Strength in Unity.
Strength in Unity.
Coach no fun.
Strength in Unity.
After embarassing end to last season, USF is in prime position to reload and make another run at the national championship
Adriana Castillo -- usfwire.usatoday.com
USF dominated college football during the regular season, regularly blowing out Champions Division opponents before their offense sputtered out and eventually crashed in the College Football Playoffs Quarterfinal against Michigan.
The Bulls feature a new offense under two proven coordinators in Malcolm Francois Jr. and Jeremy Butler, who return to USF where they had tremendous success. With the bulk of last year's elite defensive unit back, the Bulls enter the season as a top three team that could easily find themselves in the playoffs once more and win the whole thing.
Ten Best USF Players
1. WR Scott Price, Junior
2. CB Travis Jones, Rs Senior
T-3. S Clarence Sullivan (currently suspended)
T-3. DE Marcellus Smith, Senior
4. DT Brandon Smith, Senior
5. C Kyle Jones, Senior
6. S Anthony Gunn, Rs Senior
7. LB Julian Harrell, Junior
8. HB Justin Thomas, Sophomore
9. LG Nick Ryan, Sophomore
10. LB Damon Hill, Junior
Schedule
Sep. 5 at #9 Southern Miss (night game)
Sep. 12 at #1 Alabama
Sep. 19 vs. #19 Stanford (night game)
Sep. 26 vs. #2 Virginia Tech
OPEN
Oct. 10 vs. #25 Miami (Homecoming)
Oct. 17 vs. Purdue (night game)
OPEN
Oct. 31 vs. #4 Minnesota (senior Day)
Nov. 7 at Michigan (night game)
Nov. 11 at #7 Georgia Tech (night game)
Nov. 21 at #17 LSU (night game)
Nov. 27 at UCF (night game)
Dec. 5 at #5 Ohio State (night game)
Preseason All-Americans
First Team
WR Scott Price, Junior
DE Marcellus Smith, Senior
DT Brandon Smith, Senior
S Anthony Gunn, Senior
S Clarence Sullivan, Junior
Second Team
CB Travis Jones, Senior
Preseason All-Champions Division
First Team
HB Justin Thomas, Sophomore
WR Scott Price, Junior
C Kyle Jones, Senior
DE Marcellus Smith, Senior
DT Brandon Smith, Senior
LB Julian Harrell, Sophomore
CB Travis Jones, Rs Senior
S Anthony Gunn, Senior
S Clarence Sullivan, Junior
Second Team
T Steve Bailey, Rs Senior
What to watch for on offense: It's a new offense under Francois Jr. and Butler who historically run very different offenses with Butler being a bit more multiple while Francois Jr. prefers to spread it out although in recent years, he's leaned on the running game some more while at Navy.
They'll both be tasked with tutoring a young quarterback in Rashad Woodard who has all the potential in the world but has never started a game entering his third season at USF. Butler has already been named the play caller but it'll be interesting to see how both principles mesh together to try to bring out the best in the offense and Woodard specifically.
What to watch for on defense: They lose their two of their top three corners along with an All-American defensive tackle in Brett Lawrence but have a five-star in Shawn Thomas replacing Lawrence and a ton of young, talented corners that will try to fill the void of Charlie Robinson and Akeem Smith. USF returns a lot of experience on defense and it should be another elite unit if the young corners hold up.
The team will be far better if... Woodard is able to be a more efficient quarterback than Mark Cunningham was last season when it comes to turning the ball over. Cunningham got off to a good start last season but ended up throwing 21 interceptions on the year, including five against Michigan in the Orange Bowl. While Woodard is more dynamic than Cunningham, he'll also need to be more risk averse.
On defense, it again falls on the young corners and if USF is able to aid them with a more consistent pass rush. While Marcellus and Brandon Smith flashed at times, there were moments were USF's pass rush was non-existent. With the elite corners they had last year, it didn't hinder them too much but it'll need to be there this season with a young secondary, especially if Clarence Sullivan is not available with his current indefinite suspension.
The Schedule: It's the Smith Bowl to open the season with Brandon and Marcellus Smith playing their All-American triplet brother in Southern Miss left tackle Brian Smith Jr. It doesn't get any easier after that with a road trip to No. 1 Alabama before home stands against No. 6 Stanford, No. 2 Virginia Tech and No. 25 Miami.
The schedule ease up after a home game against No. 4 Minnesota but it's all road trips to Michigan, Georgia Tech, LSU, UCF and Ohio State with the Buckeyes and Yellow Jackets being top ten teams and the possibility of bad weather in Michigan and Ohio.
Best offensive player: The only top five player on the team on offense but arguably the best player on the team overall, receiver Scott Price promises to have another phenomenal season to follow up back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons to begin his career. He projects to be one of the top receivers taken in the draft and he'll have the watchful eye of two receiver gurus in Francois Sr. and Francois Jr.
Best defensive player: The Smith brothers make a solid case as does safeties Anthony Gunn and Clarence Sullivan but Travis Jones' is entering his fourth season as a starter and he sets the tone for the defense with his ability to play man coverage with the team's best receiver and not require much help.
He got beat a few times last season on jump balls so if he can improve that, Jones could be winning some awards at season's end.
Key players to a successful season: It's an easy answer because it's the right one and that's quarterback Rashad Woodard. The floor for this team is likely a nine-win campaign to sneak into the playoffs but if they want to hit their ceiling, Woodard will need to be efficient with splashes of the playmaking we've seen from him in limited snaps and in the spring game.
Defensively, defensive end Kyle Wood needs to turn the page and start becoming the disrupting pass rusher that he was projected to be coming out of high school. We saw a big leap from Marcellus Smith in his junior season if USF gets a similar one from Wood to form a two headed monster at edge, this defense will be unstoppable.
The season will be a success if...USF makes it to the national championship game.
Key game: There's a few candidates here with a measuring stick game against Southern Miss, a few top five matchups in Alabama, Virginia Tech and Minnesota relatively early in the season. But the answer is ultimately the season finale against Ohio State. The Bulls, even if they stumble early, will have enough favorable matchups against the likes of Purdue, Minnesota, Michigan, Georgia Tech and LSU to salvage their season and a game like Ohio State might be just what they need to clinch either a higher seed in the playoffs or that fourth seed.
Game by Game Predictions
Sep. 5 at #9 Southern Miss: W
Sep. 12 at #1 Alabama: L
Sep. 19 vs. #19 Stanford: W
Sep. 26 vs. #2 Virginia Tech: W
Oct. 10 vs. #25 Miami: W
Oct. 17 vs. Purdue: W
Oct. 31 vs. #4 Minnesota: W
Nov. 7 at Michigan: W
Nov. 11 at #7 Georgia Tech: L
Nov. 21 at #17 LSU: W
Nov. 27 at UCF: W
Dec. 5 at #5 Ohio State: W
Strength in Unity.
David Thomas, Chris Scott no longer with USF football program as they plead guilty in drug case
Sean Caesar -- The Athletic Writer
Former University of South Florida football player Chris Scott and David Thomas have plead guilty to delivery of marijuana more than a quarter of an ounce but less than 5 pounds. They received four years of deferred adjudication, $1,200 in court costs and community service.
The two were among more than two dozen students that were netted by the sting. Hillsborough County district attorney's spokesperson Glenda Horn said Thursday that Clarence Sullivan, another football player that was arrested with Scott and Thomas back in June, entered a not-guilty plea earlier in August and will take the case to trial.
Sullivan is currently out on bond and listed on the team's roster while Thomas and Scott haven't been since mid-July. A source with close knowledge of the situation confirmed that Sullivan, Thomas and Scott met with USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. individually following the arrest and Thomas and Scott were released from their scholarship later that week.
Malcolm Francois Sr. hasn't spoken to the media since his initial statement during the day of the arrest but is scheduled to speak with the media next week when the Bulls begin fall camp.
Strength in Unity.
Four-star prospect Sean Hart commits to Bulls during Green and Gold Bash
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
Nothing will top last year's Green and Gold Bash event that saw six players commit to USF including five-star receiver Ryan Murray. This year's event wasn't a total dud as four-star athlete Sean Hart committed to USF while in attendance over offers from LSU, Army, Georgia Tech and Purdue among others.
Ranked as the 39th athlete in the class, USF is recruiting the Illinois native at defensive back while some prefer the high school quarterback on offense, whether at running back or receiver.
There are some similarities to Cameron Stokes, a high school quarterback that USF signed last year to play defensive back. Stokes ultimately played running back this spring and figures to stay there so it's too early to tell where Hart ultimately ends up as he's probably a faster athlete than Stokes coming out of high school.
Among those in attendance were Tampa natives cornerback Ernest Bright and linebacker Justin Smith. Bright is the son of former USF receiver Ben Bright who was USF for two seasons in the early 2020s before transferring to Oklahoma.
A notable absence from the star studded event was Chaminade-Madonna prep quarterback Kevin Meadows, the top ranked quarterback in the country. Meadows has been an Alabama lean for some time but USF was hopeful they would be able to get him to come to the event after the South Floridian didn't visit USF this spring and summer and instead made stops at Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma and Michigan.
Meadows is without a doubt USF's top target at the position so it'll be an easy recruitment to watch unfold as the interest so far appears to be lopsided.
2044 USF Recruiting Class
DB Sean Hart [ATH #39]: 6'0", 185lbs | Northbrook, IL | 4-star | 4.38 40-yd dash, 235 Bench Press Max, 250 Squat Max
2044 USF Recruiting Board
WR Donald Jones [ATH #1]: 6'0", 206lbs | Jacksonville, FL | 5-star | USF, Alabama, LSU, Ohio State, Florida
QB Kevin Meadows [QB #1]: 6'4", 244lbs | Hollywood, FL | 4-star | Alabama, Texas, Oklahoma, Michigan, USF
TE Matt Jordan [TE #1]: 6'6", 265lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida, Miami, Georgia, South Carolina
HB Brian Clay [ATH #12]: 5'11", 178lbs | Alvin, TX | 4-star | USF, Alabama, Ohio State, Stanford
G Mike Miller [G #2]: 6'4", 290lbs | Olney, MD [IMG] | 4-star | USF, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Michigan, Ohio State
T Tim Hill [T #7]: 6'5", 291lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida, Florida State, Miami, UCF
G Tim Williams [G #7]: 6'3", 290lbs | Robinson, PA [IMG] | 4-star | USF, Army, Ohio State, Minnesota, Stanford
CB Ernest Bright [CB #5]: 6'2", 185lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Stanford, Army, Minnesota, Virginia Tech
OLB Paul Mason [OLB #3]: 6'5", 211lbs | Laurel, MS | 4-star | USF, Alabama, Stanford, Ohio State, Georgia Tech
DT Dan James [DT #8]: 6'5", 280lbs | Monte Vista, CO | 4-star | USF, Minnesota, Purdue, Florida, Wisconsin
S Courtney Jones [S #7]: 6'3", 183lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida, Auburn, Georgia Tech, Florida State
ILB Justin Smith [ILB #7]: 6'2", 225lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Virginia Tech, Georgia, Rutgers, Purdue
DB Michael Williams [ATH #20]: 6'0", 194lbs | Jonesboro, LA | 4-star | USF, LSU, Oklahoma, Stanford, Army
WR Will Madison [WR #22]: 6'3", 185lbs | Stillwater, OK | 4-star | USF, USC, Navy, Michigan State
OLB Kevin Harris [OLB #10]: 5'11", 180lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida, Georgia Tech, Florida State
WR Mark Collier [ATH #31]: 6'0", 216lbs | Clute, TX | 4-star | USF, Miami University, Toledo, Notre Dame, LSU
DE Alex Kelley [DE #20]: 6'3", 247lbs | Pecos, TX | 4-star | USF, Stanford, Alabama, Army, LSU
OLB Ryan Jones [OLB #19]: 6'5", 239lbs | Fairfax, VA | 4-star | USF, Stanford, Virginia Tech, Purdue, Rutgers
WR Theo Smith [WR #43]: 6'0", 171lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Akron, Navy, Kansas, Rutgers
Strength in Unity.
USF WR Scott Price debuts No. 1 jersey amid Clarence Sullivan controversy
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist
USF junior receiver Scott Price was everyone's selection to be next in line to wear the No. 1 jersey following the departure of longtime teammate and running back Jacob Wheeler to the draft. Price's dreams and aspiration turned to reality as the former Tampa Jesuit graduate debuted the No. 1 jersey during the team's first fall scrimmage and put on a show for all of those in attendance, including an acrobatic over the shoulder touchdown catch that was posted on social media.
While the scrimmage was closed off to the media and only open to former players and recruits, the team's social media page posted some clips which included an apparent long touchdown run from Justin Thomas.
The clip also revealed that linebacker Julian Harrell is wearing the No. 4 jersey after wearing No. 21 last season. The No. 4 jersey is typically awarded to the team's fastest player which is impressive for Harrell, even when considering that he is a former safety.
Speaking of safety, All-American safety Clarence Sullivan was not out there during the scrimmage or the first week of camp but he remains on the team. USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. declined to comment on Sullivan's arrest in relation to a drug sting that also took down two former teammates in running back David Thomas and defensive tackle Chris Scott, who was Sullivan's roommate.
"It's a legal matter so we'll let that play out," Francois Sr. told the media at the beginning of his availability, "For [Scott and Thomas], they're no longer with the team. The legal situation is sorted out so I feel comfortable speaking on that, wish them the best, hope they learn from this situation. With [Sullivan], we'll see, it's an ongoing matter so we're cooperating, he's cooperating and we'll go from there."
Francois Sr. did confirm that Sullivan is still a scholarship athlete but not an 'active' member of the football team.
Other notes from the first week of fall camp and the scrimmage:
- It's a heavy workload for quarterback Rashad Woodard
The junior quarterback played the entire scrimmage according to reports and took all of the first team snaps in practice leading up to the week, including some against the first team defense with the second unit on offense.
The Bulls have been rotating contact and non-contact days for Woodard who always wore the gold, non-contact jersey in the spring and didn't do much as a runner in practices nor in the spring game where he recorded only one carry on a play where the pocket was broken down and he ran out of bounds.
There appears to be a focus for Woodard to rely on his arm more than his legs, at least at practice. As the first week of camp went on, the coaching staff started to explore Woodard as a runner more and more, even allowing defenders to 'thud' him in the scrimmage in order to simulate a real game.
- - Taylor Smith keeping the young pups at bay...for now
USF true freshmen tight ends Jake Bryant and Russell Arrington were the rave during the spring and while they have put together a solid first week of fall camp, redshirt junior Taylor Smith has started to pull away in the competition.
The speed of fall camp in terms of install periods, complexity in schemes being implemented and the physical nature of the first few days has definitely taken a toll on the rookie tight ends while Smith, entering his fourth fall camp, has excelled in the first few days.
USF quarterback coach and offensive play caller Jeremy Butler was extremely complimentary of Smith, citing him as an additional coach on the field as they continue to install the new offense.
"He gets guys lined up and is just in sync with [TE coach Robert Holland]," Butler said on Thursday, "He's a veteran guy and definitely one of our assets on the field as an extra coach, understanding what we want and what we're looking for. He's a great guy, great player and definitely someone that as a new coach, you rely on to help install a new offense and acting like almost a translator."
Smith caught 24 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown as a starter for the second half of last season.
- - USF DC Trai Martinez confirms Lamar McNair's move to safety
Martinez cited the safety play as one of the bright spots of the scrimmage, listing Lamar McNair among the group.
McNair came in as a highly sought after corner and played in the Florida State game, recording two tackles as a true freshman. He was likely going to be one of the team's backup at corner this season, where he played at during the spring.
Martinez' comments aren't a surprise as there were talks of a possible move to safety with USF signing two more elite prospects at corner in Brandon Bryant and Anthony Sharp. With Sullivan possibly out, it makes sense to add another body at safety that isn't a liability in coverage in the ways that Mike Mason and Shawn Franklin -- who are bigger body guys -- can be.
- - The competition along the offensive line is fierce
USF offensive line coach Ryan Williams isn't one to run away from creating competition and that surely will be the case this fall camp as Williams said that outside of center Kyle Jones, he's unsure of what the team's starting five will look like against Southern Miss.
"This is where jobs are going to be won," Williams said after the scrimmage when asked of the first team, "So we don't have a first team yet. I think we have a solid eight, nine guys that have started to separate from the pack but within that two deep [depth chart], the only guy that's solid is probably Kyle [Jones]. We still need to build around him at center and plug guys in but I'm confident we'll get a good five by the time we're done."
Williams added that he would prefer to have a singular unit unlike last season where there was rotation throughout the season but didn't rule out a rotating unit.
Strength in Unity.
With Rashard Woodard named QB1, which other spots are up for grabs during fall camp?
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. ended all rumors and speculations when he named junior Rashad Woodard the team's starter at quarterback. The news came as a surprise to no one even though the buzz around redshirt freshmen Chris Price and Justin Ingram has been positive dating back to last season.
While QB1 is decided, other positions are not. Positions will be won -- and loss -- over the next few weeks as the Bulls fall camp is coming to a close next week.
Slot Receiver
USF's top slot option last season was Carl Graham who declared early for the draft after three solid seasons as a former number one recruit.
USF has plenty of similarly talented -- albeit differently shaped -- options to replace Graham, starting with Eddie Shaw who began last season as a similar bigger body slot receiver before Joshua Butler's injury forced Shaw to move to the outside where he caught 49 passes for 534 yards as a true freshman.
The Bulls add another five-star to the room in Ryan Murray who struggled with drops in the spring game but has been solid otherwise as a reliable option. He doesn't have the top end speed of junior Andre Morgan and even Shaw might be a bit faster than Murray but Murray probably has the best feel of the game of all three.
Given Shaw's production last season, he's certainly the clubhouse favorite while Morgan brings more explosiveness to the position and Murray is the true wildcard as a true freshman.
Offensive Tackle
Coming into fall camp, the idea was that right tackle was the job up for grabs but after offensive line coach Ryan Williams' recent comments on center Kyle Jones being the only guaranteed starter, it looks like Steve Bailey's job at left tackle isn't either.
It's hard to imagine that Bailey, USFs second most experienced offensive lineman, isn't a starter somewhere but he did struggle at left tackle last season while making the transition from guard. Williams could potentially be looking to move Bailey back inside at guard but there's plenty of competition there as well (more on that later).
At tackle, it's Bailey, sophomore Sam Jefferson and the two true freshmen in Luis Pearson and Kevin Brown. Brown and Pearson wasted no time in the spring with Brown cracking the two-deep at left tackle and Pearson overtaking Jefferson as a starter by the second week. In the spring game, both Brown and Pearson were with the second team offense but that appeared intended as the entire unit was made of freshmen.
So far in fall camp, it's been a rotation with Brown, Pearson and Jefferson all getting first team reps at right tackle with Brown also splitting time at left tackle with Bailey. Bailey should still be considered the favorite at left tackle while at right tackle, Brown is a real threat to overtake Jefferson as he's probably one of the team's better pass blockers already.
Offensive Guard
Another incumbent starter whose job isn't guaranteed is left guard Nick Ryan, who had a really good freshman season that was cut short by injuries.
If Bailey kicks inside, he could take up one of those two guard spots with Ryan likely being the other guard. If Bailey remains at tackle, the other options are Brian Jackson and Ed Foster. Jackson ran with the first team throughout the spring before playing the spring game with the second team and Josh Henry being elevated to the first team. Henry hasn't played with the first team since so it's likely a three-man battle for the two spots at this point with Ed Foster being the third.
Foster has primarily been practicing at center and is viewed as the center of the future but he's good and smart enough to cross train at multiple position which has been the case in the spring. Foster was a guard coming out of high school so this won't be a difficult transition for him.
Tight End
Favorites of the coaching staff before they even arrived, the Bulls coaching staff love the physicality of freshman Russell Arrington and Jake Bryant. Redshirt junior Taylor Smith has responded well in fall camp after Bryant and Arrington outplayed him in the spring and especially Bryant in the spring game who brought down nine passes in that game.
Fourth tight end Jake Thompson has primarily been an in-line blocker on short yardage which makes sense for the former offensive linemen. It's hard to see him eating up major snaps as he's limited as a pass catcher, which is expected even after slimming down to the 265-270 pound range.
Smith is the likely starter here but USF fans should still see plenty of Bryant and Arrington as QB coach/OC Jeremy Butler is known for using multiple personnel in his office.
Defensive End
We know Marcellus Smith is one of the bookends, who is the other?
Kyle Wood showed some promise last season with three sacks but he's generally been a bit of a dissapointment so far in his career. John Potts saw minimal playing time last season, recording four tackles. Both Wood and Potts should see larger roles but in terms of being a full-time starter, they'll need to also battle with true freshman Dante Avery whose looked like a five-star prospect at times.
Wood is the team's best pass rusher, outside of Smith, so he'll likely be on the field on passing downs while Potts and Avery are likely competing for that strongside defensive end spot in the team's base 3-4 scheme.
SAM Linebacker
James Scott was the listed starter at the position and while he finished last year with four sacks, he wasn't on the field much, recording 14 tackles and 7 tackles for loss at a pretty impressive clip given his limited role.
Scott's role might not see an increase this year, especially if Oliver Colvin continues to ball out. He had a quiet spring game but had a strong spring and an even better start to fall camp as he just has 'juice' that Scott doesn't in terms of explosiveness. Colvin might ultimately end his career at USF as a JACK linebacker, which has more coverage responsibilities which he can handle, but for now, his quickest path to the field as a freshman might be at SAM.
MIKE Linebacker
Damon Hill and Ryan Robinson both started games at MIKE linebacker last season and each had positive and negative moments, particularly Hill who was benched and then eventually got his job back after a really good game against Oregon and Florida State.
A name that can't be left off as a potential starter is Nate Jacobs who might be the 'freakiest' of them all at six-foot-five and just as good of an athlete as Hill and Robinson who are athletic in their own right.
Hill is a thicker body so maybe playing him next to a lighter Julian Harrell, the team's starter at WILL and a former safety, is appealing but Robinson and Jacobs can't be counted out.
Third Cornerback
The Jones' -- Travis and Ernest, not related -- have been the runaway top corners with the ability to play either on the outside or at nickel, which is where Travis started his career at and where Ernest played at times last season, spelling for Akeem Smith.
This gives USF some flexibility on who that third corner is between some nickel options in Ronald Berry and Anthony Sharp and the outside corners in Brandon Bryant and Thomas Felder, who can also play some nickel and has done so.
Bryant is already one of their better press corners while Berry might be the perfect nickel with his ability to play press man or off coverage as well as being one of the best tacklers of the group despite his size.
All four are too good to not play this season so they'll all get some burn but in terms of the top three starters for their sub packages, that third spot is certainly up for grabs.
Strong Safety
The asterisk here is if Clarence Sullivan is reinstated and active which doesn't appear to be happening any time soon as he hasn't been with the team since his June arrest.
Assuming that Sullivan is out for at least a good chunk of the season -- potentially all of it -- where does that leave USF? They have two intriguing options in sophomore Mike Mason and true freshman Shawn Franklin.
Neither are the greatest in coverage and neither was Sullivan who was able to make up for it with his size, ball skills and athleticism. While Mason and Franklin are impressive athletes, they aren't of the caliber of Sullivan as very few people are, especially at that size.
USF should be fine against the run with either Mason or Franklin but their ability to cover will likely decide which guy is the starter if Sullivan is out.
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Strength in Unity.
congrats to scottie - in line for a big year.. and wow harrell with the burner
gonna be interesting to see shard run qb this year. think he will keep the job all year?
gonna be interesting to see shard run qb this year. think he will keep the job all year?
Strength in Unity.
with the sliders, it's tough to tell because even the most accurate QBs rating wise will have off games where they are missing wide. The gap between him and the other quarterbacks is pretty wide though unlike last season where Cunningham and Woodard were relatively close
Strength in Unity.
Lets get this season going.