Would y'all prefer my traditional position by position break downs or more free lance stories (similar to the last two updates) and then just one final depth chart with players ratings?
Completely up to y'all, don't have a preference.
Strength in Unity.
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MajorSupreme
- Posts: 370
- Joined: 05 Jun 2020, 12:39
Strength in Unity.
The latter, it's great for world immersion
Strength in Unity.
say less king.
Strength in Unity.
Pittman named starter by Francois during media availability
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
USF head coach Malcolm Francois could be accused by some of playing coy in the past and dragging quarterback competitions to the very last minute before announcing his starter. In his tenth season at USF, Francois isn't wasting any time.
During a media availability on Monday, Francois announced to an unsuspecting media scrum that redshirt junior quarterback James Pittman will be the starter and "that's that on that."
Francois was asked a question from The Oracle reporter Lukas Bell how the offense was coming along with him as a play caller and unprovoked, Francois broke the news.
"We're establishing our rhythm," Francois said, "We still have ways to go but James [Pittman] is looking really good with the offense and I think he'll have a good season."
When the reporter followed up on Francois' statement, he confirmed that Pittman (82 ovr, 82 spd, 85 acc, 80 thp, 79 tha) was indeed the starter.
"He's the guy," Francois said, "And that's that on that."
The Bulls head coach and de-facto offensive coordinator did compliment the other quarterbacks, praising Mike McFarland's arm talent and how Nick Williams has been progressing. McFarland (82 ovr, 73 spd, 75 acc, 88 thp, 81 tha) struggled last season with both injuries and interceptions, throwing nine picks and just three touchdowns.
Pittman wasn't great with ball security either, throwing twelve interceptions but did have fourteen total touchdowns and added 612 yards on the ground. On his career, Pittman is averaging 8.8 yards per carry.
Strength in Unity.
Alabama pipeline continues as Top247 DE Swain commits to the Bulls
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider
USF doesn't leave the state of Florida often to find talent and when it does, it's typically to Georgia or Texas but after the illustrious career of Troy Henry, it might want to start looking at Alabama as a feeder state.
The Bulls first commitment of the 2024 recruiting class was from The Cotton State. Four-star defensive Kyle Swain committed to USF over schools like Louisville, Virginia Tech, Clemson and Indiana. A six-foot-two and 253 pound defensive end, Swain will fit in Dave Doeren's defense due to his natural pass rushing abilities and has the size and physicality to be stout against the run.
USF doesn't have a lot of counters this cycle with just eight seniors on the roster. It could be a very small class similar to the 2017 recruiting class which saw them sign just eleven players including quarterback David Johnson and running back David Ross.
2024 USF Recruiting Class
DE Kyle Swain [DE #13]: 6'2", 253lbs | Prichard, AL | 4-star | 4.78 40-yd dash, 420 Bench Press, 560 Squat
2024 USF Recruiting Board
WR Jason Barbour [WR #2]: 6'2", 212lbs | Fairview Shores, FL | 5-star | Florida, Rutgers, Tennessee, Minnesota, USF
WR Darius Downs [WR #5]: 6'4", 215lbs | Miami, FL | 5-star | Miami, Ole Miss, Florida State, South Carolina, USF
TE Vincent Everett [TE #2]: 6'1", 241lbs | Plantation, FL | 5-star | Florida, Florida State, Auburn, Texas, USF
S Kelvin Ware [S #1]: 6'1", 199lbs | Cerritos, CA | 5-star | USC, Alabama, Michigan, Ohio State, USF
LB Danny Love [LB #2]: 6'4", 238lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Clemson, Virginia Tech, Florida, Kansas State
C Ed Cade [C #1]: 6'2", 290lbs | Stanford, CA | 4-star | USC, California, UCLA, Stanford, USF
C M.J. Williams [C #2]: 6'0", 290lbs | Beaumont, TX | 4-star | USC, Stanford, Clemson, Wisconsin, USF
T Parker Wright [T #4]: 6'7", 283lbs | Gainesville, FL | 4-star | Florida, Georgia, Auburn, Ohio State, USF
DT James Faulk [DT #6]: 6'4", 275lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | USF, Virginia Tech, Stanford, Alabama, Ohio State
DT William Levine [DT #9]: 6'4", 292lbs | Orlando, FL | 4-star | USF, Florida State, Florida, Alabama
HB Jason Finley [HB #14]: 6'1", 212lbs | Miami, FL | 4-star | UCF, USF, Mississippi State, FAU, Miami
QB Jay Jackson [QB #21]: 5'11", 204lbs | Miami, FL | 3-star | Troy, Florida State, Miami, Georgia Tech, USF
Strength in Unity.
Run of the Bulls ‣ USF Football News
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ Thomas, Burns getting starter reps while Shaw and Bright head JUCO route
Former USF Bull Jeremy Thomas has won the starting job at Georgia State over redshirt senior Chris Yates.
Yates threw for 2186 yards last season but completed just 48.3 percent of his passes. Thomas transferred from USF earlier in the spring and will try to lead the Panthers back to their 2019 form when they won nine games. Since then, they have won five, seven and four games under head coach Mark Dantonio.
WR Brandon Burns has also seen the fruits of his decision to leave USF. The California native ended up at USC as a graduate transfer and according to their 247 Sports affiliate, has been one of the Trojans top players in the summer workouts and early portion of fall camp.
The Bulls open the season against USC.
QB Eugene Shaw and WR Benji Bright have enrolled at East Mississippi Community College in hopes to improve their stock. Bright played as a true freshman at USF but saw his role reduced as a sophomore while Shaw has only seen action in last year's bowl game. Shaw was reportedly offered a preferred walk-on spot at Stanford but chose to go the JUCO route instead.
‣ McFarland absence 'being dealt with internally' according to Francois
USF redshirt sophomore QB Mike McFarland was not present at the public portion of Wednesday and Friday's practice. In the team's unofficial scrimmage on Saturday, McFarland's name was not listed on the stat sheet released to the media. It didn't take long for internet sleuths to find social media posts from fellow USF students on Saturday afternoon which showed McFarland on the beach during the time of the scrimmage.
On Monday, head coach Malcolm Francois declined to comment on the situation but did confirm his absence.
"We're not going to get into it," Francois told the media, "I understand the question and respect you doing your job but it's being dealt with internally."
McFarland wasn't made available to the media on Wednesday but was spotted at practice.
McFarland's absence came the same week that Francois announced James Pittman as the starting quarterback. The Bulls have already lost two quarterbacks to the transfer portal and another one would leave them with just two scholarship quarterbacks.
‣ Mitchell awarded coveted number one jersey
Sophomore running back Gerald Mitchell will be wearing the number one jersey this upcoming season after wearing the number 25 as a true freshman.
The jersey number is typically awarded to a player by the coaching staff with input from previous players that have worn the number such as Troy Henry, Michael Harrell, Zac White and others.
Mitchell (83 ovr, 90 spd, 84 acc, 85 btk, 82 car) rushed for 526 yards and six touchdowns as Henry's backup last season. He figures to have a bigger role this season with two true freshman at running back and a converted receiver with zero career carries in John Dixon.
The announcement was made on the Bulls social media which included an highlight reel of the aforementioned players that have worn the number.
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MajorSupreme
- Posts: 370
- Joined: 05 Jun 2020, 12:39
Strength in Unity.
Shaw gonna be a star on the next season of Last Chance U let's go 
Strength in Unity.
The Fall Camp Battles We're Monitoring
Anthony Washington -- The Tampa Bay Chronicles
It seems crazy but the South Florida Bulls have won less than twelve games just four times in Malcolm Francois' now decade long tenure at the school. Being extremely competitive and having a shot at the BCS has become a birth right. Winning the Big 12? A given. This season will challenge just how much of a locomotive this program has become.
The Bulls have had to reload before but not quite like this. They had a shaky quarterback situation in 2022 and it's not any better in 2023, even if there is now a named starter. James Pittman struggled in 2022 as a passer and fans haven't seen anything to show that won't be the same in 2023. They lost both coordinators, their top rusher, their top offensive lineman, their top pass rusher, their leading tackler and an All-American in the secondary.
The upside of all of these losses? Opportunities for younger players and positional battles that were once locked up.
- Whose the alpha in the backfield?
If you buy into the meaning of jersey numbers, sophomore running back Gerald Mitchell is now wearing number one, historically reserved for the leader of the offense. You don't have to look back too long to see that the #1 jersey is not Teflon. Dan Johnson was benched while wearing. Bryan Reynolds was essentially the third back in a rotation while wearing that jersey. David Fuller and Derrick Green, both five-star recruits, are not going to be just freshmen on the bench. They'll be given the opportunity to play, that's the norm here at USF, and Mitchell's claim as top dog in the backfield will have to be earned.
- - Tackle and center is wide open following shift on the offensive line
Last year's left tackle Frank Lucas has shifted into his more natural position at right guard to replace Brian Smith and former Georgia Tech Bernard Livingston has been a staple at left guard since the spring. We have three of the positions with Lucas, Livingston and Derek Charles returning at right tackle. Center is up for grabs between incumbent starter Joel Dixon and Brad Jones, who had success last season as a guard. The team didn't make his switch positions to just be a backup, he could have been Livingston's or Lucas'. They clearly see talent there and are trying to get the junior onto the field. Don't sleep on local product Clay Smith who is a certified people mover.
- - Two former blue chips battle it out at Mike
John Reed impressed many last season with 43 tackles as a true freshman and nine tackles for loss. He didn't make that many splash plays but he was a sound player that flashed some athleticism when it came to hunting down ball carriers. Dallas Gross, on the other hand, has been turning heads. Both former four-star recruits, Reed has the advantaged of having a year under his belt already but in a new scheme and a new defensive coordinator, Gross seems to be the more natural fit in the scheme. He's very aggressive in his run fits and so far has been a step or two faster than Reed. Should be a fun battle to watch not just this camp but for the next few seasons.
- - Who starts opposite Garcia?
Jason Garcia is one of the best corners in the country and teams will be wise to avoid him if they can. Ronnie Gay and Ray Hill held their own last season but nothing to ward off any newcomers from taking their spot. Sid Robinson has impressed many with his top end speed. The Bulls played a lot of nickel last season but in Doeren's 3-3-5 scheme, the extra defensive back is typically a safety so whoever is relegated to the nickel and dime back will see a big drop in playing time compared to last season. Who will be CB2?
Strength in Unity.
it aint gonna be here lmfaoMajorSupreme wrote: ↑24 Feb 2021, 11:03Shaw gonna be a star on the next season of Last Chance U let's go
Strength in Unity.
Hughes embraces 'generational talent' tag
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist
It was three o'clock in the afternoon on a Wednesday and as is the norm, USF head coach Malcolm Francois was watching the film of the morning's practice. He was in the process of installing the offense as the Bulls get ready to play USC in less than a month. On the particular play that was on his screen, Francois remembered it vividly because he had chewed out one of his tight ends for failing to kick out a linebacker who tackled the ball carrier on a quarterback run.
That's when he noticed a pattern. He went through a few more plays, going back to the tape from the practice the day before and the day before that and the day before that. The player responsible for the kick-out block would change; a tight end, a fullback, a running back, a guard or a tackle. The linebacker, never did. It was always true freshman Travis Hughes.
Hughes was a five-star recruit coming out of high school and his story isn't one of being an underdog and overcoming his short comings on the football field and beating the odds. Sorry, Disney. Since he was a kid -- or a 'jit' according to Hughes -- everyone kept telling him he was a generational talent that would play in the league.
"Optimist and all of that was really easy," recalls Hughes, "I kept waiting for it to get hard and it just never did. I try not to let the hype get to me and my head but after a while, it's sort of like 'maybe they're right', you know?"
They were right. Hughes outgrew the safety position he had played growing up by the time he enrolled at Northwestern High School in Miami, Florida so they created a position just for him call 'Bull'. He'd line up about six yards off the line of scrimmage, a yard or two outside of the box. His responsibility on every play? Dealer's choice.
"Rush, cover, play the run. You pick," says Northwestern defensive coordinator Billy Taylor, "He's got the best seat in the house to see what's coming so we just played off him. Everyone else, do your job. Travis? Go make a play, son."
More often than not he did and by his sophomore season, he was a five-star recruit. Hughes always wanted to play in the SEC and Alabama was the early favorite out of the gate but as USF and Miami native Michael Harrell kept winning games and eventually a national championship during Hughes' junior season, the tide turned.
"We always viewed him as a cover guy," Francois says of Hughes, "We thought he'd be a finesse, sort of floating around in the second level. His physicality is what has surprised me. We have a few staples as an offense and I can't run them with him out there because there's certain players that you don't account for in your play-call because they're out of position, they're not supposed to make that play just based off their alignment. That's not the case with Travis and the last guy that I could say that about consistently was Shelton [Richardson]."
Richardson ended his career at USF with 79 tackles for loss and 21.5 sacks. For Hughes, that's the floor.
"You don't wake up one day as the best to ever do it," Hughes says confidently, "You have to lay down that plan, that foundation to be that. Greatness isn't by accident so I always set those standards really high for me and the only thing I've done my entire life is exceeded those expectations."