Nope, anyone that I recruit is on the recruiting board that I post.
another francois coming up too
Strength in Unity.
Strength in Unity.
Strength in Unity.
Strength in Unity.
Storylines Aplenty Heading Into Bulls Fall Camp
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
The South Florida Bulls played one of the toughest non-conference schedules last fall and did more than just okay, finishing the season with yet another Big 12 championship and another BCS bowl appearance.
The Bulls open their season the same way they ended it last season and that's against top ranked Alabama. Now that we're six weeks away from the start of the season, the Bulls will enter fall camp with plenty of interesting storylines as the countdown to Alabama begins.
- Can secondary survive offseason attrition?
When you're really good, your best players only play for three seasons. This is becoming the case at USF and after enjoying five seasons of elite corner play from Marcus Hines and Jason Garcia, among other, USF is back to square one as they'll need to find a new shutdown corner. Ray Hill, Ronnie Gay and Sid Robinson played a ton last season but go from CB2 through 4 to now each having a shot at CB1. Ray Thompson, a day-one contributor, must also now go from the team's rover to their primary strong safety, leaving unproven Pierre Hodge and Chris Wade to step up a the team's rover.
- - Bass looking to live up to recruiting ranking
It's easy to forget that Joel Bass was once a five-star recruit. He's been playing third and sometimes even fourth and fifth fiddle as a receiving option since he got to Tampa. A team leader, Bass' impact has been more so off-the-field than off the field with 43 career receptions for 497 yards and four touchdowns. He'll need to double those numbers this season alone if he wants to live up to his five-star rankings. He's a coaching star favorite and even with two more five stars coming in at receiver in Jason Barbour and Darius Downs, Bass is the clear top receiver.
- - Will Pittman take the next step with full season under his belt?
Malcolm Francois' announcement that James Pittman was going to be the starting quarterback took a lot of people by surprise last season. For the first time since Michael Harrell left, USF's QB1 is established and to some extent, proven. Pittman completed 77 percent of his passes last season and while his QB:INT ratio wasn't great, it was an improvement from 2022. Pittman has started over twenty games now and if he can stay healthy, he could be one of the better QBs in the Big 12 and potentially the nation.
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Strength in Unity.
gonna be an offense of a lifetime
Strength in Unity.
'Not complacent but flexible and understanding'; McFarland attacking current role with different mindset
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist
Chuck McFarland and his fifteen year old son were one of the many thousands that were in the stands to watch Alabama win a national championship in the Rose Bowl against an upstart AAC team that many felt didn't belong in the BCS National Championship Game.
The Bulls fought admirably in that game and came seven points from winning the national championship. When that same scrappy team became a legitimate national championship contender and offered the younger McFarland as a senior, it was an easy decision.
"As soon as they offered me," says USF redshirt junior QB Mike McFarland, "I knew I was going to end up there. I liked San Diego State, a lot, they were the first to offer me really but I wanted a chance to leave the state and USF offered me that while still having that family atmosphere."
McFarland had rocketed up recruiting rankings as a sophomore and it didn't take long after winning the famed Elite 11 quarterback competition that he became the number one ranked quarterback in the country. McFarland's aversion to wanting to stay in his home state of California led most of the top in-state schools -- USC, UCLA and Stanford -- to look elsewhere. Instead, it was Virginia, Illinois and Iowa that were trying to pry away the former San Diego State commit.
The plan of attack from the Bulls side was rather simple. They had signed the top two receivers in the country in Andrew Vincent and William Stone. The number three ranked center was also in their class along with a six-foot-six receiver and two offensive tackles.
It didn't help that when McFarland had visited Illinois and Virginia as a junior the year before, he was ill-prepared and had to buy a coat from the student gift shop. McFarland got off the tarmac and didn't have to change attire when he arrived in Tampa and that all but sealed the deal.
The honeymoon was over within six months of McFarland's official visit. He arrived on campus early the following spring to compete for the backup QB job only to end up fourth behind guys that were not a former number one quarterback. After a redshirt season, McFarland won the job in camp only to suffer an injury in his first start and missing two months.
He returned and never found his rhythm, finishing the season with nine interceptions to just three touchdowns. When it rains, it pours. McFarland lost the starting job before a single snap of fall camp to James Pittman despite posting similar numbers the year before. While McFarland won't go into details about the report of a potential transfer following that announcement, he does recount feeling lost.
"We all have dreams and things we want to do and envision ourselves doing," McFarland said, "I just didn't see myself not starting, ever, it wasn't something that I knew how to handle and how to accept, to be honest. I really had sort of another redshirt year last season even though I did get to play but from the mental standpoint, it was very much a reset. It's not about being complacent and accepting that you're a backup and you're not as good as the other guy and you suck and all that. I know I'm good, I know I'm the best quarterback on the team and in the country, that confidence is still there but you have to understand things. It's not complacent but flexible and understanding, those are the things you need to have as a backup quarterback."
Pittman is firmly entrenched as the team's starter for his final year of eligibility and by the time Pittman graduates, McFarland himself will only have one-year as a full-time starter to live up to his recruiting rankings. Increased pressure? Yes. Just the way the confident California gun slinger likes it? Yes.
"Whether I start 30 games or 10, it's all about production so I'm not worried about that. Being bad for 20 games and good for 10, it doesn't really matter. What gets you in the league is those ten good games so however I can put together good games and good tape and good film, that's what I'm focusing on, whenever that comes."
Strength in Unity.
Run of the Bulls ‣ USF Football News
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ Former 4-star recruit Joel Dixon back into starting five at center
It's easy to forget that redshirt junior Joel Dixon was ranked higher coming out of high school than two-year starter Brad Jones. The former four-star recruit started as a redshirt freshman but saw his role reduced in 2023 when Jones moved from guard to center in order to accommodate some other shifts on the offensive line.
The Bulls have used a bevy of combinations throughout spring practices but in fall, there seems to be a starting five that has found foothold. Tanner Patton and Charles Joseph continue to rotate at left tackle while Bernard Livingston returns at left guard, the aforementioned Dixon and Jones at center and right guard respectively with returning starter Jimmie Hurd at right tackle.
Hurd played left tackle last season but the Bulls traditionally like their best 'people mover' at right tackle and Hurd certainly was that last season with 22 knockdowns to his name.
‣ DT Elliott welcoming bigger role following Daniels departure
Senior defensive tackle Daniel Elliott has been a model of consistently improving, barely playing as a freshman, contributing as a sophomore and being an all-conference level player in 2023 as a sub-package player.
With Jeremy Daniels now in the NFL, Elliott will look forward to improving his draft stock and doubling his sack total last season of six
"I want double digits sack," says Elliott, who was in the same recruiting class as Daniels, "I think I can get to twelve or fourteen if I really work hard at it. Those are the numbers I'm going for."
Elliott isn't the athlete Daniels was or the pass rusher but he'll have plenty of opportunities to rack up those numbers with redshirt junior Josh Brown as the only other defensive tackle on the roster with playing experience.
‣ Everett running with the starters at tight end
Five-star freshman tight end Vincent Everett was the latest addition to last year's recruiting class and he's already making headway to make the recruitment worthwhile.
Everett, who is only listed at six-foot-one, has been practicing with the first team offense according to social media clips that the team released from the first fall scrimmage. Everett was pictured receiving a pass from quarterback James Pittman.
Whether Everett is the starter or not remains to be seen but it's a good sign that he's at least practicing with the starters.
Strength in Unity.
USF and Alabama extend series in 2028 with neutral site matchup
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
Alabama and USF might forever be tied, at least on the USF side. The Bulls impressive performance several years ago in the BCS National Championship game against the Tide -- albeit a loss -- helped legitimize their move into the Power 5 realm.
The Bulls once again went toe to toe with Alabama twice last season, beating them on the road last September before the boys from Tuscaloosa got their revenge to take the 2-1 series lead in the Malcolm Francois era.
USF will open their season with their third matchup against Alabama in just twelve months with USF's 29 game home winning streak on the line. The two schools also agreed to a neutral site game in 2028, two years removed from the final game of the previously scheduled home-and-home-and-home series that spanned from last season through 2026. The Bulls also announced a home-and-home series with Ohio State in 2026 and 2028, filling up their non-conference schedule for the 2026 season.
This season, USF has another tough non-conference schedule as they're on the road against #12 Louisville and #2 Notre Dame in the middle of the season. They host Boise State in addition to Alabama.
2024 USF Schedule
Aug. 31 vs. #1 Alabama
Sep. 7 at #12 Louisville
Sep. 14 at Oklahoma
Sep. 22 vs. Boise State
OPEN
Oct. 5 vs. West Virginia
Oct. 12 at #2 Notre Dame
Oct. 19 vs. Kansas
Oct. 26 vs. #18 Texas (Homecoming)
Nov. 2 at Baylor
Nov. 9 vs. TCU (Senior Night)
Nov. 14 at Texas Tech
Nov. 23 at #16 UCF
Strength in Unity.
LB Reed makes return to starting lineup as initial depth chart released
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer
The South Florida Bulls have released the official depth chart ahead of the Alabama game, it's first of the season.
Junior John Reed, who started as a true freshman and recorded 43 tackles, is back as a starter following the draft departure of Montrell Jennings. Reed lost his starting job last season to two true freshman and was part of a rotation of backups where he recorded 13 tackles with an interception.
Reed is now up to 240 pounds -- gaining almost twenty pounds in a calendar year -- in an effort to be more stout against the run. Reed played off the line of scrimmage as a freshman but will be asked to play more at the line of scrimmage this season as Jennings was used as the fourth man on the line plenty of time.
Other notable listed starters are true freshman receivers Jason Barbour and Darius Downs. Along with Joel Bass, the former five-stars give Bulls quite a physical presence at the position with all three of them being 6'2" and taller and all well over 200 pounds.
Perhaps the most telling part of the depth chart was the secondary. Last season, it was two safeties listed as the team's nickel cornerback but this year, there were more traditional corners. While the front six is expected to be the same scheme wise, USF does seem to be adapting its secondary to account for the lost of Edgar Thompson and instead play to their strength in the secondary which is a ton of experience at corner.
Quarterbacks
#15 James Pittman, Rs Senior | 6'6", 226lbs | 90 ovr, 83 spd, 86 acc, 81 thp, 82 tha
#9 Mike McFarland, Rs Junior | 6'4", 203lbs | 91 ovr, 74 spd, 76 acc, 89 tha, 85 tha
#17 Nick Williams, Rs Freshman | 6'5", 205lbs | 81 ovr, 68 spd, 81 acc, 90 tha, 85 tha
#7 Jay Jackson, Freshman | 5'11", 204lbs | 76 ovr, 86 spd, 84 acc, 83 thp, 83 tha
Running backs
#1 Gerald Mitchell, Junior | 6'0", 203lbs | 88 ovr, 91 spd, 87 acc, 91 btk, 86 car, 76 trk, 91 elu
#12 John Dixon, Rs Senior | 6'3", 217lbs | 85 ovr, 98 spd, 86 acc, 77 btk, 99 car OR
#33 Derrick Green, Sophomore | 5'11", 205lbs | 83 ovr, 89 spd, 89 acc, 83 btk, 77 car, 86 trk OR
#25 David Fuller, Sophomore | 6'0", 205lbs | 84 ovr, 90 spd, 90 acc, 83 btk, 78 car, 89 trk
#31 Jason Finley, Freshman | 6'0", 201lbs | 68 ovr, 88 spd, 79 acc, 72 btk, 60 car, 81 elu
H-back
#34 Ryne Fox, Sophomore | 6'5", 265lbs | 69 ovr, 70 spd, 77 str, 82 btk, 77 car, 76 trk, 68 rbk, 71 cth
Wide receivers
X
#85 Joel Bass, Junior | 6'3", 221lbs | 86 ovr, 92 spd, 95 acc, 87 cth
#13 Ryan Wagner, Freshman | 6'3", 209lbs | 72 ovr, 95 spd, 87 acc, 57 cth
#88 Steve Townsend, Sophomore | 6'1", 181lbs | 71 ovr, 93 spd, 82 acc, 66 cth
Z
#4 Jason Barbour, Freshman | 6'2", 212lbs | 79 ovr, 93 spd, 90 acc, 72 cth
#81 David Ryan, Freshman | 6'1", 208lbs | 65 ovr, 92 spd, 87 acc, 62 cth
#80 James Harper, Freshman | 6'5", 231lbs | 68 ovr, 89 spd, 89 acc, 73 cth
Y
#11 Darius Downs, Freshman | 6'4", 215lbs | 75 ovr, 89 spd, 84 acc, 73 cth
#21 Malcolm Francois Jr, Junior | 6'0", 178lbs | 76 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 80 cth
#18 Shane Peterson, Sophomore | 6'0", 183lbs | 75 ovr, 88 spd, 90 acc, 74 cth
Tight ends
#87 Martin Rushing, Rs Senior | 6'7", 271lbs | 87 ovr, 79 spd, 87 acc, 82 cth, 84 rbk
#14 Vincent Everett, Freshman | 6'1", 241lbs | 78 ovr, 79 spd, 75 acc, 79 cth, 79 rbk
#83 Jacob Dickson, Rs Sophomore | 6'4", 249lbs | 81 ovr, 77 spd, 77 acc, 75 cth, 79 rbk
Offensive Line
LT Charles Joseph, Rs Junior | 6'7", 309lbs | 77 ovr, 84 str, 77 pbk, 91 rbk
LG Bernard Livingston, Rs Junior | 6'5", 296lbs | 91 ovr, 92 str, 88 pbk, 97 rbk
C Joel Dixon, Rs Junior | 6'1", 294lbs | 86 ovr, 82 str, 85 pbk, 90 rbk
RG Brad Jones, Senior | 6'4", 310lbs | 82 ovr, 85 str, 94 pbk, 86 rbk
RT Jimmie Hurd, Rs Junior | 6'8", 305lbs | 79 ovr, 89 str, 76 pbk, 92 rbk
------
T Tanner Patton, Rs Sophomore | 6'7", 307lbs | 78 ovr, 88 str, 77 pbk, 86 rbk
T Darryl Williams, Rs Freshman | 6'8", 287lbs | 74 ovr, 86 str, 80 pbk, 80 rbk
T Marcus Clark, Freshman | 6'5", 288lbs | 64 ovr, 81 str, 72 pbk, 73 rbk
G Joe Payne, Rs Junior | 6'4", 309lbs | 74 ovr, 88 str, 87 pbk, 76 rbk
G Robbie Wade, Freshman | 6'0", 309lbs | 68 ovr, 75 str, 72 pbk, 81 rbk
G Bobby Davis, Rs Freshman | 6'2", 309lbs | 72 ovr, 84 str, 75 pbk, 82 rbk
C Clay Smith, Rs Junior | 6'3", 300lbs | 83 ovr, 85 str, 82 pbk, 90 rbk
C Craig Williams, Rs Freshman | 6'4", 300lbs | 68 ovr, 77 str, 77 pbk, 76 rbk
Defensive Line
WDE
#95 Dale Bolen, Rs Junior | 6'3", 262lbs | 82 ovr, 77 spd, 96 acc, 78 str, 77 tkl, 81 pmv, 77 fmv, 89 bsh
#91 Kelvin Davis, Junior | 6'5", 259lbs | 81 ovr, 76 spd, 80 acc, 79 str, 85 tkl, 85 pmv, 75 fmv, 90 bsh
#99 Kyle Swain, Freshman | 6'2", 253lbs | 74 ovr, 79 spd, 82 acc, 78 str, 73 tkl, 80 pmv, 64 fmv, 78 bsh
SDE
#96 Mark Robinson, Rs Junior | 6'6", 261lbs | 87 ovr, 72 spd, 84 acc, 87 str, 85 tkl, 89 pmv, 92 fmv, 83 bsh
#90 Travis Scott, Rs Sophomore | 6'2", 274lbs | 77 ovr, 68 spd, 82 acc, 77 str, 80 tkl, 83 pmv, 82 fmv, 88 bsh
#97 Marcus Smith, Freshman | 6'1", 259lbs | 68 ovr, 71 spd, 78 acc, 74 str, 69 tkl, 74 pmv, 82 fmv, 71 bsh
NT
#3 Daniel Elliott, Senior | 6'2", 282lbs | 82 ovr, 71 acc, 89 str, 85 pmv, 80 fmv, 90 bsh
#92 Josh Brown, Rs Junior | 6'5", 293lbs | 82 ovr, 74 acc, 89 str, 87 pmv, 82 fmv, 89 bsh
#52 William Levine, Freshman | 6'4", 292lbs | 80 ovr, 76 acc, 83 str, 85 pmv, 77 fmv, 81 bsh
#98 James Faulk, Freshman | 6'4", 275lbs | 71 ovr, 76 acc, 81 str, 71 pmv, 66 fmv, 70 bsh
#94 Marcus McCauley, Rs Freshman | 6'2", 281lbs | 67 ovr, 67 acc, 77 str, 79 pmv, 79 fmv, 75 bsh
Linebackers
SAM
#54 John Reed, Junior | 6'3", 240lbs | 83 ovr, 82 spd, 82 acc, 87 tkl, 88 bsh, 78 zcv
#44 Matt Collins, Rs Sophomore | 6'5", 234lbs | 77 ovr, 80 spd, 87 acc, 82 tkl, 81 bsh, 73 zcv
#59 Brandon Walker, Rs Freshman | 6'1", 224lbs | 73 ovr, 77 spd, 82 acc, 81 tkl, 82 bsh, 71 zcv
MIKE
#55 Dallas Gross, Rs Freshman | 6'0", 237lbs | 83 ovr, 81 spd, 84 acc, 86 tkl, 87 bsh, 88 pur
#53 Skyler Wilson, Junior | 6'3", 207lbs | 80 ovr, 79 spd, 90 acc, 74 tkl, 81 bsh, 91 pur
#51 Danny Love, Freshman | 6'4", 238lbs | 76 ovr, 82 spd, 81 acc, 80 tkl, 74 bsh, 85 pur
#57 Dan Miller, Rs Freshman | 6'2", 239lbs | 72 ovr, 80 spd, 79 acc, 84 tkl, 75 bsh, 70 pur
WILL
#8 Travis Hughes, Sophomore | 6'5", 211lbs | 83 ovr, 85 spd, 99 acc, 77 tkl, 91 bsh, 79 zcv
#50 Alex Miller, Rs Sophomore | 6'2", 251lbs | 76 ovr, 86 spd, 94 acc, 80 tkl, 79 bsh, 66 zcv
#58 Calvin Franz, Rs Sophomore | 6'1", 231lbs | 76 ovr, 87 spd, 84 acc, 82 tkl, 84 bsh, 57 zcv
Secondary
LCB
#5 Ray Hill, Junior | 6'0", 182lbs | 83 ovr, 91 spd, 91 acc, 91 mcv, 86 zcv
#27 Dan Ross, Senior | 6'0", 173lbs | 79 ovr, 90 spd, 93 acc, 88 mcv, 87 zcv
RCB
#23 Ronnie Gay, Senior | 6'3", 176lbs | 82 ovr, 96 spd, 86 acc, 88 mcv, 92 zcv
#30 Cody Johnson, Junior | 5'11", 189lbs | 72 ovr, 90 spd, 87 acc, 84 mcv, 78 zcv
NCB
#24 Sid Robinson, Sophomore| 6'1", 175lbs | 81 ovr, 93 spd, 90 acc, 83 mcv, 91 zcv, 65 tkl
#35 Chris Wade, Rs Senior | 6'1", 179lbs | 88 ovr, 89 spd, 96 acc, 77 mcv, 77 zcv, 85 tkl
FS
#2 Jake Lott, Sophomore | 6'1", 205lbs | 85 ovr, 91 spd, 90 acc, 88 mcv, 86 zcv, 77 tkl
#28 Corey Johnson, Sophomore | 5'11", 179lbs | 76 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 76 mcv, 82 zcv, 61 tkl
#22 Cedric Whaley, Junior | 6'0", 196lbs | 73 ovr, 90 spd, 86 acc, 83 mcv, 83 zcv, 64 tkl
SS
#6 Ray Thompson, Junior | 6'1", 190lbs | 91 ovr, 90 spd, 92 acc, 84 mcv, 84 zcv, 91 tkl
#20 Pierre Hodge, Rs Senior | 6'0", 200lbs | 85 ovr, 89 spd, 93 acc, 67 mcv, 85 zcv, 80 tkl
Specialists
K Kevin Justice, Sophomore | 6'0", 160lbs | 71 ovr, 69 kick power, 74 kick accuracy
P Marcus McClelland, Sophomore | 6'0", 208lbs | 78 ovr, 83 kick power, 73 kick accuracy
R Malcolm Francois, Junior | 5'11", 176lbs | 89 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 89 agi
Strength in Unity.
Week 1 Top Stories
1. Alabama wins season opener vs. #2 Notre Dame.
2. Georgia downs Arkansas 35-28 in their SEC opener.
3. Both offenses look to be in mid-season form as Texas outscores Boise State.
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Week 2 Notable Games
#1 Alabama (1-0, 0-0) at #15 USF (0-0, 0-0)
Auburn (0-0, 0-0) at #14 Florida (0-0, 0-0)
#9 Notre Dame (0-1, 0-0) at #23 Michigan (0-0, 0-0)
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Players of the Week
QB Riley Hall (Alabama): 15 of 30, 207 yards, 14 carries, 69 yards, 4 total touchdowns.
S James Johnson (Connecticut): 2 tackles, 2 interceptions.
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QB Clifton McFarland (Texas): 10 of 15, 212 yards, 6 carries, 13 yards, 3 touchdowns.
S Austin Branch (Texas): 6 tackles, interception.
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Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
None
Last edited by Soapy on 30 Mar 2021, 13:48, edited 1 time in total.