Strength in Unity.

Post by **Soapy** » 12 Nov 2022, 08:12

Post by **Soapy** » 12 Nov 2022, 08:40

USF's Malcolm Francois Sr. no longer shying away from the elephant in the room
Sean Caesar -- The Athletic Writer

Since coordinating one of the greatest offenses in college football history, Malcolm Francois Jr. got three seasons to be the head coach at the University of Kentucky -- one of which was a winning season -- before being fired by the Wildcats and hired by Navy to be their offensive coordinator for the past two seasons. Francois Jr. has yet to publicly interview for any head coaching jobs since.

So when Missouri head coach Brandon Pierre was fired after winning two Big XII champions and at least 9 wins in all but his final season with the Tigers, Malcolm Francois Sr. simply had to say something, enough was enough for the long time and storied USF head coach.

"The standard for us is higher. You have schools like Missouri, great football coach in [Pierre] and they fire him after one season. A whole lot of winning and they'll throw it away the moment you falter because, quite frankly, they don't expect you to succeed so when you do its a surprise or its this or that but when you fail, well, it was expected so they'll move on your ass," were Francois Sr's words at a Black Coaches Association conference earlier this year which caught the attention of the media.

Francois Sr. chose not to elaborate on his comments since but his hiring of DeMarcus Bennett, a young, black offensive coordinator out of UL - Lafayette to replace Peter Nicholson, who took the head coaching job at Missouri, spoke volumes.

"I never wanted to an activist," Francois Sr. told the Athletic in a recent sit down interview, "That's not my style, I just want to coach football and help young man, coaches and players, to have a good future. But at some point, you have to look inward and realize the position of power that you're in and that you can speak up and say stuff. I don't think I'm going to change the mind of decision makers that maybe are uncomfortable when people that look like us step in a room but by not saying anything, you're giving them a pass. If my words make them uncomfortable for one press conference or one month then it's worth it and if it helps raise the spirits of young black people around the world and young coaches, it's more than worth it."

Francois Sr. says he was particularly hurt by Pierre's firing because he went 5-7 in his first season at USF and had he been fired, none of the dynasty that Francois Sr. built would have happened.

"Do you know how many coaches that would have impacted, players, parents, girlfriends, wives, kids? You're not just firing that man, you're firing a ton of other people that are never going to get an opportunity because let's be real, the only people that really hire black people are mainly other black people. You have some guys that have a diverse staff here and there but when you walk into most college campuses, how many people on the support staff, the administration offices, the executive assistants, how many are black? They'll hire a black DB coach or a running backs coach but when you look up that directory, it's not a whole lot of color there and when you look at ours, it's very diverse. Why? Because as a black man, when another black man walks into that interview room, there's a level of understanding and comfort to where if he's the right man or she's the right woman, she'll be hired. You got all of these black kids that you recruit, you sit in their living rooms and convince them to come here but you wouldn't give that kid an opportunity if he was a few inches shorter and was an admin instead of a player."

Francois Sr's program was embroiled in another racial schism earlier this year when the text messages of former USF quarterback Charlie Cooke, now at UCF, were leaked. In some of the messages, Cooke is quoted as saying "bro they all just want him because he's black lmao there's no way they think he's a better qb than me" in a text message which appears to be in relation to the quarterback competition he lost to Jared Chavis, a black quarterback who led the Bulls to a national championship.

Cooke has since apologized via social media for the 'hurtful and wrongly guided emotions that he felt during a trouble period of his life' while USF nor Francois Sr. have yet to publicly comment on the situation until now.

"I knew [Cooke] was having issues dealing with losing the starting quarterback position," Francois Sr. told me during our sit down, "Quite frankly, it just wasn't a fit anymore and there were a few incidents regarding certain comments and at some point, you can't save every player so I felt that it was best for all parties if he focused on his education for the rest of the season and got a fresh start somewhere else."

Regarding the notion that the coaching staff, particularly favors black quarterback, Francois Sr. was quick to bat it down.

"We've had plenty of quarterbacks over the years," Francois Sr. pointed out, "I can't think of a guy I'm more close to in terms of daily communication than Grant [Oliver] and Joey [Spence] started for us a couple of years ago and you know is there a certain culture around here? For sure, I'd be lying if I said there isn't because we mainly recruit in-state and particularly south Florida, everything below [Tampa] so if you're not meshing with that culture and struggling on the field, I could see why he feels a certain way about how things are going. The only thing I'll ask him and anybody else is how do you think the million of football players, young black kids, feel going up to Tuscaloosa and Happy Valley for centuries? It's part of the job."

USF will try to win their third straight national championship and second straight undisputed national championship with a black head coach, black offensive coordinator, black defensive coordinator and a black quarterback. Perhaps that statement is all that will need to have been said.

Post by **Soapy** » 12 Nov 2022, 09:51

Biggest takeaways from USF's spring game
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

USF football was back in Raymond James Stadium, playing football under the traditional spring game format after a one-year hiatus last season in which there were no scoreboards, no running clock and no set teams.

They played some competitive football as the Team Rocky — made up of the first-team offense and second-team defense — beat Team Bulls, which had the first-team defense and second-team offense, 26-23.

In between the action, USF found time to celebrate the departing members of the 2038 National Championship team, while also acknowledging the 2039 signees who will arrive later this summer.

Of the players to stand out on Saturday, Eric Valentine, William Sapp and Antoine Frank all scored touchdowns, while Nichols Holt, Bryant Carter and Will Webb impressed on the defensive side of the ball on the afternoon.

Obligatory quarterback update
It was not a perfect day from any of USF’s quarterbacks, but Jet Millines and Jacob Venckus also had some highlights as well.

Millines found the endzone most frequently, throwing three touchdown passes. But Millines also had his fair share of misfires, including an interception in the end zone on the final play of the first half. Two of Millines’s touchdowns went to Antoine Frank, showing some strong chemistry with the senior.

Millines finished the day completing 15 of his 35 pass attempts for 273 yards. Millines had a second pass intercepted by freshman Joel Espinosa off a deflection by Will Webb.

Statistically speaking, Venckus had the best day as he completed 14 of 26 passes for 274 yards. His most impressive throw may have been his first, as he connected with Alston Marks for a 60-yard connection. Venckus also threaded the needle on a 33-yard pass to Landone Wile.

Tight ends continue to make plays
It was a promising day for a group that doesn't get a lot of fanfare due to the lack of recruiting stars on the roster at the position but Franke and Wile were impressive with Franke finishing the day with three receptions, two of which were touchdowns, for 49 yards.

Wile also capped off a strong spring with an impressive showing in the spring game with the aforementioned 33-yard grab and being a people mover at the line of scrimmage, freeing up one of Eric Valentine's touchdown.

Even the often forgotten Jason White, a redshirt senior whose hauled in just two passes in his career caught four passes at the game for 37 yards. The top end talent is still void at the position but the trio did a good job of establishing the floor of the group as USF awaits the arrival of the uber talented freshman in Jeff Rutledge.

Plenty to fix on the defense
With all of the success of the offense, including Maurice Bennett hauling in nine receptions, that also means that USF's defense wasn't necessarily on point and playing its best on Saturday.

In the front seven, Brent Freeman and Corey Caldwell were solid at linebacker but it's going to take Caldwell some time to learn his new position as he's making the switch from outside linebacker to the inside linebacker spot next to Freeman. Caldwell, whose a good athlete, seemed lost in space at times and the middle of the field was wide open for Bennett and others to advantage of it. William Sapp was also able to consistently pick up yardage in what felt like the very soft defense that showed up for the Georgia Tech game.

The real concern is up front where David Richardson and Cory Smith wrecked havoc a few times with their pass rush but when their initial pass rush moves weren't successful, they got washed out and were non-factors on those plays. Junior Will Webb, who has just one tackle in two seasons at USF, was probably the best nose tackle on the day running with the second unit as he's a massive man at six-foot-three and 360 pounds just eating up blocks.

In the backend, Bryan Carter had an interception and was a star but it was a quiet day for the others including K.J. Waters who is coming into the season with a lot of hype after last season's playoff performance.

Post by **Soapy** » 12 Nov 2022, 17:32

Despite drop in updated rankings, Smith brothers remain a priority for the Bulls
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Heading into their junior seasons, it appeared that all three of former USF offensive lineman Brian Smith's sons -- Brian Jr, Brandon and Marcellus -- could potentially all be five stars with Brian Jr. and Brandon being among the top players in the 2040 cycle.

With Brandon missing the second half of his junior season with his second knee surgery in four years that will likely cause him to miss all of his senior season, this won't be the case as the latest updated rankings only has Brian Jr. as a five-star, Marcellus a mid-four star and Brandon a three-star due to the injury, conditioning and weight concerns.

Even with the drop, the Smith triplets are the top of USF's recruiting board as USF comes off probation with the intention of signing the nation's top class in what is a loaded year for the state of Florida with 32 players ranked four star or higher. A lot of them will be on campus for the Green and Gold Bash next month including quarterback James White, receiver Billy Matthews, linebacker Richard Smith and cornerback Akeem Smith along with safety Mario Hawkins, the top ranked safety in the country.

The Smith brothers will not be on campus for the unofficial visit weekend as Brian Jr. will attend Florida's version of the same event while Brandon will be in Miami and Marcellus will be USC. The trio are not considered a package.

2040 USF Recruiting Class

2040 USF Recruiting Board
WR Carl Graham [ATH #1]: 6'3", 233lbs | Clifton, AZ | 5-star | USF, Purdue, Michigan, Ole Miss, Michigan State
HB Jacob Wheeler [HB #1]: 5'10", 180lbs | Tampa, FL | 5-star | Georgia Tech, Florida, Miami, Georgia, USF
T Brian Smith Jr. [T #1]: 6'8", 345lbs | Clearwater, FL | 5-star | Florida, Georgia Tech, Miami, USF
OL Jake Thompson [ATH #17]: 6'1", 275lbs | Kettering, OH | 5-star | USF, Washington, Miami University, Purdue, BYU
C Kyle Jones [C #1]: 6'1", 284lbs | Raleigh, NC | 5-star | USF, Alabama, USC, Ole Miss, Notre Dame
WR Billy Matthews [WR #5]: 6'0", 183lbs | Sarasota Springs, FL | 5-star | USF, UCF, FAU, Miami
S Mario Hawkins [S #1]: 6'2", 198lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida, Florida State
CB Charlie Robinson [CB #1]: 6'4", 176lbs | Barberton, OH | 4-star | USF, Purdue, Miami, Texas, Louisville
DE/TE Marcellus Smith [DE #2]: 6'6", 239lbs | Clearwater, FL | 4-star | USC, Michigan, Ohio State, Nebraska, USF
CB Akeem Smith [CB #5]: 5'9", 183lbs | Tallahassee, FL | 4-star | USF, Miami, Florida State, Texas, Oklahoma
DT Nick Brown [DT #3]: 6'7", 283lbs | Groves, TX | 4-star | USF, Alabama, USC, Penn State, Ole Miss
TE Taylor Smith [TE #8]: 6'3", 253lbs | Barnwell, SC [IMG] | 4-star | USF, Ole Miss, Stanford, Georgia Tech
QB James White [QB #5]: 6'6", 218lbs | Bonita Spring, FL | 4-star | USF, Michigan State, Alabama, Penn State
OLB Richard Smith [OLB #13]: 6'6", 235lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | USF, Miami, UCF, Oklahoma, Ole Miss
DT Brandon Smith [DT #21]: 6'8", 360lbs | Clearwater, FL | 3-star | Miami, USF, Florida, UCF, Florida State
OLB James Scott [OLB #27]: 6'1", 208lbs | Tampa, FL | 3-star | USF, UCF, South Carolina, Clemson, Florida
QB Brandon Riley [QB #76]: 5'11", 185lbs | Pinewood, FL (juco) | 3-star | USF, Florida State, UCF, Alabama

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Nov 2022, 09:53

The biggest positional battles, storylines and question marks heading into USF's fall camp
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

Once more, the University of South Florida will begin preparations for another football season as defending national champions with a chance at history in becoming the first team in program history to have a claim to three consecutive national championships. They would also be the first back-to-back winners under the college football playoff system.

The Bulls will open fall camp on Friday with the Green and Gold Bash which will be a star studded event with recruits on campus as well as alumni for the first fall practice. Even as a preseason favorite to repeat, the Bulls have a ton of question marks that will need to be answered before their opener on the road against Ole Miss with a trip to Alabama shortly after.

The development of Jet Millines within the passing offense
The buzz coming out of spring practices is that it wasn't always pretty when the ball left Millines hand during competitive 7 on 7 and 11 on 11 periods as Millines isn't the most accurate quarterback and errant throws happen rather frequently.

New USF offensive coordinator DeMarcus Bennett did a good job of protecting Millines during the spring game as he mainly worked within the hashes and across the middle of the field. He's a big, strong kid with a good arm so he's able to work that middle of the field and also manipulate coverages with his feet but at some point, the Bulls will need to utilize their outside receivers in Maurice Bennett and Alston Marks who do their best work on the perimeter.

It does not help that there's not a ton of options behind Millines with only one other scholarship quarterback on the roster in Jacob Venckus whose limited phyiscally and walk-on Andre Smith so it's Millines or bust for this offense.

The battle along the offensive line is wide open
Coming out of the spring, USF offensive line coach Jim Michalczik made it clear that he's just going to select his best five guys up front and make it work, original positions be damned. So who are the horses?

T Kyle Everett, Junior (6'4", 309lbs, 86 ovr, 87 pbk, 86 rbk, 90 str)
T Wally Bayless, Sophomore (6'4", 323lbs, 83 ovr, 88 pbk, 81 rbk, 86 str)
T Brandon Jones, Rs Junior (6'5", 292lbs, 87 ovr, 88 pbk, 88 rbk, 92 str)
T Garrett McTaggart, Freshman (6'4", 309lbs, 79 ovr, 83 pbk, 83 rbk, 84 str)
T Cole Britton, Rs Freshman (6'6", 290lbs, 74 ovr, 72 pbk, 86 rbk, 85 str)
T/G Adam Clemons, Rs Senior (6'2", 327lbs, 86 ovr, 81 pbk, 99 rbk, 90 str)
T/G Dane Clay, Rs Junior (6'3", 338lbs, 76 ovr, 82 pbk, 83 rbk, 86 str)
G Woody Humphrey, Sophomore (6'3", 322lbs, 86 ovr, 86 pbk, 91 rbk, 86 str)
G/C Ray Anderson, Freshman (6'3", 266lbs, 78 ovr, 86 pbk, 76 rbk, 87 str)
G Steve Bailey, Freshman (6'5", 311lbs, 73 ovr, 82 pbk, 77 rbk, 81 str)
C Brad Bonner, Senior (6'2", 301lbs, 90 ovr, 91 pbk, 91 rbk, 87 str)

In the spring game, it was Kyle Everett (Jr), Ray Anderson (Fr), Brad Bonner (Sr), Woody Humphrey (So) and Adam Clemons (Sr) going from left to right that started the game along the offensive line but throughout the game, sophomore Wally Bayless rotated at both offensive tackle spots and when Bayless was at right tackle, Clemons would play either guard spots as positional versatility is one of the strong points of this offensive line.

The big question is what kind of unit does the coaching staff want as the most experienced one would be Everett, Humphrey, Bonner, Clemons and Jones with Everett and Clemons starting all of last season, Humphrey starting two games and while Bonner and Jones haven't played, they're fourth year guys.

The most intriguing lineup could be going young with Everett, Anderson, Bonner, Humphrey and Bayless with the wildcard being McTaggart as either tackle spots as the coaching staff is extremely high on him but he didn't enroll until the summer. This didn't stop Everett from winning the tackle spot two seasons ago as a true freshman so the precedent has been set.

It's show up or get down time for former five-stars William Sapp and Eric Valentine; Kellen Wright is here now
Even on just six carries in the spring game, true freshman running back Kellen Wright's explosiveness was on display as he picked up eleven and thirteen yards on his first two carries and his final carry was a 22-yard scamper up the sidelines that set up Eric Valentine's touchdown.

The coaching staff was gushing about Wright coming out of the spring workouts and it continued through the spring practices and there cautious approach in the spring game when it came to his touches was very telling as they might be saving him for the regular season.

The trio of Valentine, Wright and William Sapp -- all former five-star recruits -- complement each other very well as Valentine is a physical runner, Wright's a dasher and Sapp has developed a nice well rounded game over the years.

USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. has no qualms that he wants to go back to establishing the running game and it might start with adding a bit of spark to a backfield that lacked it last season.

David Richardson is looking to make himself a lot of money by coming back for his fourth season
After redshirting as a freshman, defensive end David Richardson got into the rotation in 2037 and recorded five tackles for long with two sacks before taking a jump the following season as a nearly every down player, finishing the season with 22 tackles, 9 tackles for loss and four sacks along with a defensive touchdown on one of his two fumble recoveries on the season. He also forced two fumbles.

An impressive athlete, Richardson passed on the draft and should eat in this defense, replacing the role of Jordan Odom as the Bulls top defensive end and should get a lot of snaps as there's not a ton of depth at the position especially with Jesse Berrong moving to nose tackle. It's been a slow progression for Richardson and his biggest jump might still be on the horizon.

Which true freshman can iron a role for themselves throughout camp?
With all of the true freshman on campus now, they'll get an opportunity to compete for starting jobs, playing time and a role within the program in their very first season as Francois Sr. and this staff have not been shy about letting young guys play.

The aforementioned Wright is almost a shoe in to get playing time while McTaggart will likely be involved in the positional battle at both offensive tackle spots. Receivers Brooks Coe, Tracy Brooks and Mike Thomas will be competing for that fourth receiver spot behind Maurice Bennett, Alston Marks and Joseph Moses and in a spread offense that has four receivers on the field often, whoever wins out could be in line for a 20-30 reception season.

Coe (71 ovr, 87 spd, 94 acc, 69 cth) got there in the spring while Brooks and Thomas enrolled in the summer so he's got the upper hand but even with Coe being the higher ranked recruit, the more physically talented of the bunch might be Brooks (70 ovr, 94 spd, 83 acc, 57 cth) as he could very well by the fastest receiver on the roster and at six-foot-four, he could be a down the field deep shot for Millines and the offense.

At tight end, it's an uphill climb for Jeff Rutledge as there's three veterans in front of him, including two seniors in Antoine Frank and James White. Rutledge is talented enough to crack the two deep but sophomore Landon Wile could be a road block with that extra year and an extra fall camp and regular season under his belt.

On defense, players to watch are defensive end Ramon Hall, the Tampa native who got some first team reps in the spring. He's the darling of the recruiting class among the coaches who are extremely high on him, both physically and mentally, and there's not a ton of depth at the position so he should factor in pretty early. There's also defensive tackle Brent Lawrence who still needs to put on more weight to play nose tackle in this defense and outside linebacker E.J. Young who started the spring game and showed flashes of being a potential impact player right away.

Both corners Anthony Gunn and Travis Jones were pleasant surprises in the spring to the coaching staff but the depth in the secondary is just too loaded for them to get any meaningful playing time as freshmen.

Post by **Soapy** » 13 Nov 2022, 10:59

Can Bulls win another championship with another QB/OC change?
Adriana Castillo -- usfwire.usatoday.com

For the third straight season, the University of South Florida will be implementing a new offensive system under a new coordinator and a new quarterback. This time around, it's former UL - Lafayette OC DeMarcus Bennett and sophomore quarterback Jet Millines who closed the College Football Playoff National Championship game with mostly his legs.

Even with the switch, the Bulls are the preseason favorites according to most odd makers as they go for their eight claimed national championship and seventh undisputed.

Ten Best USF Players
1. WR Maurice Bennett, Senior
2. CB K.J. Waters, Sophomore
3. CB Julius Hughes, Junior
4. OLB Alex McDaniel, Rs Junior
5. LB Brett Freeman, Senior
6. CB Bryan Carter, Sophomore
7. LT Kyle Everett, Junior
8. DE David Richardson, Rs Junior
9. S Michael Robinson, Sophomore
10. HB William Sapp, Junior

Schedule
Aug. 27 at #17 Ole Miss
Sep. 3 vs. Florida
OPEN
Sep. 17 at #3 Alabama (night game)
Sep. 24 vs. #19 Ohio State (blackout game)
Sep. 26 vs. #14 Texas (Homecoming Game)
Oct. 8 at #9 Florida State
OPEN
Oct. 22 at #6 Oklahoma
Oct. 29 vs. Tennessee
Nov. 5 vs. #4 Penn State
Nov. 12 vs. #7 Miami (Senior Day)
Nov. 19 at Michigan State (night game)
Nov. 25 at #16 UCF (night game)

Preseason All-Americans
LB Brett Freeman, Senior (first team)
CB K.J. Waters, Sophomore (first team)
CB Julius Hughes, Junior (first team)
LB Alex McDaniel, Rs Junior (second team)
CB Bryan Carter, Sophomore (second team)
S Michael Robinson, Sophomore (second team)

Preseason All-Champions Division
DE David Richardson, Rs Junior (first team)
LB Brett Freeman, Senior (first team)
CB K.J. Waters, Sophomore (first team)
CB Julius Hughes, Junior (first team)
S Michael Robinson, Sophomore (first team)
WR Maurice Bennett, Senior (second team)
DT Jesse Berrong, Sophomore (second team)
LB Alex McDaniel, Rs Junior (second team)
CB Bryan Carter, Sophomore (second team)

What to watch for on offense: USF has an impressive list of receivers in five-stars Maurice Bennett, Alston Marks and Joseph Moses who all made plays last season with Bennett leading the way with 75 receptions for 902 yards and twelve touchdowns. If sophomore quarterback Jet Millines can consistently get them the ball, this might be a unit with multiple 1,000-yard receivers.

What to watch for on defense: The talent in the secondary is ridiculous with four All-American selections in the preseason and guys like Joey Bailey and Kyle Locher that help sure up the running game at the safety position.

They might be the best unit in all of college football and have game changing qualities as seen by Bailey's forced fumble in Champions Division Final and Waters putting on an all-word performance in the postseason.

The team will be far better if... Millines can be an accurate and consistent quarterback. There's a ton of talent at receiver and even at running back and if the offensive line continued to develop and get better, the missing piece for a really good offense is going to be Millines.

The Schedule: It's less than ideal to break in your young quarterback with trips to Oxford and Tuscaloosa in the first month of the season only to come back home to host Ohio State and Texas and then back on the road for Florida State and Oklahoma.

The Bulls historically have had Florida's number but even that little home stand in between those tough games could be a trip up for a young quarterback and coordinator combination but the Champions Division is named that for a reason and USF will know pretty quickly if they are a championship team.

Best offensive player: While the production isn't always there, it's Bennett by a wide margin.

Best defensive player: You can pick pretty much anyone from that secondary but after his performance in the playoffs, the nod goes to K.J. Waters.

Key players to a successful season: It's a dead horse at this point but Millines will decide just how good USF's offense will be and by extension, the entire team. A close second is a unit, not a player, and it's the offensive line as if they can get going and be a physical running team akin to the Roger Shaw Jr. years, it might not matter that Millines isn't the most accurate quarterback.

Defensively, if the front seven can bring some pressure, the secondary should eat. Their top pass rusher is David Richardson who is looking to put together a ten-plus sack season and he has the physical tools to do so.

The season will be a success if...USF makes the playoffs, that's the standard now.

Key game: As good as Ole Miss is, they don't have the talent level to straight up whoop USF which should allow them to be able to hide their quarterback enough to get by if need be. In the Alabama game, they'll need to open it up and likely go toe to toe with a Tide offense that's also integrating a first-time starter.

Game by Game Predictions
Aug. 27 at #17 Ole Miss: W
Sep. 3 vs. Florida: W
OPEN
Sep. 17 at #3 Alabama: W
Sep. 24 vs. #19 Ohio State: W
Sep. 26 vs. #14 Texas: W
Oct. 8 at #9 Florida State: L
OPEN
Oct. 22 at #6 Oklahoma: W
Oct. 29 vs. Tennessee: W
Nov. 5 vs. #4 Penn State: W
Nov. 12 vs. #7 Miami (Senior Day): W
Nov. 19 at Michigan State (night game): W
Nov. 25 at #16 UCF (night game): W

Post by **Google[Bot]** » 13 Nov 2022, 12:02

I feel like Sapp has been around forever bro. Next man up let’s gooo

Post by **Soapy** » 06 Feb 2023, 08:29

THE REAL IS BACK!

Post by **Caesar** » 06 Feb 2023, 09:11

Soapy wrote: ↑
06 Feb 2023, 08:29
THE REAL IS BACK!

I got that boy back to USF. I’m really HIM! HIMothy Neutron!

Post by **Soapy** » 06 Feb 2023, 10:57

Sophomore QB Jet Millines named starting QB ahead of opener
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

After heading into last season with a quarterback battle that bled into the regular season, USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. is not milling about this time around, naming sophomore Jet Millines the unquestioned starter in the team's first official depth chart.

The move was an expected one with Millines taking almost all of the first team reps in both the public portion of practices and reportedly during the team's private scrimmages as well. A former four-star recruit, Millines threw fifteen pass attempts last year as a true freshman, completing nine of them for 75 yards and an interception. Millines did most of his work with his legs, rushing for 188 yards and four touchdowns.

For the die-hards, USF offensive line coach Jim Michalczik's unit was also one of interest and the initial group is a bit different than the unit that started in the spring game which featured returning starters Kyle Everett and Adam Clemons as the book end tackles, senior Brad Bonner at center and Ray Anderson and Woody Humphrey at the guard spots.

Everett remains at left tackle but Clemons shifts inside to right guard with Humphrey kicking out to right tackle while center Bonner and left guard Brandon Jones fill out the interior offensive line. Jones and Bonner were among the top players in the fall camp and got a lot of praise from Michalczik and Francois Sr. during media availability throughout fall camp.

Quarterbacks
#11 Jet Millines, Sophomore | 6'3", 225lbs | 85 ovr, 87 spd, 89 acc, 80 awr, 87 thp, 78 tha
#13 Jacob Venckus, Sophomore | 6'2", 214lbs | 76 ovr, 64 spd, 61 acc, 85 awr, 83 thp, 73 tha
#19 Andre Smith, Freshman | 6'4", 219lbs | 47 ovr, 73 spd, 76 acc, 50 awr, 57 thp, 65 tha (walk on)

Running backs
#26 Eric Valentine, Junior | 5'9", 230lbs | 91 ovr, 87 spd, 94 acc, 91 btk, 84 car, 97 trk OR
#4 William Sapp, Junior | 5'11", 191lbs | 86 ovr, 95 spd, 93 acc, 79 car, 90 elu
#3 Kellen Wright, Freshman | 5'8", 190lbs | 78 ovr, 95 spd, 95 acc, 75 btk, 63 car, 91 elu
#27 Victor King, Freshman | 6'0", 234lbs | 68 ovr, 89 spd, 77 acc, 70 btk, 65 car, 73 sfa

Wide receivers
X
#1 Maurice Bennett, Senior | 6'4", 206lbs | 95 ovr, 93 spd, 99 acc, 92 cth
#82 Tracy Brooks, Freshman | 6'4", 213lbs | 70 ovr, 94 spd, 83 acc, 57 cth

Z
#15 Alston Marks, Sophomore | 6'1", 202lbs | 89 ovr, 91 spd, 96 acc, 87 cth
#88 Brooks Coe, Freshman | 6'4", 179lbs | 71 ovr, 87 spd, 94 acc, 69 cth

Y
#81 Joseph Moses, Sophomore | 6'2", 210lbs | 87 ovr, 89 spd, 88 acc, 92 cth
#83 Mike Thomas, Freshman | 5'10", 187lbs | 69 ovr, 88 spd, 82 acc, 67 cth

Tight ends
#86 Antoine Frank, Senior | 6'2", 236lbs | 82 ovr, 84 spd, 91 acc, 71 cth, 78 rbk
#85 Jeff Rutledge, Freshman | 6'5", 254lbs | 77 ovr, 77 spd, 81 acc, 80 cth, 75 rbk
#31 Obadiah Denman, Senior | 6'1", 257lbs | 77 ovr, 77 spd, 92 acc, 67 cth, 71 rbk
#87 Landon Wile, Sophomore | 6'3", 227lbs | 79 ovr, 78 spd, 83 acc, 76 cth, 73 rbk
#89 Jason White, Rs Senior | 6'4", 251lbs | 81 ovr, 74 spd, 64 acc, 82 cth, 77 rbk

Offensive Line
LT #69 Kyle Everett, Junior | 6'4", 304lbs | 86 ovr, 87 pbk, 86 rbk, 90 str
LG #71 Brandon Jones, Senior | 6'5", 275lbs | 87 ovr, 92 str, 88 pbk, 88 rbk
C #60 Brad Bonner, Senior | 6'2", 290lbs | 90 ovr, 87 str, 91 pbk, 91 rbk
RG #66 Adam Clemons, Rs Senior | 6'2", 319lbs | 86 ovr, 90 str, 81 pbk, 99 rbk
RT #67 Woody Humphrey, Sophomore | 6'3", 322lbs | 86 ovr, 86 str, 86 pbk, 91 rbk
------
#76 T Wally Bayless, Sophomore | 6'4", 315lbs | 83 ovr, 86 str, 88 pbk, 81 rbk
#74 T Garrett McTaggart, Freshman | 6'4", 309lbs | 79 ovr, 84 str, 83 pbk, 83 rbk
#65 T Dane Clay, Senior | 6'3", 321lbs | 76 ovr, 86 str, 82 pbk, 83 rbk
#78 T Cole Britton, Sophomore | 6'6", 288lbs | 74 ovr, 85 str, 72 pbk, 86 rbk
#73 G Steve Bailey, Freshman | 6'5", 311lbs | 73 ovr, 82 pbk, 77 rbk, 81 str
#75 C Ray Anderson, Freshman | 6'3", 266lbs | 78 ovr, 86 pbk, 76 rbk, 87 str

Defensive Line
LDE
#7 David Richardson, Rs Junior | 6'3", 240lbs | 92 ovr, 79 spd, 91 acc, 86 str, 90 pmv, 81 fmv, 92 bsh
#93 Ramon Hall, Freshman | 6'2", 246lbs | 77 ovr, 73 spd, 76 acc, 81 str, 80 pmv, 83 fmv, 87 bsh

RDE
#97 Cory Smith, Junior | 6'1", 240lbs | 82 ovr, 72 spd, 82 acc, 73 str, 88 pmv, 87 fmv, 86 bsh
#99 Kareem Cunningham, Freshman | 6'6", 266lbs | 69 ovr, 74 spd, 87 acc, 71 str, 71 pmv, 70 fmv, 73 bsh

NT
#96 Jesse Berrong, Sophomore | 6'2", 302lbs | 84 ovr, 87 acc, 84 str, 86 pmv, 74 fmv, 88 bsh
#90 Matt Langford, Junior | 6'6", 310lbs | 77 ovr, 66 acc, 88 str, 80 pmv, 74 fmv, 86 bsh
#33 Brett Lawrence, Freshman | 6'3", 308lbs | 76 ovr, 72 acc, 85 str, 78 pmv, 84 fmv, 81 bsh
#95 Rahmod Carter, Sophomore | 6'5", 304lbs | 70 ovr, 73 acc, 70 str, 76 pmv, 76 fmv, 75 bsh
#98 Will Webb, Junior | 6'3", 360lbs | 68 ovr, 70 acc, 78 str, 63 pmv, 70 fmv, 71 bsh

Linebackers
MIKE
#10 Brett Freeman, Senior | 5'11", 207lbs | 88 ovr, 80 spd, 92 acc, 81 awr, 77 tkl, 85 bsh, 82 zcv
#54 Joel Espinosa, Freshman | 5'9", 228lbs | 76 ovr, 82 spd, 88 acc, 46 awr, 75 tkl, 80 bsh, 72 zcv

WILL
#12 Corey Caldwell, Rs Senior | 6'1", 233lbs | 83 ovr, 88 spd, 90 acc, 46 awr, 83 tkl, 80 bsh, 72 zcv
#28 Adrian Bolden, Rs Junior | 6'3", 224lbs | 77 ovr, 91 spd, 95 acc, 76 awr, 80 tkl, 71 bsh, 74 zcv

SAM
#52 Alex McDaniel, Senior | 6'4", 238lbs | 88 ovr, 81 spd, 96 acc, 61 awr, 87 tkl, 88 bsh, 81 zcv
#55 Noah Webster, Sophomore | 6'2", 220lbs | 80 ovr, 76 spd, 81 acc, 53 awr, 86 tkl, 84 bsh, 74 zcv
#53 Erik Wheeler, Freshman | 6'2", 211lbs | 62 ovr, 74 spd, 77 acc, 44 awr, 75 tkl, 68 bsh, 67 zcv

JACK
#9 E.J. Young, Freshman | 6'5", 242lbs | 80 ovr, 83 spd, 93 acc, 50 awr, 75 tkl, 83 bsh, 73 zcv
#14 Nicholas Holt, Rs Senior | 6'4", 238lbs | 84 ovr, 89 spd, 96 acc, 63 awr, 81 tkl, 84 bsh, 84 zcv
#56 Jackson Gold Jr, Sophomore | 5'11", 210lbs | 71 ovr, 73 spd, 78 acc, 45 awr, 82 tkl, 77 bsh, 76 zcv

Secondary
CB
#6 Julius Hughes, Junior | 5'11", 171lbs | 88 ovr, 94 spd, 91 acc, 90 awr, 94 mcv, 91 zcv, 84 press
#23 Cody Fuller, Junior | 6'4", 187lbs | 79 ovr, 89 spd, 87 acc, 79 awr, 92 mcv, 83 zcv, 93 press
#25 Anthony Gunn, Freshman | 6'1", 182lbs | 75 ovr, 94 spd, 84 acc, 52 awr, 79 mcv, 85 zcv, 86 press

CB
#2 K.J. Waters, Sophomore | 6'1", 161lbs | 84 ovr, 93 spd, 91 acc, 93 awr, 88 mcv, 93 zcv, 79 press
#22 Travis Jones, Freshman | 5'11", 167lbs | 76 ovr, 92 spd, 90 acc, 56 awr, 87 mcv, 81 zcv, 82 press

NICKEL
#21 Bryan Carter, Sophomore | 6'1", 171lbs | 87 ovr, 92 spd, 84 acc, 81 awr, 98 mcv, 97 zcv, 79 press

FS
#5 Michael Robinson, Sophomore | 6'2", 179lbs | 88 ovr, 96 spd, 98 acc, 82 awr, 85 tkl, 77 mcv, 79 zcv
#30 Fred Rankin, Junior | 5'11", 187lbs | 78 ovr, 88 spd, 93 acc, 59 awr, 62 tkl, 78 mcv, 85 zcv
#35 Joel McDonald, Junior | 5'11", 183lbs | 78 ovr, 90 spd, 93 acc, 60 awr, 59 tkl, 84 mcv, 83 zcv

SS
#8 Joey Bailey, Junior | 6'1", 185lbs | 89 ovr, 83 spd, 91 acc, 84 awr, 79 mcv, 89 zcv, 84 tkl
#20 Kyle Locher, Sophomore | 6'3", 204lbs | 85 ovr, 88 spd, 88 acc, 90 awr, 71 mcv, 84 zcv, 85 tkl
#44 Jason Booth, Rs Senior | 6'0", 185lbs | 75 ovr, 84 spd, 90 acc, 51 awr, 71 mcv, 81 zcv, 74 tkl

Specialists
K #39 Chris Sanders, Freshman | 5'10", 180lbs | 81 ovr, 82 kpw, 81 kac
P #92 Gerald Wallace, Freshman | 6'2", 199lbs | 73 ovr, 75 kpw, 73 kac
KR #3 Kellen Wright, Freshman | 5'8", 190lbs | 95 spd, 92 agi, 95 acc
PR #83 Mike Thomas, Freshman | 5'10", 187lbs | 88 ovr, 78 agi, 82 acc

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