MORE!Captain Canada wrote: ↑24 Jan 2022, 12:06Certainly not entering this season rustyAin't have to do them boys like that
Damn homie, means a lot.
Let's ride this out until we get a new NCAA
Strength in Unity.
Strength in Unity.
Let's ride this out until we get a new NCAA
Strength in Unity.
Week 1 Top Stories
1. LSU is on top of the world after beating rival #1 Alabama.
2. Notre Dame notches their first ACC win of 2034 against South Carolina to claim #1 spot.
3. The Longhorns look very average in season opening 35-32 win over Kentucky.
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Week 1 SEC Results
USF 56 - UGA 7 | LSU 30 - ALA 27 | TEX 35 - UK 32 | AUB 49 - UF 28
MIA 31 - MSST 21 | TENN 35 - OU 7 | TAMU 34 - ARK 24
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Week 2 SEC Schedule
#6 Ole Miss (0-0) at #15 USF (1-0, 1-0)
#22 Arkansas (0-1, 0-1) at Mississippi State (0-1, 0-1)
Kentucky (0-1, 0-1) at Oklahoma (0-1, 0-1)
Auburn (1-0, 1-0) at Georgia (0-1, 0-1)
#21 Tennessee (1-0, 1-0) at #7 Texas (1-0, 1-0)
#8 Alabama (0-1, 0-1) at Florida (0-1, 0-1)
Florida State (0-0, 0-0) at Maryland (0-0, 0-0)
#19 Miami (1-0, 1-0) at #4 LSU (1-0, 1-0)
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Week 2 Notable Games
#23 Penn State (0-0, 0-0) at #18 Oregon State (0-0, 0-0)
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Players of the Week
QB Tony Rogers (Auburn): 22 of 35, 310 yards, 17 carries, 101 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
LB Nick Bailey (Colorado): 13 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, forced fumble, interception.
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QB Tony Rogers (Auburn): 22 of 35, 310 yards, 17 carries, 101 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
S Ray Mirvil (Tennessee): 2 tackles, forced fumble, fumble recovery.
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Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#3 Curtis Green [WR #1]: 5'11", 185lbs | Amarillo, TX | 5-star | University of Alabama
#6 Joey Spence [QB #1]: 6'4", 220lbs | St. Johns, AZ | 5-star | University of South Florida
#14 Jason McDowell [WR #4]: 6'5", 220lbs | Charlotte, MI | 5-star | University of South Florida
#24 Darren Murphy [WR #6]: 6'1", 189lbs | Niles, MI | 5-star | Michigan State University
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Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#124 Graham Frazier [TE #7]: 6'2", 257lbs | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 4-star | University of Alabama
#137 Sam Washington [WR #25]: 6'0", 172lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
Strength in Unity.
Week 2 Preview: vs. #6 Ole Miss
Last Season Record: 13-1, 9-1
Head Coach: Tom Herman (173-80 at Ole Miss, 20th year)
Offensive Coordinator: Kevin Weldon (Spread)
Defensive Coordinator: Bronco Mendehall (3-4)
Returning Career Leaders
Passing: Anthony Lamb (311 yards, 5 TD, 1 INT, 152.7 rating)
Rushing: Anthony Lamb (120 yards, 3.9 ypc, 4 TD)
Receiving: Kyle Cooper (42 receptions, 544 yards, 7 TD)
Defense: Michael Downing (99 tackles, 31 TFL, 9.0 sacks)
Ole Miss Rebels Projected Starters
QB #15 Anthony Lamb, Rs Senior | 6'1", 205lbs | 85 ovr, 78 spd, 85 acc, 81 thp, 88 tha
HB #24 Matt Gordon, Sophomore | 5'11", 207lbs | 82 ovr, 86 spd, 91 acc, 85 btk, 74 car, 78 trk
WR #86 Dominic Felder, Rs Senior | 6'3", 209lbs | 85 ovr, 94 spd, 92 acc, 83 cth
WR #82 Marquis Odom, Rs Senior | 6'3", 222lbs | 84 ovr, 96 spd, 95 acc, 84 cth
WR #11 Ben Stovall, Sophomore | 6'0", 200lbs | 83 ovr, 94 spd, 95 acc, 82 cth
TE #83 Kyle Cooper, Rs Senior | 6'5", 274lbs | 87 ovr, 79 spd, 75 acc, 81 cth, 83 rbk
LT #71 Eric Waters, Rs Sophomore | 6'3", 287lbs | 76 ovr, 81 pbk, 83 rbk, 77 str
LG #72 Marcus Seward, Rs Junior | 6'6", 271lbs | 89 ovr, 90 pbk, 90 rbk, 82 str
C #62 Kellen Davis, Rs Junior | 6'4", 328lbs | 85 ovr, 81 pbk, 87 rbk, 87 str
RG #68 Steve McCoy, Rs Junior | 6'1", 319lbs | 90 ovr, 84 pbk, 95 rbk, 89 str
RT #66 Tyler Davis, Rs Sophomore | 6'2", 306lbs | 75 ovr, 78 pbk, 78 rbk, 90 str
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DE #94 Joel Hunt, Junior | 6'0", 251lbs | 89 ovr, 85 spd, 91 acc, 78 str, 85 pmv, 95 fmv, 84 bsh
DE #60 Michael Downing, Rs Senior | 6'0", 257lbs | 88 ovr, 79 spd, 92 acc, 76 str, 88 pmv, 92 fmv, 89 bsh
DT #64 Jim Gould, Senior | 6'2", 304lbs | 94 ovr, 81 acc, 88 str, 98 pmv, 81 fmv, 97 bsh
OLB #54 Zach Malone, Rs Senior | 6'4", 256lbs | 87 ovr, 78 spd, 88 acc, 62 awr, 86 tkl, 82 bsh, 83 zcv, 84 pmv, 78 fmv
ILB #57 Bobby Maxey, Senior | 6'2", 246lbs | 81 ovr, 83 spd, 98 acc, 63 awr, 78 tkl, 83 bsh, 73 zcv
ILB #50 Matt Moore, Rs Junior | 6'4", 233lbs | 79 ovr, 78 spd, 91 acc, 61 awr, 77 tkl, 81 bsh, 76 zcv
OLB #59 Joe Adams, Rs Junior | 6'6", 251lbs | 80 ovr, 82 spd, 90 acc, 57 awr, 75 tkl, 74 bsh, 80 zcv, 74 pmv, 80 fmv
CB #33 Craig Rivers, Junior | 5'11", 172lbs | 87 ovr, 97 spd, 97 acc, 67 awr, 88 mcv, 90 zcv, 84 press
CB #31 Phillip Merriman, Senior | 6'2", 177lbs | 80 ovr, 92 spd, 89 acc, 74 awr, 85 mcv, 87 zcv, 88 press
NB #42 Reggie James, Rs Junior | 6'2", 196lbs | 79 ovr, 88 spd, 92 acc, 75 awr, 90 mcv, 88 zcv, 82 press
S #45 Derrick Douglas, Junior | 6'2", 181lbs | 81 ovr, 78 spd, 83 acc, 72 awr, 79 tkl, 74 mcv, 93 zcv
S #40 Anthony Patrick, Junior | 6'0", 217lbs | 77 ovr, 84 spd, 91 acc, 58 awr, 81 tkl, 71 mcv, 75 zcv
K #1 Roy Daniels, Freshman | 6'0", 187lbs | 85 ovr, 96 kpw, 77 kac
P #17 Matt Howard, Sophomore | 5'11", 218lbs | 86 ovr, 95 kpw, 78 kac
Strength in Unity.
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MISS (0-1, 0-1) | 3 | 0 | 7 | 0 || 10
#15 USF (2-0, 2-0) | 14 | 17 | 7 | 23 || 61
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Tempers flare in post game as Bulls rout Rebels 61-10
Despite the hype before the game of a clash between two top fifteen teams that have played three times in the last twelve months, in the end, it was the post-game that was the most exciting part.
Ole Miss head coach Tom Herman skipped the customary post-game handshake with USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. and instead what ensued at the 50-yard line was a shouting match between Francois, USF assistant coaches and Ole Miss assistant coaches.
"I guess he didn't want to shake my hand," said Francois of Herman's decision to leave the field immediately after the game, "I didn't want to shake his hand either so no complaints on my side."
USF scored 23 points in the fourth quarter with sixteen of those coming in the last 2:18 of the game when USF appeared to be trying to get to sixty points. USF called timeouts on the possession following Robert Givens' touchdown when Ole Miss seemed content to run out the clock. When they got the ball back, they pressed the tempo, going hurry up to score on a 11-yard run by Bobby Jackson and went for two which went incomplete.
Ole Miss appeared to be going for it as well, ditching running plays and instead tried to get into the endzone themselves but were forced to punt once more. With less than 20 seconds left in the game, USF was able to complete two passes to set up Brian Henry's 48-yard field goal.
Francois batted down any criticism of poor sportsmanship after the game, pointing to Ole Miss freshman running back Stephen Jenkins' celebration after his touchdown where he put the Bulls Up sign upside down. Jenkins was recruited by USF before picking the Rebels over them on National Signing Day.
"There's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes, negative recruiting, a lot of things that I think are far worse for sportsmanship than letting kids play football and have fun," said Francois after the game.
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Scoring Summary
Quarter 1
[USF] M. Smith, 4 Yd pass from J. Jones (6:08)
[MISS] R. Daniels, 51 Yd FG (4:16)
[USF] M. Arrington, 4 Yd pass from J. Jones (0:11)
Quarter 2
[USF] B. Henry, 38 Yd FG (2:19)
[USF] C. Wallace, 5 Yd pass from J. Jones (0:59)
[USF] W. Jones, 3 Yd run (0:09)
Quarter 3
[MISS] S. Jenkins, 10 Yd run (5:37)
[USF] R. Givens, 11 Yd pass from J. Jones (4:47)
Quarter 4
[USF] B. Jackson, 10 Yd run (7:10)
[USF] R. Givens, 16 Yd pass from J. Jones (2:18)
[USF] B. Jackson, 11 Yd run -- 2pt failed (1:23)
[USF] B. Henry, 48 Yd FG (0:00)
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#15 South Florida Bulls
QB Jeff Jones: 35 of 53, 433 yards, 5 touchdowns, interception.
HB Bobby Jackson: 10 carries, 80 yards, 2 touchdowns.
HB Terrance Small: 7 carries, 41 yards.
HB William Jones: 6 carries, 32 yards, touchdown.
WR Robert Givens: 9 receptions, 160 yards, 2 touchdowns.
TE Chris Wallace: 7 receptions, 107 yards, touchdown.
WR Marques Iosefo: 5 receptions, 61 yards.
WR Matthew Smith: 5 receptions, 46 yards, touchdown.
S Zach Mack: 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack.
CB Richie Cowan: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, interception.
LB Chris Williams: 6 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, sack.
DE Rick Hunter: 2 tackles, tackle for loss, sack.
DT Matt Bush: 2 tackles, tackle for loss, sack.
#6 Ole Miss Rebels
QB Anthony Lamb: 22 of 33, 143 yards, interception, sacked 5 times, 15 carries, 50 yards, 2 fumbles.
HB Matt Gordon: 13 carries, 43 yards, 8 receptions, 17 yards.
HB Stephen Jenkins: 1 carry, 10 yards, touchdown.
WR Marquis Odom: 3 receptions, 60 yards.
LB Bobby Maxey: 11 tackles.
S Derrick Douglas: 8 tackles, tackle for loss.
CB Reggie James: 4 tackles, 2 tackles for loss.
OLB Zach Malone: 1 tackle, interception.
Strength in Unity.
Week 2 Top Stories
1. Ohio State's high hopes are dismantled on opening weekend with loss to Ohio.
2. Tennessee notches a conference win against Texas behind the arm of Manning.
3. Cardinal win their conference opener against UCLA.
4. Kentucky lifts its SEC record to 1-1 with a close win over Oklahoma.
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Week 2 SEC Results
USF 62 - MISS 10 | ARK 35 - MSST 20 | UK 38 - OU 31 | AUB 48 - UGA 45 OT
TENN 38 - TEX 35 | ALA 44 - UF 14 | UMD 38 - FSU 28 | MIA 33 - LSU 14
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Week 3 SEC Schedule
#19 Ohio State (0-1, 0-0) at #9 USF (2-0, 2-0)
Kentucky (1-1, 1-1) at #4 Alabama (1-1, 1-1)
Florida (0-2, 0-2) at #10 LSU (1-1, 1-1)
Auburn (2-0, 2-0) at Texas Tech (0-0, 0-0)
#18 Tennessee (2-0, 2-0) at #22 Arkansas (1-1, 1-1)
Baylor (1-0, 0-0) at #6 Texas A&M (1-0, 1-0)
Oklahoma (0-2, 0-2) at Mississippi State (0-2, 0-2)
#13 Texas (1-1, 1-1) at #14 Ole Miss (0-1, 0-1)
FIU (1-0, 0-0) at Florida State (0-1, 0-0)
#16 Miami (2-0, 2-0) at Georgia (0-2, 0-2)
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Week 3 Notable Games
#21 Penn State (1-0, 0-0) at #25 Georgia Tech (0-0, 0-0)
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Players of the Week
QB Joe Hall (South Alabama): 22 of 34, 320 yards, 25 carries, 83 yards, 5 total touchdowns.
LB Adam Butler (TCU): 10 tackles, forced fumble, interception.
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QB Jeff Jones (USF): 35 of 53, 433 yards, 5 touchdowns.
S Zach Mack (USF): 8 tackles, 3 tackles for loss, sack, forced fumble.
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Top 247 Five-Star Commitments
#3 Curtis Green [WR #1]: 5'11", 185lbs | Amarillo, TX | 5-star | University of Alabama
#6 Joey Spence [QB #1]: 6'4", 220lbs | St. Johns, AZ | 5-star | University of South Florida
#14 Jason McDowell [WR #4]: 6'5", 220lbs | Charlotte, MI | 5-star | University of South Florida
#24 Darren Murphy [WR #6]: 6'1", 189lbs | Niles, MI | 5-star | Michigan State University
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Notable Florida Recruiting Commitments
#124 Graham Frazier [TE #7]: 6'2", 257lbs | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 4-star | University of Alabama
#137 Sam Washington [WR #25]: 6'0", 172lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | University of South Florida
Strength in Unity.
man was down 31-9 lmfaoSoapy wrote: ↑24 Jan 2022, 16:00Francois batted down any criticism of poor sportsmanship after the game, pointing to Ole Miss freshman running back Stephen Jenkins' celebration after his touchdown where he put the Bulls Up sign upside down. Jenkins was recruited by USF before picking the Rebels over them on National Signing Day.
"There's a lot of things that go on behind the scenes, negative recruiting, a lot of things that I think are far worse for sportsmanship than letting kids play football and have fun," said Francois after the game.
Strength in Unity.
Toxicity, competition, and favoritism; USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. has built a giant but at what cost?
Aaron Allen and Lena Schumer -- USA Today
It was the middle of November and despite catching passes from a third string quarterback, Bobby Arnold was doing something he hadn't experienced around this time of the year the previous three years of his life.
He was enjoying life as a college student.
"The environment was just toxic," says Arnold of his three seasons as a receiver for the USF Bulls, "You don't really realize it until you leave and you realize that it's another way to live, that you don't have to hate your life and hate going to practice and interacting with the coaches every single day."
The word toxic comes up quite often when speaking to former players and coaches that have been apart of the USF Bulls football program over the best part of the last decade, ruled by what many consider to be the best coach of his generation in Malcolm Francois Sr.
In 21 seasons at USF, Francois Sr. has won 82 percent of his games, produced twenty winning seasons, thirteen conference championships, four national championships and countless NFL draft picks. The program he's overseen has also produced countless players and coaches like Arnold, many of which chose to speak off the record about their time at USF.
"When you're in the bubble," says one former offensive linemen, "It's great, it's an amazing environment to be in but as soon as you're on the outside because of injuries, not getting play time, no longer being a key member of the team, it's like you're no longer part of the program or you are lesser than."
The same offensive linemen and other players that have spoken to USA Today recall of a moment where a fifth-year player in quarterback Jay Jackson had struggled in recent games and was on the verge of being benched. Jackson had thrown two interceptions in the team's 28-7 loss to UCF, ending their BCS National Championship dreams after entering the week as a top two team.
"Offensively, we never got off the bus. [Corey Montgomery] showed up to play," said Francois Sr. after the game, "That's about it, I think they expected those guys to roll over but they're scholarships athletes just like you and when they got punched in the mouth tonight, they just wanted to go back to their dorms and FaceTime with their girlfriends."
Jackson was in a long distance relationship with his long time girlfriend and many players thought Francois's comments were directed at their senior quarterback, who had patiently waited his turn behind Heisman winning quarterback Jed White instead of transferring.
Jackson had been awarded with the coveted number one jersey, given to the team's leader earlier in the year. When Jackson showed up to the first full practice on Monday, his practice jersey had been swapped out with a plain red jersey with no numbers or team logo. Practice began and Jackson wasn't given any reps, not even with the second team and the situation was never addressed until the following day when Jackson was told in front of the team by Francois Sr. that he wasn't going to be wearing number one anymore and that redshirt freshman Antonio Whitehead would be starting the SEC Championship Game.
"It didn't sit right with anyone," said Arnold, "Like not even the young guys, the veterans, not even Antonio [Whitehead] to be honest. Like everyone was like 'yo, that's fucked up' because Jay [Jackson] was a leader on that team and he been could have transferred and started somewhere else."
Whitehead would end up leaving the game with an injury and it was Jackson who entered the game and delivered Francois one of his thirteen conference championships, part of the reason why he's college football's highest paid coach by a wide margin.
The incident with Jackson wasn't an isolated one according to other coaches and players. Francois Sr. would often deploy similar tactics to other underperforming student athletes including once asking a support staff personnel to steal and hide the meal card of a backup offensive lineman who was dealing with weight issues.
"I thought he was joking at first," said one former staff member who was at the meeting, "And then days go by and I'm hearing from the player that they need to get a new student ID card because they lost their old one."
When the player found out and approached an on-field coach about it, the coach allegedly told the player to put as much effort on the field into finding the ID card and that their life would improve. Other coaches that USA Today have spoken to confirm of hearing of a similar interaction between said player and the mentioned coach.
During previous interviews with the media, including one with The Pivot podcast which is hosted by former NFL players Channing Crowder, Ryan Clark and Fred Taylor, Francois Sr. has accredited his success at USF -- taking an underperforming American Athletic Conference program into one of the SEC's premier programs -- at instilling a culture of ultra competitiveness.
"We compete at everything that we do," said Francois Sr. at the time, "From grades to on-field performance to the practice field to the weight room. Our motto is if someone else is doing it then you're competing with them, flat out."
Former coaches and support staff say that culture, while productive, also instills a toxic culture that Francois Sr. doesn't mind fanning the flames on.
A particular example of this that was confirmed by multiple sources was when in 2028, wide receiver Andrew Rivas was competing for playing time with another receiver in Derrick Byrd who was a class behind Rivas. After a rep in practice where Rivas dropped a pass, Francois Sr. shouted to Rivas that 'you already let him take your spot, you might as well let him [expletive] your girlfriend next'.
Prior to the incident, the two were close teammates but afterwards, Rivas says Francois Sr. used that moment to help create a wedge between Byrd, the other young receivers and Rivas, Arnold and Jimmy Ingram, who all transferred out the following winter.
"When I first got there, five-star receiver, I was the man. He'd talk to me every day," says Rivas of his initial experience at USF with Francois Sr., "I struggled my sophomore season and after that, it's a wrap. It's another group of kids coming in, kids that he's probably promised playing time, a bunch of other shit and it's sort of like 'get the fuck out' and let the young guys play."
"When he needs you, it's great but the moment you don't, any little mistake, he's going to make a mountain out of it and just try to get you to snap almost."
The culture of favoritism towards their top players isn't unique to USF according to a veteran coach but says that USF is the worst place he's seen it at.
"The year he won the Heisman, Troy [Henry] didn't go to a single class that second half of the fall semester," says the assistant of former Heisman winning running back Troy Henry, "Not a single one, he wasn't even on campus for most of that year. They were getting ready to put him on probation but all of a sudden, that situation was sorted out after a meeting that [Francois Sr.] and the administration had, next thing I know, [Henry] is in New York with the Heisman and he still ain't been to a class."
Perhaps the most problematic and concerning of these instances of favoritism was one that USA Today was able to independently verify with multiple sources. A 'very prominent and prolific quarterback' was stopped on suspicion of a DUI and once the player was identified, he was detained at a nearby police department and picked up personally by Francois Sr.
Given that the player was a minor at the time, USA Today has decided to not disclose his identity.
There was no official record of this detainment although sources both within the campus police department and football program have confirmed the incident. The only players that received any reprimand were the ones that were in the car with the quarterback for allowing him to drive.
The toxic culture doesn't end with the players. Francois Sr. often berates his coaches in front of players and other school officials and has been described as "unrealistically demanding" by several coaches and support staff. A former on-field assistant once cut a recruiting trip short due to his wife, whose had previous troubles during child birth, going into labor. When the assistant's wife ended up not giving birth that day, Francois Sr. made 'disparaging' comments according to a source towards the assistant during the next staff meeting.
"He essentially told him that he wasted the day away since the baby didn't come," said the source, "He then sort of joked about them having a bunch of kids already and why do they need another, something about he needs to focus on the right kids -- the recruits -- if he wants to keep a roof over their head."
Other coaches that were at the meeting tell USA Today that while similar words were said but that it was in a non-malicious manner.
"He definitely pushes the line," said another coach of Francois Sr.'s communication method, "But if you have thin skin, he sniffs it out and he's going to be on you, believe that."
What isn't up for interpretation is Francois Sr's demands of coaches. He expects long hours on the recruiting trail, often asking coaches during the off-season to visit at least ten schools during the recruiting period a day. A former recruiting department staff member was once tasked with a list of schools and coaches to personally speak to by Francois Sr.
"I thought it was my task for that entire period, sort of after the dead period and before National Signing Day in February, it's about two, three weeks and it was like thirty or forty schools on that list so I'm thinking he wants me to visit those schools before the period is over, cool, it's a lot of work and traveling but it's doable. It was just for that week."
Another support staff member was fired for missing a recruiting visit due to a flight delay. Francois Sr. had expected them to instead make the eight hour drive instead of waiting for the next available flight which wasn't until the next day.
"I think winning three titles in six seasons sort of opened his eyes to what the program could be," said a long-time member of the athletic department, "His expectations are now that and whenever they fall short, it goes haywire."
Other coaches agree that after 2026, the last of three national championships during their run, things got worse although those that have been there since the beginning of Francois Sr's tenure say that the culture is the culture at this point.
"[Francois Sr.] was a bit better when his sons were on the team," said a source close to the program, "I think having [Francois Jr.] back really helped the staff a lot because Junior can talk to him, he'll listen to Junior. I know for a fact that by Junior's third or fourth season on the staff, other staff people were talking to [Francois Sr.] almost exclusively through [Francois Sr.]"
Francois Jr. took on the head coaching job at the University of Kentucky this past off-season, a move that surprised many on the outside but not those close to the program.
"I thought [Francois Jr.] was going to hold out initially for either his dad to retire," said a prominent booster of the program, "Or for the Miami job, another major SEC program to open up. Kentucky? I didn't see that coming but from what I know about what's going on in that program, I think he just wanted to jump ship before shit really hit the fan."
What's going on is a recent probe by both the NCAA and the university into the university's football program and specifically its pain medication distribution protocols as well as drug testing. Former players, including Rivas, spoke to USA Today at length about how easily accessibly pain medication once was at USF during their time.
"If you blink, you lose your spot on the roster. It happens all the time during camp," said Rivas, "Guys know, they pick it up pretty early on and it gets to the point where you can't miss playing time and it's high intensity practice so something has to give. The medical team, they know it too so they'll be more than happy to give you whatever you need to keep you on the field."
The program relieved many members of the training staff of their duties back in 2023 after injuries to key players hampered their season the previous two seasons. The Bulls won the national championship the year after and the bulk of that training staff has been kept in place since, despite a situation where Rivas and several others played have alleged that a support staff member was distributing illegal drugs to players and helping them pass drug tests.
Despite the probe, some are skeptical that anything will come of it.
"USF hasn't had an athletic department in close to ten years," said a school official, "It's the football program and others department."
Many describe Francois Sr's relationship with USF AD Michael Kelly as 'one-sided' where Kelly bends to every one of Francois' requests which are more like demands. When Francois Sr. asked for an indoor facility almost a decade ago, he got it. A few months later, the men's and women's cross country team were cut. After a remodeling of the already state of the art football locker rooms, the sailing team was the next to get the boot.
Prior to the 2029 Allstate Sugar Bowl, Francois Sr. was rumored to have met with the Miami Hurricanes, his hometown team, regarding a potential opening to replace Ron English. Soon after the initial reports, an article in the school paper was ran, admonishing the athletic department for prioritizing the football program while cutting others. Kelly reportedly met with several prominent leaders of the university, promising the school wouldn't be held for ransom by Francois Sr. who was already college football's highest paid coach.
English was kept and the deal never materialized but the damage had been done as Francois Sr. reportedly got wind of these meetings. A year later, he was privately campaigning for former Jackson State head coach and athletic director Deion Sanders to replace Kelly at USF. A few months later, the football program's indoor facility was renovated and Kelly has since remained the AD at USF.
USF's football program isn't unique in having these issues but what does it say about America's favorite collegiate sport that one of it's premier programs -- and arguably THE premier football program -- that the very thing that the architect claims fuels it has ruined the college experience of many young student athletes and coaches alike? Objectively speaking, USF's football program does subsidize a lot of its other sports. However, at what point does the university owe it to its student athletes to provide them the best experience possible while also fielding a competitive athletic program across all sports? Are they even prepared to deal with the potential fallout of the NCAA's latest probe, which some think the results could be 'devastating' to the university, the program and Francois Sr?
USF and Francois Sr. have turned down USA Today's request for commenting.
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Captain Canada
- Posts: 2178
- Joined: 01 Dec 2018, 00:15
Strength in Unity.
Oh you did this??? Legendary.
King this shit.
King this shit.
Strength in Unity.
Former players, current Bulls and recruits tweet out support for Francois Sr. following bombshell USA Today report
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. met with the media on Tuesday morning in what was his first public appearance since USA Today's extensive reporting into an alleged toxic culture at USF.
Francois Sr. did not comment on the report and only answered questions that were about the team's upcoming battle against #19 Ohio State, fresh off a loss to unranked Ohio Bobcats.
While Francois Sr. and the university have remained quiet, others haven't. Several former players such as Michael Harrell, Troy Henry, Travis Hughes, Jed White and others tweeted out support for their former head coach. No active players were made available to the media on Tuesday but several tweeted cryptic tweets that seemed to be in support for their head coach.
Current USF freshman running back Bobby Jackson tweeted: "you lazy with your loyalty and your position" and when another Tweeter asked Jackson if the tweet was directed at Francois Sr, Jackson made his stance clear: "real recognize real and coach one of the realest around!"
The tweet was retweeted by several current USF players, including quarterback Jeff Jones, and recruits. Current USF commit and five-star QB Joey Spence quote retweeted the tweet with "can't wait to get to work" which was quote retweeted by the nation's top recruit, IMG Academy's Derek Young with the 100% emoji.
Spence then replied to Young's tweet with "make the move brodie, you know it's the right play" with the demon emoji which Young liked and retweeted.
Young, who is originally from Iowa, has played the last three seasons at IMG Academy and was a teammate of several USF players such as Jones, tight end Chris Wallace and receiver Marques Iosefo.
USF hadn't been publicly linked to Young who did not attend their Junior Day last season despite the invite nor the Green and Gold Bash this past summer. Many thought Young was leaning towards either Alabama or Notre Dame but it might be time to throw USF into the mix following his tweet. Ohio State and Ole Miss have also been involved in his recruitment.
Young came to IMG as a receiver but moved to running back due to a logjam at the position during the previous two seasons. He's played more snaps at receiver as of late following the departure of Iosefo and Wallace but most schools are still recruiting him as a running back.
247 Sports reached out to several of USF's top targets and commits, all of which confirmed that Francois Sr. and the rest of the staff have spoken to them since the report was released. The only one who expressed concern regarding Francois Sr's future at USF was linebacker target Willie Farris out of Alabama who said that the recent report has made him reconsider USF as an option.
Farris had previously released a top two of USF and Oregon.
2035 USF Recruiting Class
QB Joey Spence [QB #1]: 6'4", 220lbs | St. Johns, AZ | 5-star | 4.86 40-yd dash, 310 Bench Press Max, 255 Squat Max
WR Jason McDowell [WR #4]: 6'5", 220lbs | Charlotte, MI | 5-star | 4.36 40-yd dash, 270 Bench Press Max, 195 Squat Max
S Wesley Adams [S #1]: 6'5", 212lbs | Mt. Gay-Shamrock, WV [IMG] | 4-star | 4.32 40-yd dash, 420 Bench Press Max, 370 Squat Max
WR Sam Washington [WR #25]: 6'0", 172lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | 4.42 40-yd dash, 280 Bench Press Max, 215 Squat Max
2035 USF Recruiting Board
HB Derek Young [ATH #1]: 6'0", 217lbs | Washington, IA [IMG] | 5-star | USF, Alabama, Notre Dame, Ohio State, Ole Miss
WR Jarod Green [WR #2]: 5'11", 183lbs | Missouri City, TX | 5-star | USF, Oregon
DB Mark Robinson [ATH #13]: 6'3", 185lbs | Union City, NJ | 5-star | USF, Michigan State, Notre Dame, Texas, Ole Miss
T Adam Clemons [T #1]: 6'2", 307lbs | West Palm Beach, FL | 5-star | USF, Miami
G Chris Booker [G #1]: 6'1", 320lbs | Muscle Shoals, AL | 5-star | USF, Notre Dame, Alabama
CB Kenny Fowler [CB #1]: 6'0", 166lbs | Cherry Hill, NJ | 4-star | USF, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, USC
DE Travis Peters [DE #2]: 6'2", 228lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | Miami, Alabama, USF
DT Michael Williams [DT #3]: 6'6", 280lbs | El Paso, TX | 4-star | Ole Miss, USF, Louisville, USC
G Ed McKinney [G #5]: 6'2", 321lbs | Baker, LA | 4-star | USF, Alabama, Michigan State, USC
WR Donte McCarthy [WR #26]: 6'0", 211lbs | Lakeland, FL | 4-star | USF, Virginia Tech
LB Willie Farris [OLB #6]: 6'4", 221lbs | Center Point, AL | 4-star | Oregon, USF, Middle Tennessee State, Stanford
LB Brian Robinson [OLB #17]: 6'2", 223lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Miami, Ole Miss
K Mike Pleasant [K #1]: 5'10", 181lbs | Mena, AR | 4-star | USF, Oklahoma State, USC
P Stanley Durbin [P #11]: 6'0", 220lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | USF, UCF, FIU, Florida