cth, 80 rbk
LT Donald Charles, Rs Senior | 6'2", 318lbs | 84 ovr, 91 acc, 80 pbk, 92 rbk, 86 str
LG Jason Campbell, Freshman | 6'3", 300lbs | 80 ovr, 91 acc, 80 pbk, 85 rbk, 88 str
C Ron Wallace, Rs Senior | 6'3", 306lbs | 94 ovr, 85 acc, 89 pbk, 95 rbk, 89 str
RG Jared Greenwood, Senior | 6'1", 317lbs | 93 ovr, 94 acc, 98 pbk, 90 rbk, 88 str
RT Alan Burnett, Senior | 6'3", 296lbs | 88 ovr, 95 acc, 88 pbk, 88 rbk, 89 str
---------------------
DE Dante George, Senior | 6'6", 256lbs | 89 ovr, 78 spd, 82 acc, 81 str, 90 pmv, 79 fmv, 93 bsh
DE Michael Robinson, Rs Senior | 6'3", 287lbs | 87 ovr, 78 spd, 91 acc, 78 str, 87 pmv, 89 fmv, 88 bsh
NT Kurt Robison, Rs Senior | 5'11", 293lbs | 84 ovr, 81 acc, 77 str, 83 pmv, 90 fmv, 86 bsh
OLB B.J. Rice, Rs Sophomore | 6'1", 230lbs | 81 ovr, 82 spd 92 acc, 83 tkl, 78 prc, 80 bsh, 84 pur
ILB Anthony Horton, Rs Senior | 6'0", 240lbs | 85 ovr, 84 spd, 94 acc, 81 tkl, 79 prc, 94 bsh, 75 pur, 72 zcv
ILB Larry Roberson, Rs Junior | 6'2", 236lbs | 80 ovr, 84 spd, 89 acc, 85 tkl, 79 prc, 79 bsh, 81 pur, 70 zcv
OLB Joey Cook, Rs Senior | 6'2", 244lbs | 83 ovr, 85 spd, 87 acc, 81 tkl, 81 prc, 82 bsh, 77 pur
CB Jeff Joseph, Senior | 5'11", 198lbs | 91 ovr, 92 spd, 96 acc, 99 mcv, 94 zcv, 93 press
CB Dave Williams, Rs Senior | 5'11", 173lbs | 89 ovr, 94 spd, 88 acc, 99 mcv, 98 zcv, 90 press
S Marcus Jackson, Rs Senior | 6'0", 176lbs | 91 ovr, 89 spd, 98 acc, 80 mcv, 89 zcv, 82 tkl
S Chris Adkins, Senior | 5'10", 173lbs | 84 ovr, 88 spd, 87 acc, 72 mcv, 84 zcv, 84 tkl

[Captain Canada]

Jed White with one hell of a season

Didn't think this season would end in a National Championship game, but you just kept winning. Go get it, son.

[Soapy]

Diaz focused on stopping Midshipmen triple option offense
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

The past can be just as daunting and mysterious as the future. The USF Bulls defense learned that lesson the hard way last season as they went up against not one but two triple option offenses in Navy and Georgia Tech.

It wasn't pretty and it rarely is against the archaic offense that has propelled the Midshipmen to five-straight AAC championships under head coach Troy Calhoun, who has won at least ten games six of his eight seasons at Navy ever since inheriting a program that had finished 6-6, 5-7, 4-8 and 3-9 in consecutive seasons.

This might be Navy's best team in decades, perhaps ever. Third-year starter Colton Rivero will get legitimate looks as a quarterback at the pro level, whether in the NFL or any of the lower level leagues. Roger Poland is Todd McShay's RB7 according to his draft board and for a team that rarely throws the ball, Justin Goodman has been uber productive with 62 receptions on the season and has two fellow seniors in Anthony Wright and Joel Mark that could play almost anywhere in the country with the latter being one of the fastest players in the country.

The man tasked with trying to slow all of that down is USF defensive coordinator Manny Diaz. In the sports world of advanced metrics and trying to quantify everyone -- something Diaz himself is a proponent off -- it's hard to pinpoint how good of a job Diaz has or hasn't done with the defense in his first season. They're middle of the pack in scoring defense, top of the pack in rushing defense (largely due to their high scoring offense) and bottom of the pack when it comes to their passing defense. Again, the numbers are skewed due to the Bulls' offense which leads the nation in scoring.

In games where the Bulls offense did not score forty or more points, the Bulls defense allowed an average of 18.7 points per game, good enough for second in the country in scoring defense behind only Navy's defense which is allowing just 16.6 points per game.

If the Bulls offense figures to be slowed down by Navy's defense, the numbers indicate that USF's defense is actually better equipped for a slower tempo game. Diaz also has had nearly a month to figure out the Navy offense and has last year's game tape against this group of athletes on defense to figure out what worked and what didn't.

And if he does, his road back to being a Power 5 head coach just got a whole lot shorter.

[Soapy]

Wells expected to replace Hoke at Michigan following retirement
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

USF offensive coordinator Walt Wells has been pegged as the "unofficial hire" of the Michigan Wolverines to replace Brady Hoke according to ESPN's Adam Schefter.

In a series of tweets last night, Schefter confirmed The Tampa Bay Chronicles reports that Wells had met with the Wolverines 'several times' over the past month since Hoke announced his retirement at the end of Michigan's 5-7 season.

The hiring of Wells has yet to be announced with Matt Rhule and another former Bulls coordinator in Dave Doeren being considered for the position.

Since his return, Wells has been the play caller for two of the most explosive and successful offenses in school history. His departure is all but finalized at this point as he's also been considered for openings in Washington, Penn State and Florida.

Matt Campbell is a name to watch with his exit from Kentucky as he has experience recruiting in the SEC and head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. has recently gone after former head coaches for coordinators as opposed to young coordinators.

[Soapy]

-----------------------------------------------
#2 NAVY (12-1, 9-0) | 14 | 3 | 3 | 13 || 33
#1 USF (14-0, 10-0) | 7 | 14 | 14 | 10 || 45
-----------------------------------------------

Bulls Cap Off Successful Season With National Championship Win vs. Naval Academy
A second quarter interception helped give Navy the lead and some brief hope that it would be able to slay Goliath.

Sorry, David. Not this time.

Jed White put a bow on his Heisman winning season with a two touchdown performance as USF wrapped up their season with a national championship victory, beating Navy 45-33 for the school's third national championship.

Following Roger Poland's touchdown to go up seven, USF responded with a touchdown drive of their own with Derrick Green reaching the endzone. USF's defense was able to hold Navy to just three points on the next drive, allowing the Bulls to end the half with a touchdown and open it with another touchdown to extend their lead.

USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. was visibly emotional as his youngest of three sons -- all on the team -- scored a touchdown to give the Bulls a definitive 35-17 lead with 3:34 left in the third quarter.
----------------------------------------------------------------
Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] J. Dickson, 0 Yd run (4:00)
[NAVY] M. Bright, 2 Yd run (1:46)
[NAVY] R. Poland, 3 Yd run (0:03)

Quarter 2
[USF] D. Green, 1 Yd run (6:38)
[NAVY] C. Jones, 39 Yd FG (3:49)
[USF] J. White, 1 Yd run (0:31)

Quarter 3
[USF] D. Green, 1 Yd run (5:58)
[USF] J. Francois, 2 Yd pass from J. White (3:34)
[NAVY] C. Jones, 41 Yd FG (1:24)

Quarter 4
[USF] K. Justice, 23 Yd FG (6:38)
[NAVY R. Poland, 5 Yd run -- 2pt failed (3:47)
[USF] D. Fuller, 14 Yd run (1:05)
[NAVY] J. Goodman, 18 Yd pass from C. Rivero (0:18)
----------------------------------------------------------------
#1 South Florida Bulls
QB Jed White: 24 of 29, 332 yards, touchdown, interception, 12 carries, 47 yards.
HB David Fuller: 12 carries, 85 yards, touchdown.
HB Derrick Green: 12 carries, 60 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE J.J. Francois: 4 receptions, 80 yards, touchdown.
TE Vincent Everett: 4 receptions, 59 yards.
TE Tariq Smith: 3 receptions, 46 yards.
WR Darius Downs: 3 receptions, 45 yards.
WR Jason Barbour: 3 receptions, 42 yards.
LB Danny Love: 10 tackles, tackle for loss.
S Paul Williams: 8 tackles, tackle for loss.

#2 Navy Midshipmen
QB Colton Rivero: 14 of 14, 137 yards, touchdown, 5 carries, 52 yards.
SB Roger Poland: 13 carries, 82 yards, 2 touchdowns.
FB Matt Bright: 11 carries, 70 yards, touchdown.
WR Dan Horton: 4 receptions, 59 yards.
S Marcus Jackson: 7 tackles.
DE Dante George: 5 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack.
LB Anthony Horton: 4 tackles, interception.

[Soapy]

2026 USF Bulls Records
Season Passing Yds -- QB Jed White, 4583 (Previous Record: 4416, Nick Williams, 2025)
Season Passing TD -- QB Jed White, 46 (Previous Record: 38, Nick Williams, 2025)

2026 USF All-Americans
First Team
QB Jed White
DE Kyle Swain
DT Travis Scott
LB Calvin Franz
CB Pierre Francois
CB Corey Johnson
S Jay Jacobs
S Paul Williams
P Marcus McClelland
Second Team
TE Vincent Everett
LT Tanner Patton
CB Sid Robinson
Freshman
WR Andrew Rivas
TE Jean-Jacques Francois
DE Greg White
LB Marcus Rhoden
CB Marcus Hodge
S Paul Williams

2026 USF All-SEC
First Team
QB Jed White
TE Vincent Everett
LT Tanner Patton
LG Bobby Davis
DE Kyle Swain
DT Travis Scott
DT William Levine
LB Calvin Franz
CB Pierre Francois
CB Corey Johnson
S Jay Jacobs
S Paul Williams
K Kevin Justice
P Marcus McClelland
Second Team
WR Darius Downs
WR Malcolm Francois Jr.
RT Darryl Williams
DE Greg White
LB Matt Collins
LB Danny Love
LB Alex Miller
CB Sid Robinson

2026 South Florida Bulls Stats

Passing
QB Jed White, Sophomore: 349 of 474, 4583 yards, 46 touchdowns, 12 interceptions, sacked 32 times.
QB Jay Jackson, Rs Sophomore: 24 of 35, 256 yards, 2 touchdowns, sacked once.

Rushing
QB Jed White, Sophomore: 207 carries, 1292 yards, 23 touchdowns.
HB Jason Finley, Junior: 101 carries, 522 yards, 4 touchdowns.
HB David Fuller, Senior: 73 carries, 405 yards, 6 touchdowns.
HB Reggie Smith, Rs Freshman: 45 carries, 202 yards.
TE Jean-Jacques Francois, Freshman: 40 carries, 154 yards, 4 touchdowns.
HB Derrick Green, Senior: 30 carries, 183 yards, 2 touchdowns.

Receiving
TE Vincent Everett, Junior: 82 receptions, 1194 yards, 14 touchdowns.
WR Jason Barbour, Junior: 76 receptions, 1124 yards, 8 touchdowns.
WR Malcolm Francois Jr, Rs Senior: 53 receptions, 789 yards, 9 touchdowns.
WR Darius Downs, Junior: 47 receptions, 656 yards, 6 touchdowns.
TE Jean-Jacques Francois, Freshman: 25 receptions, 375 yards, 2 touchdowns.
FB Jacob Dickson, Rs Senior: 25 receptions, 134 yards.
WR Ryan Wagner, Junior: 16 receptions, 159 yards, 3 touchdowns.
WR Andrew Rivas, Freshman:9 receptions, 102 yards, 4 touchdowns.
TE Tariq Smith, Sophomore: 9 receptions, 94 yards, touchdown.

Blocking
LT Tanner Patton, Rs Senior: 20 pancakes, sack allowed.
LG Bobby Davis, Rs Junior: 9 pancakes, 4 sacks allowed.
C Craig Williams, Rs Junior: 5 pancakes, 4 sacks allowed.
RG Chris Simpson, Sophomore: 5 pancakes, 4 sacks allowed.
RT Darryl Williams, Rs Junior: 7 pancakes, 10 sacks allowed.
TE Vincent Everett, Junior: 34 pancakes.
FB Jacob Dickson, Rs Senior: 8 pancakes, sacks allowed.

Defensive
S Paul Williams, Freshman: 109 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions.
LB Calvin Franz, Rs Senior: 89 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, interception.
CB Pierre Francois, Sophomore: 82 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, 4 interceptions.
S Jay Jacobs, Sophomore: 54 tackles, tackle for loss, 2 interceptions.
CB Corey Johnson, Senior: 51 tackles, tackle for loss, 6 interceptions.
CB Sid Robinson, Senior: 47 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 5 interceptions.
LB Alex Miller, Rs Senior: 36 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 3 sacks, interception.
LB Danny Love, Junior: 33 tackles, 4 tackles for loss, 2 sacks, interception.
LB Matt Collins, Rs Senior: 30 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3 sacks.
DT Travis Scott, Rs Senior: 28 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 5 sacks.
DE Kyle Swain, Rs Sophomore: 27 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 7 sacks.
DT William Levine, Junior: 19 tackles, 6 tackles for loss, 3 sacks.
DE Greg White, Freshman: 17 tackles, 8 tackles, 5.5 sacks.
LB Marcus Rhoden, Freshman: 13 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, 0.5 sack, 2 interceptions.
DE Marcus Smith, Rs Sophomore: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 sacks.
CB Marcus Hodge, Freshman: 9 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack, interception.

Kicking
K Kevin Justice, Senior: 10 of 11 FG, 48 FG Lng, 93/93 XP

Punting
P Marcus McClelland, Senior: 20 punts, 41.4 Avg Net, 8 inside 20, 4 touchbacks.

Returning
WR David Ryan, Senior: 21 kick returns, 671 yards, touchdown.

Team Stats
Scoring Offense: 49.8 PPG (1st)
Scoring Defense: 27.5 PPG (41st)

New Years Six Bowl Results
Rose Bowl :: #8 Michigan State 31, #12 Oregon 19
Fiesta Bowl :: #4 Clemson 40, #15 Florida Atlantic 31
Sugar Bowl :: #3 Alabama 45, #17 Oklahoma State 20
Orange Bowl :: #2 Louisville 38, #6 Ohio State 36
Cotton Bowl :: #19 Florida State 35, #24 Texas A&M 24
National Championship :: #1 USF 45, #5 Navy 33

[Soapy]

Two and out once more as Wells bolts Bulls for Michigan head coaching job
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

USF offensive coordinator Walt Wells has been announced as the newest head coach of the Michigan Wolverines.

Wells has been linked to the job since Brady Hoke announced his retirement at the age of 68 as the Wolverines are coming off a disappointing 5-7 season. In Wells' two seasons as offensive coordinator for the Bulls, he was the brains behind the team's top two passing offenses in school history.

This is the second time that Wells has left the Bulls for a head coaching job. Part of Malcolm Francois' inaugural staff, Wells left after two seasons in 2015 to take the head coaching job at Hawaii before returning two seasons ago following his firing.

Names to watch to replace Wells include Arkansas State's Rhett Lashlee, recently fired Arkansas' head coach Gus Malzahn and Oklahoma State's Mike Yurcich.

The Bulls might also be losing defensive coordinator Manny Diaz who interviewed for the head coaching job at Boston College following the firing of Eric Morris.

[Soapy]

Lashlee, Wilcox tabbed as new coordinators following exodus
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

The University of South Florida has announced the hiring of offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee and defensive coordinator Justin Wilcox to replace the recently departed Walt Wells and Manny Diaz.

The announcement came within just hours of Diaz' hiring at Boston College being made official following a few days that the former Florida State alum had been hired to replace Eric Morris. Diaz is taking over a 4-8 program and unlike Wells who is inheriting a roster capable of a quick turnaround in order to compete, Diaz will have a tall order to get the Eagles on the winning track.

Lashlee was the offensive coordinator at Arkansas State last season and his offense finished top 25 in the country with 34.7 points per game and 16th in the country in rushing offense. A Gus Malzahn disciple, Lashlee's power spread offense might fit Heisman winner Jed White's attributes even more perfectly than Wells' offense where White put up prolific numbers.

While Lashlee is a perfect fit, Wilcox will have to win over a fan base that is seeing it's third defensive coordinator in as many years. Wilcox' stint at New Mexico State was a tough one, winning just four games each of the last three seasons. The Aggies struggled in Wilcox's 4-2-5 defense, allowing over 31 points per game in every season Wilcox was at New Mexico State.

It remains to be seen what type of defense Wilcox implements with the Bulls. Early in his career as a defensive coordinator, he ran a 3-4 defense before switching to a 4-2-5 look with Washington and has since primarily ran his defenses out of nickel and sub looks.

Notable Head Coaching Changes
Boston College :: Manny Diaz replaces Eric Morris (fired)
-----
Michigan :: Walt Wells replaces Brady Hoke (retired)
Penn State :: Dan Mullen replaces Eric Price (fired)
Purdue :: Brian Polian replaces June Jones (fired)
-----
West Virginia :: William Johnson replaces Jeff Casteel (retired)
-----
Washington :: Matt Rhule replaces Matt Canales (retired)
-----
Arkansas :: Steve Ellis replaces Gus Malzahn (fired)

SEC Coaching Staff Changes
Alabama OC :: Eric Price replaces Matt Wells (left for new job)
Florida DC :: Blake Hills replaces Tim Martinez (fired)
Georgia DC :: Scott Hazelton replaces Mike Stoops (retired)
Kentucky OC :: Bobby Wilder replaces Mike Jones (fired)
Kentucky DC :: Paul Petrino replaces Alex Kaufman (retired)
LSU OC :: Eric Morris replaces Matt Canada (fired)
Mississippi State DC :: Gerald Ward replaces Jeff Goolsby (fired)
Mississippi State OC :: Mike Jones replaces Jeff O'Neal (fired)
USF OC :: Rhett Lashlee replaces Walt Wells (left for new job)
USF DC :: Justin Wilcox replaces Manny Diaz (left for new job)