Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

Which early-enrollee true freshman will have the most impact
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

The University of South Florida was able to land fourteen members of it's past recruiting class during the early signing period, allowing them to enroll early in January and be part of these first spring practices unlike their other freshmen counterparts who will get on campus in the summer.

1. DE Greg White [DE #3]: 6'5", 247lbs | Pecos, TX | 4-star
   White was already a good fit for the Bulls defense under former defensive coordinator Dave Doeren but in Manny Diaz's four man front, he's a perfect fit. He won't need to add much more weight to his frame and his effectiveness as a pure pass rusher will get him on the field early and often. Defensive end Travis Scott has primarily played at defensive tackle in the first few practices under Diaz and if he stays there, White has a chance to be a starter this season opposite of redshirt sophomore Kyle Swain.
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2. S Paul Williams [S #3]: 5'11", 205lbs | Bradenton, FL | 4-star
   In a few of the clips that the team released from their first scrimmage, Williams' physicality showed in two of them where he forced a breakup by simply separating the receiver from the ball and another where he came crashing down and blew up a play in the backfield. According to the coaching staff, he still needs to learn to play under control but he could be a day one starter at Striker if his play continues.
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3. CB Marcus Hodge [CB #14]: 5'11", 182lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star
   Hodge's name has been buzzing among fellow players when they're asked about the freshman. He's a bit of finesse player according to the coaching staff and that was his reputation coming out of high school. He'll still need to grow into his man body and its doubtful he'll ever get near 195 pounds, yet alone 200 but he's a sound technician and extremely polished in coverage. Even with Corey Johnson making the switch from safety to corner, Hodge could compete for playing time as a nickel or dime back.
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4. WR Andrew Rivas [ATH #8]: 6'6", 218lbs | Hurst, TX | 5-star
   The only five-stat to enroll early, Rivas' 'low' spot on this list is due to a few factors. He still has work to do as a receiver and is relatively raw, the perfect clay for head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. He's also at a position where it's hard to take the current starters and established upperclassmen on the field. The top three spots are solidified with Darius Downs, Jason Barbour and Malcolm Francois Jr. who is returning from an injury. You have speedsters Ryan Wagner and David Ryan and then seniors in Shane Peterson and Steve Townsend. Rivas is talented but he has a tough hill to climb to get on the field so fans should not be surprised if he plays sparingly this season.
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5. HB Dion Rogers [HB #65]: 5'11", 211lbs | Miami, FL | 3-star
   It's still early but if there was one three-star player who has shown the ability to be a potential impact starter in the future, it's been Rogers. David Fuller is on an apparent snap count and Derrick Green has also not played a ton in the spring, giving Rogers the opportunity to battle it out with junior Jason Finley and redshirt freshman Ronnie Smith. Rogers appears to be on another level athletically from those two and it would not surprise me if by season's start, he's the team's third back.

[Soapy]

SEC finalizes conference realignment, releases updated divisions
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

The University of South Florida is officially part of the SEC. Well, in a few months.

When the 2026-2027 school calendar begins in July, the move will be officially official but the SEC did not waste time in announcing the new conference alignment after losing Texas A&M and Missouri last season and South Carolina this upcoming calendar year, replacing them with USF, Florida and Florida State.

As expected, the four Florida schools will all be in the SEC East division along with Georgia, Kentucky and Tennessee. The SEC West will continue to consist of Alabama, Arkansas, Auburn, LSU, Mississippi State, Ole Miss with Vanderbilt making the switch from the East to the West.

The SEC also announced that they will move to a 9-game conference schedule.

[Google[Bot]]

surprised vandy has stuck around

[Soapy]

Bulls update series with Ohio State, Notre Dame and others to accommodate conference switch
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

USF fans got some more clarity on the 2026 season when the school announced that they had updated their non-conference series and instead of playing Ohio State this season in Tampa, they'll be playing Notre Dame once more, this time in Hawai'i to open the season.

The Bulls originally had agreed to a series with Ohio State for this season but with them joining the SEC, this caused a scheduling mishap with no dates on the calendar available for Ohio State. The series will instead begin next season with USF going to Ohio State, the Buckeyes coming to Tampa in 2029 and USF going back to Columbus in 2031.

The program also updated their series with Louisville, Boise State and Florida Atlantic in order to accommodate new schedule requirements. Louisville was replaced this season with Minnesota with the compromise being that the Bulls will need to travel to Minnesota due to the late add-on causing the Bulls to host just four home games.

[Soapy]

South Florida Bulls spring football recap
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

With fourteen practices, three scrimmages and one spring game at Raymond James Stadium, spring football is officially in the books for the USF football program as they get ready for their first season in the SEC.

The mantra throughout spring was speed, speed and more speed. While the Bulls lost a ton of talent along its offensive line and front seven on defense, almost all of their perimeter guys are back, especially on offense. Here were some of the other takeaways from spring:

• Deep ball accuracy could be an issue for QB White
  The physical tools have always been evident for quarterback Jed White and he's even reshaped his body over the past eighteen months, shedding some of the baby fat as he continues to sculp his physique. He's up to 241 pounds and looks even more explosive when on the run.
  
  He rushed for nearly 800 yards last season as a gadget player but wasn't used much as a passer and his shortcomings there are becoming more and more apparent throughout spring as the snap counts get higher and higher. That's not to say that White is a bad passer, it's just a noticeable drop down from last year starting quarterback Nick Williams and even Jay Jackson.
  
  White is still the favorite to win the job but it's not the clear runaway that many expected.
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• Don't expect a post-injury drop off from Francois Jr.
  Between David Ryan and Malcolm Francois Jr, the Bulls might have two of the fastest receivers in the country. Francois Jr. has looked great in practices and hasn't lost a step after missing all of last season with a knee injury.
  
  According to the senior receiver, he could have played last season in the last few games of the season but opted to reserve his medical redshirt instead in order for the potential to play with his two brother, sophomore CB Pierre Francois and tight end J.J. Francois who enrolls in the summer.
  
  While Ryan Wagner continued to impress last season with eight touchdowns and averaging 17.9 yards per catch, Francois Jr. remains entrenched as the team's top option in the slot and could have a monster senior season.
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• Diaz effect all over the defense
  Dave Doeren and Manny Diaz share very different philosophies from coaching style to preferred fronts to even the way they call a game. Diaz is already starting to have his handprint on the defense, moving safety Corey Johnson from safety back to corner while kicking defensive end Travis Scott inside at defensive tackle.
  
  Despite their size, Johnson, senior Sid Robinson and sophomore Pierre Francois are all great in bump-and-run coverage which is their personal preference as opposed to the zone heavy scheme that Doeren implemented. Robinson had his struggles last season giving up the deep pass and was even benched at times in favor of Francois but he's gotten Diaz's full vote of confidence and has been their #1 corner throughout the spring.
  
  Defensive end B.J. Patton and Greg White have also brought some more athleticism to the position along with redshirt sophomore Kyle Swain. Patton, a transfer, will need to sit out a season but USF is starting to build out a talented, young and athletic defensive line front which are all characteristics of a Manny Diaz defense.

[Soapy]

surprised vandy has stuck around

nobody else wants them smh

[Soapy]

Bulls must improve offensive line recruiting if set to compete in the SEC
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

The University of South Florida hasn't had a dominant offensive line since....probably a few seasons now. The argument could be made that 2022 was the last time that the Bulls offensive line was dominant and it's not a coincidence that since then, they've signed just one four-star offensive lineman in Bobby Davis who has yet to make a start.

The Bulls are not only swinging and missing on some of the top guys, they're also simply not swinging on a lot of them. Losing four-star offensive tackle Tyler Moore wasn't ideal but the Bulls had all of their eggs in that one basket when it came to elite talent up front. When Moore went elsewhere, it sent USF scurrying after the likes of three-star G Stephen Brown and Brent Copeland with the latter ending up in Nebraska and the former being a developmental project. The 2025 cycle was a similar story too where guard Chris Simpson, who ended up being the team's starting right guard, was a late addition to the class as well as center Jason Harrington.

The Bulls have already been more aggressive in this cycle, offering four-star offensive tackles Travis Smith and Tim Prater, the number one and number sixth ranked tackle prospects in the country. At guard, they're going after the top guard in Texas in Nick Matthews and Florida's top guard in Bubba Wynn. It's early and maybe once again, they find themselves in the discount bin by signing day but there does appear to be a mindset shift.

2027 USF Recruiting Board
DB Jeremiah McCullough [ATH #3]: 5'11", 180lbs | Miami, FL | 5-star | USF, Florida State, UCF, Alabama, Miami
ATH Corey Montgomery [ATH #4]: 6'1", 205lbs | Coconut Creek, FL | 5-star | USF, Ole Miss, Tennessee, Auburn, Georgia
WR Sean Olsen [WR #5]: 5'11", 186lbs | Redstone Arsenal, AL | 5-star | Alabama, Auburn, USF, Vanderbilt
WR Ricky Bradford [ATH #6]: 6'7", 218lbs | Houma, LA | 5-star | Texas, Notre Dame, USF, Georgia Tech, Michigan
WR Alexis Myers [WR #6]: 6'1", 199lbs | Naples, FL | 5-star | Nebraska, Penn State, Michigan, Notre Dame
T Tim Prater [T #1]: 6'5", 273lbs | Douglasville, GA | 4-star | Notre Dame, Michigan, Ohio State, Oklahoma, USF
G Nick Matthews [G #2]: 6'2", 279lbs | Mission Bend, TX | 4-star | Michigan, Wisconsin, Michigan State, Notre Dame, USF
DE Nate Stewart [DE #3]: 6'4", 264lbs | Powder Springs, GA | 4-star | USF, Auburn, Notre Dame, Ole Miss
CB Jay Burke [CB #3]: 5'11", 191lbs | Bloomingdale, TN | 4-star | Virginia Tech, USF, West Virginia, Wisconsin
G Bubba Wynn [G #4]: 6'0", 291lbs | Hallandale, FL | 4-star | Oklahoma, USC, Georgia Tech, Clemson, USF
DE Justin Young [DE #6]: 6'4", 246lbs | Monessen, PA | 4-star | USF, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Iowa, Kansas
T Travis Smith [T #6]: 6'7", 317lbs | Harrisburg, PA | 4-star | Minnesota, USF, Michigan, Wisconsin, Vanderbilt
QB Antonio Whitehead [QB #5]: 5'11", 212lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami, Ole Miss
WR Paul Wilson [WR #13]: 6'0", 193lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Georgia Tech, Clemson, Miami
QB Terrance Cooper [QB #61]: 6'0", 197lbs | Lake Barcroft, VA | 3-star | USF, Virginia Tech, Fresno State, N.C. State
T Jim Weisbecker [T #79]: 6'4", 310lbs | Jacinto City, TX | 3-star | USF, FAU, Virginia Tech, UCLA, LA Tech
T Carlos Smith [T #92]: 6'6", 298lbs | Miami, FL | 3-star | USF, FIU, UCF, UAB
P Fred Ward [P #10]: 6'0", 234lbs | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 3-star | USF, Miami, Florida, UCF, FIU

[Google[Bot]]

ricky bradford gotta be top of the list bro

[Soapy]

ricky bradford gotta be top of the list bro

With the no user catching house rule, tall receivers sort of lose their value. I took a look at his letter grades (another house rule is no scouting) and he might be a better running back but a 6'7" running back is just goofy lmao

[Soapy]

How a torn up knee helped USF WR Malcolm Francois Jr. find his love of the game
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

With his father's jersey number on his chest and his brother lined up across from him, Malcolm Francois Jr. was having the most fun he's ever had playing football last spring. The once quiet backup defensive back was now one of the team's top receivers and baptizing the Bulls young corners through fire. The speedy slot receiver was poised to have his best season yet and make his case to NFL scouts that he was a professional receiver.

Francois Jr.'s plans were derailed when a knee injury scrapped his senior season before it even got started. Demoted to now just a spectator, it was the best thing that could have happened to him according to the fifth-year senior.

"I got to really enjoy being part of this team and this program," says Francois Jr, the son of head coach Malcolm Francois Sr., "I think I spent a lot of times my first couple of years of just trying to keep my head above water and get on the field and try to contribute and then moving to receiver, it was a lot."

Along with his rehab, Francois Jr. got to work with his father more closely as a quasi assistant wide receivers coach. He helped coach up some of the younger receivers while also consistently goading the opposing defensive backs. During games, he'd alternate between being in the press box to get a bigger picture -- literally -- of the offense and being on the sidelines to motivate players and give them pointers.

One of the team's fastest players, Francois Jr. readily admits that he considered dropping football as a sophomore and focusing on track instead. Even after his breakout campaign during his junior year, Francois Jr.'s main goal was to make the Olympic team as a 100m sprinter. It wasn't until his medical redshirt season that he realized that his love was indeed football and he now eyes being a coach in the future.

"I fell in love with the game of football again," he says, "I took a lot of it for granted and having it taken away from me, I got to see why I loved it in the first place. The cerebral aspect, the physical aspect, the emotional aspect. When you can take a step back and look at the game from an eagle's eye point of view, you realize just how complicated the game of football is and how simple it also is. I get excited in meetings now when we're running install or working with some of the guys on releases, understanding leverage, all of those things. It's fun for me now."