Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

Slimmed down, rocked up Jake Thompson making transition to tight end
Sean Caesar -- The Athletic Writer

USF offensive lineman Jake Thompson struggled for years while at USF to keep the weight on, often going below the 286-pound limit that the team wanted him to stay at. After starting several games last season at left guard and right tackle, Thompson has now shed the pounds and is now working on shedding some more as the switch to tight end has been made official.

In the portion of the first spring practices that were open to the media, Thompson was wearing the No. 82 jersey and worked exclusively with the tight ends. USF tight end coach Robert Holland confirmed that Thompson is now a tight end during his first press availability.

"He's one of us now," Holland replied when asked about Thompson working out with the tight ends, revealing that this is something Thompson has done over the years at USF, "He's always been a guy that we felt could be a tight end, he's athletic enough, he moves well enough and he's got good hands."

USF offensive line coach Ryan Williams added that Thompson is one of the team's better blockers in space and moving him to tight end made sense for the team's offense. Thompson is now in the 270-pound range according to Williams who closed the door on Thompson potentially returning to the offensive line.

Thompson will be competing for a role alongside impressive freshmen Jake Bryant and Russell Arrington as well as returning starter Taylor Smith.

[Soapy]

Predicting and projecting a role for all of USF's signees from latest top ranked recruiting class
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

USF signed one of it's best and largest recruiting class a few weeks ago, landing five blue chip offensive linemen, a couple of studs along the defensive line, the best corner in the nation, two of the best tight ends in the country, the top ranked receiver, and even landed one of the fastest rising quarterbacks in Shawn Williams.

For the early enrollees, they've now had a few spring practices under their belts and with the team's first scrimmage in the rearview mirror, they are now officially college football players.

With all of them joining a team that went undefeated in the regular season, cracking a spot in the rotation won't be easy so here's a quick run down on the incoming true freshmen and the roles they are likely to play in 2043.

WR Ryan Murray [WR #1]: 6'0", 180lbs | Springdale, OH | 88 spd, 88 acc, 85 cth
Projected Role » Murray will start the season no less than WR4 most likely and could even be fighting for a spot in the starting unit by the end of the first half of the season. He's twitched, with good hands and enough top end speed to be a factor on the outside as well as in the slot, which is his preferred position.
Projected Statline » 25 receptions

HB Dave Parker [ATH #9]: 6'1", 214lbs | Tampa, FL | 5-star | 88 spd, 85 acc, 84 cth, 86 trk, 86 spm
Projected Role » Is he a receiver or a running back? For now, Parker has mainly played running back for USF although he's also received some snaps at receiver, mainly when he's gone out in motion. A versatile piece similar to Derek Young in Jeremy Butler's offense a few seasons ago, Parker might ultimately be that but for now, he's a bigger bodied back that also has some shiftiness with him and will likely be the team's top spell back for Justin Thomas
Projected Statline » 500 total purpose yards

CB Brandon Bryant [CB #1]: 6'1", 179lbs | Lakeland, FL | 4-star | 94 spd, 94 acc, 88 mcv, 87 zcv, 88 press
Projected Role » Bryant is good enough to be a day one, outside corner on most football teams. He's had some very competitive battles not only with Ryan Murray but with Scott Price who has to rely on his physicality to beat Bryant as quickness and route running isn't going to get it done against an elite athlete like Bryant. He'll likely be behind Travis Jones and Ernest Jones to start out the year but he could elevate into that CB2 role by season's end.
Projected Statline » 4 pass breakups

OL Kevin Brown [G #4]: 6'4", 308lbs | Rome, GA | 4-star | 85 pbk, 83 rbk, 84 str
Projected Role » It only took a few practices for Brown to get some reps at left tackle with the first team where the team ultimately likes him at. Will he eventually be the team's left tackle or is that day closer than some imagine, potentially overtaking a two-year starter in Steve Bailey? It's still hard to imagine that even with how much Brown has impressed and Bailey struggled last season
Projected Statline » Redshirt

TE Russell Arrington [TE #5]: 6'6", 270lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | 79 spd, 77 acc, 81 route running, 69 cth, 78 rbk, 81 impact blocking
Projected Role » If it wasn't for Bryant (more on that later), Arrington could be on the fast track to eventually overtake Taylor Smith for that starting job. His effectiveness as a blocker was evident even in just shells and when the pads came on in the scrimmage, Arrington really started to showcase his talents as a runner with the ball in his hands.
Projected Statline » 5 pancakes

DT Seth Whitaker [ATH #28]: 6'1", 252lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | 75 spd, 80 str, 83 fmv, 82 tkl
Projected Role » The defensive version of Dave Parker, Whitaker has the ability to play everywhere on the field and when it was non-contact, he did so, lining up at outside linebacker, off ball linebacker and defensive end before eventually landing at defensive tackle which is likely where he's going to stay if he can add some weight. He's currently on a trajectory to overtake Brent Craft for that third defensive tackle spot and could be a rotational piece, especially on passing downs.
Projected Statline » 5 tackles for loss

C Ed Foster [G #5]: 6'2", 321lbs | Dallas, TX | 4-star | 85 pbk, 81 rbk, 82 str
Projected Role » Big Nasty has been the team's center for the second unit, taking almost all of the second team snaps ahead of fellow four-star Brett Pennington. The coaching staff loves Foster but he'll likely be a redshirt behind Kyle Jones unless the four-year starter gets hurt.
Projected Statline » Redshirt

DE Dante Avery [DE #9]: 6'2", 255lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | 81 spd, 87 acc, 80 str, 82 pmv, 68 fmv, 81 bsh
Projected Role » Avery could have a similar role as John Potts did last season as a rotational defensive end, primarily on light fronts where bigger bodies are needed to make up for the lack of players along the defensive line. Potts is an elite prospect in his own right so for Avery to leapfrog him will take an impressive spring but he's off to a good start.
Projected Statline » 5 tackles for loss

HB Cameron Stokes [ATH #31]: 6'3", 205lbs | Pensacola, FL | 4-star | 89 spd, 90 acc, 84 mcv, 86 zcv, 80 spm, 85 thp, 81 tha
Projected Role » Initially recruited as a defensive back, the former quarterback has been playing running back as the Bulls are trying to get the ball in his hands as much as they can. Expect some possible trick plays if Stokes is ever in the backfield, perhaps using him as a wildcat quarterback for short yardage.
Projected Statline » 300 all-purpose yards, at least one passing touchdown

TE Jake Bryant [TE #6]: 6'6", 260lbs | Canton, OH | 4-star | 79 spd, 77 acc, 69 cth, 78 rbk, 81 impact blocking
Projected Role » With Earl May making the switch to running back, Bryant has been the second team tight end, ahead of Arrington and Jake Thompson, who is making the switch from offensive line. He's probably the best athlete of the four with May gone and could have a big role this season.
Projected Statline » 15 receptions, 5 pancakes

G Brian Jackson [G #36]: 6'3", 312lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | 85 pbk, 80 rbk, 90 str
Projected Role » Jackson has jumped in right away at right guard, filling in for the graduated Ray Anderson. The Bulls had no problems starting Nick Ryan last season as a freshman along the interior and Jackson might be even better than Ryan was last season at this point in the spring
Projected Statline » 5 sacks allowed, full-time starter

C Brett Pennington [C #3]: 6'0", 304lbs | Fountain Hills, AZ [IMG] | 4-star | 67 pbk, 69 rbk, 75 str
Projected Role » This isn't a surprise to any that following recruiting closely as Pennington's struggles at IMG followed him to USF where he got off to a slow start and was quickly bumped down to the third team. It might be a while before Pennington sees the field.
Projected Statline » Redshirt

DT James Boyd [ATH #35]: 6'4", 275lbs | Largo, FL | 4-star | 64 acc, 71 str, 70 pmv, 51 fmv, 79 bsh
Projected Role » Boyd will be competing with Chris Scott to make the two-deep so he likely won't have much of an impact this season
Projected Statline » Redshirt

LB Nate Jacobs [ILB #6]: 6'5", 225lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | 79 spd, 88 acc, 83 btk, 80 bsh, 69 zcv
Projected Role » One of the stars of spring so far, Jacobs has really impressed the coaching staff ever since he stepped foot on campus and keeping him off the field is going to be tough to do.
Projected Statline » 20 tackles

S Shawn Franklin [S #5]: 6'3", 202lbs | Natchitoches, LA | 4-star | 88 spd, 86 acc, 82 tkl, 77 hit power, 75 zcv, 73 bsh
Projected Role » Already one of the team's better tacklers in the secondary, Franklin is going to be a key special teams player. He can earn himself an even bigger role if he continues to shine in the spring.
Projected Statline » 15 tackles

OL Luis Pearson [G #10]: 6'5", 294lbs | Shelby, NC [IMG] | 4-star | 80 pbk, 85 rbk, 85 str
Projected Role » Pearson could very well end up being the team's starting right tackle as he's already rotating at right tackle with Sam Jefferson, a sophomore who started several games last season. When going up against All-American Marcellus Smith, Pearson has held his own and this bodes well for his chances to play and potentially even start as a freshman
Projected Statline » 6 starts

CB Anthony Sharp [CB #7]: 5'9", 180lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | 94 spd, 89 acc, 82 mcv, 84 zcv, 86 press
Projected Role » If it wasn't for Brandon Bryant, Sharp would be getting all the hype as he's as good as a cover corner as one can be coming out of high school. Can he get on the field with all of the talent in front of him? That's the biggest question as he'll be fighting off Thomas Felder and Lamar McNair for that CB5 role.
Projected Statline » 2 pass breakups, 8 games played

OLB Oliver Colvin [OLB #13]: 6'3", 232lbs | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 4-star | 83 spd, 93 acc, 85 pursuit, 75 pmv, 68 fmv, 82 bsh
Projected Role » The Bulls didn't have a playmaker at outside linebacker last season and Colvin might be the one to change that as his versatility will allow USF DC Trai Martinez to get funky with Colvin and throw off defenses.
Projected Statline » 30 tackles, 5 tackles for loss, 3 pass breakups

OLB Marcus Wiley [OLB #55]: 6'2", 215lbs | Phoenixville, PA | 3-star | 80 spd, 89 acc, 70 btkl, 68 bsh, 62 zcv
Projected Role » Most likely going to redshirt but a good athlete that can probably be a core special teams player down the line
Projected Statline »

K Jonathan Love [K #10]: 6'0", 178lbs | Horn Lake, MS | 3-star | 82 kick power, 82 kick accuracy
Projected Role » The team's starting kicker, Love doesn't have the strongest leg but has been relatively consistent from the 40-yard in.
Projected Statline » 100% XP

P Josiah Anderson [K #16]: 6'2", 195lbs | Sans Souci, SC | 3-star | 86 kick power, 65 kick accuracy
Projected Role » Anderson will likely be the team's kickoff specialist and their punter where the accuracy can certainly be improved
Projected Statline » 32.5 Avg Net

[James]

#4 recruiting class and back in the contenders division. I imagine Oklahoma doesn’t stay down long.

[Soapy]

#4 recruiting class and back in the contenders division. I imagine Oklahoma doesn’t stay down long.

it's hard to tell now with the play-in game, no more automatic bids unless you win the contenders division or make the playoffs. Even if they have a good season, like UCF did two seasons ago, you could always lose that play-in bowl game, have a down year the next year and now you're in rising

[Soapy]

Team Rocky beats Team Bulls in Bulls Spring Game as defense rules the day
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles

Spring football came to a close at USF on Saturday as the Team Rocky dominated Team Bulls on their way to a 27-0 victory in the Bulls annual spring game.

Junior quarterback Rashad Woodard got the start at quarterback for Team Rocky along with the rest of the presumed first team offense, completing 22 of 37 passes for 247 yards. It was a tough sledding for the running game against the first team defense on Team Bulls but Justin Thomas eventually found cracks in the Bulls defense, rushing for 114 yards and a touchdown.

True freshman running back Cameron Stokes also had a rushing touchdown.

While Team Bulls was equipped with most of the returning starters on defense, the team fielded an all-freshman offensive line of left tackle Kevin Brown, left guard Brett Pennington, center Ed Foster, right guard Brian Jackson and right tackle Luis Pearson. They got off to a promising start but when running back Dave Parker left the game with an injury eight carries in, the offense slowed down to a halt.

It was an especially tough day for Chris Price and Justin Ingram who combined for just 195 yards, completing just 47 percent of their passes for Team Bulls with Ingram throwing two interceptions in the fourth quarter. Earl May had some moments at running back, subbing in for the injured Parker but he was held to just 3.8 yards per carry and fumbled the ball.

A bright spot was true freshman Jake Bryant who caught nine passes for 79 yards. Five-star receiver Ryan Murray also had some moments with five catches for 66 yards but did have two drops.

It was a really good day for both defenses with Brandon Smith recording four tackles and two tackles for loss while Marcellus Smith had several pressures and a would-be-sack on a play that was blown dead. Damon Hill also flashed with two tackles for loss and a quarterback pressure, as did Nate Jacobs and Ryan Robinson who each had eleven tackles on the day. Jacobs also intercepted a pass from Ingram in the fourth quarter and had a quarterback sack as well. True freshman safety Shawn Franklin had the other interception.

Things got testy at times between receiver Scott Price who caught five passes for 91 yards and some of USF corners with true freshman Brandon Bryant and sophomore Thomas Felder drawing the matchup. Price had a few nice contested catches against Felder while Bryant was very competitive, playing press coverage on most downs against Price.

The two got tangled up on a pass that Bryant was able to extend his arms and knock away, resulting in them falling to the ground. The scuffle lasted only a few seconds but was indictive of the competitive nature of the spring game, despite the one-sided score. Joshua Butler also had a great game with 8 catches for 96 yards, mostly against Travis Jones.

USF defensive coordinator Trai Martinez appeared to be calling the defensive plays for Team Rocky while receiver coach Malcolm Francois Jr. was calling the offensive plays. For Team Bulls, it was quarterbacks coach Jeremy Butler and defensive line coach Taylor Fletcher.

USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. confirmed after the game that Butler will be the team's primary play caller on gameday with Francois Jr. and OL coach Ryan Williams providing 'game plan assistance'.

[Google[Bot]]

Stokes really out here as a three-position threat - future ne patriot.


Murphy and Parker don’t have the speed I was expecting. Murphy doesn’t feel as special if he keeps dropping passes

[Soapy]

Stokes really out here as a three-position threat - future ne patriot.


Murphy and Parker don’t have the speed I was expecting. Murphy doesn’t feel as special if he keeps dropping passes

man if it wasn't for my house rule of no ATHs at QB, Stokes might really be #him in a few years at QB.

They're both 4.4 guys so 86-89 speed is about what I expected. I'm a bit worried about Parker's acceleration, especially at running back but we'll see how it goes. Derek Young had 1K/1K in Jeremy Butler's offense a few seasons ago so I expect Parker to have a lesser but similar role in terms of catching passes and being a physical runner.

[Soapy]

USF Bulls announce QB Rashad Woodard as starting quarterback ahead of summer workouts
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

The University of South Florida has announced that junior quarterback Rashad Woodard will be the team's starter for the 2043 season.

The announcement was made via a social media page that included highlights from Woodard's two seasons as a backup at USF along with some practice and scrimmage clips, including his impressive throw to Scott Price in the spring game a few weeks ago that was the highlight of the night.

Woodard, listed at six-foot-two and 205 pounds, has thrown five touchdowns with his two interceptions coming in his freshman season where he appeared in four games. Woodard rushed for 162 yards last season, averaging 54 yards per game and two touchdowns before a back injury ended his season.

The Oklahoma native's accuracy was described as 'freaky' by quarterback coach Jeremy Butler who compared Woodard's accuracy to former USF quarterback Joey Spence, who Butler coached during his time at USF back in 2037.

"Joey [Spence] has a generational arm," Butler commented in the spring, "But when it comes to accuracy, Rashad [Woodard] is already there, it's just ironing out the kinks. When his feet are set, he's confident in what he's doing and the game is slowing down, it's a completion every time. I think the biggest thing is going to be slowing the game down and that's going to be on us."

Woodard beat out redshirt freshmen Chris Price and Justin Ingram. Butler was also complimentary of Price after the spring game despite the poor outing, comparing him to Jared Chavis who was Spence's backup that season. Chavis would eventually start the following year and lead USF to a national championship before being drafted.

[Soapy]

USF's David Thomas, Chris Scott and Clarence Sullivan among those involved in off-campus arrests made on Friday
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer

Three University of South Florida football players, including one All-American, were among 23 students arrested Friday morning as a result of an eight-month investigation into illegal drug dealing at an off-campus student apartment located less than a mile from USF's campus.

The football players arrested were junior safety Clarence Sullivan, redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Chris Scott and true freshman running back David Thomas, who enrolled at USF just a few weeks during the early summer semester.

Sullivan is a standout player who won the Thorpe Award last season, giving to the nation's top defensive back, and was an All-American last season after recording 88 tackles, 10 tackles for loss along with two interceptions. His arrival at USF was marred with controversy as he was charged as an accomplice to an armed robbery as a high school senior but those charges were latter dropped.

The 23 students arrested had sold drugs “hand-to-hand” to undercover officers or had direct knowledge of those dealings, USF Police Chief Jason Hastings said. Drugs sold to officers included marijuana, cocaine, ecstasy and a variety of prescription drugs. It's unclear at this time what the three football players involvement were.

Hastings added that this is not a football problem but a student problem.

"We take these accusations and arrests very seriously. Under my watch, drugs and drug use by USF's student-athletes will not be tolerated by me or any member of my coaching staff," USF head coach Malcolm Francois Sr. said in a statement, "I believe strongly that young people's lives are more important than wins or losses and we will continue to monitor this situation closely. At this moment, the players involved are suspended indefinitely from the football program."

The investigation was prompted by complaints from students, parents and community members, officials said. The arrested students were immediately removed from campus and face possible expulsion, officials added.

[Agent]

Lmao gotta delete players off your roster