Strength in Unity.

[Soapy]

Despite late arrival, true freshman Wilson right into thick of QB competition
Johnny Murray -- The Tampa Bay Times Sports Columnist

USF true freshman quarterback Brandon Wilson was at prom just a few months ago but you wouldn't be able to tell based on his performance at the first fall scrimmage.

Wilson was one of the standout players highlighted by both the coaching staff and the players during the post scrimmage press availability. The unofficial numbers from the staff were 8 of 10 for 115 yards with an interception and a touchdown apiece for the true freshman.

The scrimmage highlighted what has been a strong first week for Wilson who joins a quarterback battle between redshirt sophomores James Brown and Todd Woods. Brown had a good day as well, throwing for 90 yards and was the only one of the three quarterbacks to not throw an interception.

Wilson has a long ways to go if he's going to if he's going to start in the opener against Tennessee not the least of which is simply learning the playbook. However, it was evident from the first practice that the media was able to watch that Wilson is not afraid to push the ball down the field. The same can't be said for Woods and to a lesser extent Brown. It doesn't always look pretty out of his hands but Wilson had a couple nice deep balls in practice and according to reports, he had a 40+ yard completion on Sunday during the scrimmage.

It's hard to see Wilson starting in just a few weeks time due to him not being here in the spring but if the team is going to rely on its running game anyway and the defense, it does leave the door open for a potential true freshman to start for the first time since Michael Harrell.

[Soapy]

no easy games on that schedule

[Soapy]

Bulls, Tide pseudo rivalry re-sparked with September 28th appointment
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

After playing each other in the SEC Championship Game twice in the last three seasons, USF and Alabama will now face off in the regular season in what would be the biggest game of the month if not for USF traveling to Columbus just one week before.

USF's schedule has been released with the dates finalized and it's loaded to say the least with five preseason ranked opponents in the first six games and the outlier being a very talented Florida team on the road.

The Bulls only face one currently ranked opponent to end their season following that in #19 Notre Dame and they don't leave the state of Florida following that matchup either.

2030 USF Schedule
Aug. 24 at #13 Tennessee
Aug. 31 vs. #22 LSU
Sep. 7 at Florida
Sep. 14 vs. #18 Georgia
Sep. 21 at #2 Ohio State
Sep. 28 at #4 Alabama
OPEN
Oct. 12 at #19 Notre Dame
Oct. 19 vs. Auburn**
OPEN
Nov. 2 vs. Oklahoma***
Nov. 9 at Florida State
Nov. 16 at Miami*
Nov. 22 at UCF*

*denotes night game (subject to change)
** denotes Homecoming
*** denotes Senior Game

[supahotfire]

will be lucky to make it to november with 5 wins. what are u ranked?

[Soapy]

Recruiting Cycle Preview: After straying away from the state last season, USF bound to not make the same mistake again
Eddie Fernandez -- 247 Sports USF Insider

Last season, USF finished with the 10th best recruiting class in the nation. A feat for many but a disappointment for the Bulls who had landed the nation's top class in back to back cycles.

One of the reasons was a lack of talent in the state of Florida and particularly in the southern part of the state. Two years ago, there were ten players in the 247 Sports top 100 and last season, that number was down to eight with USF being involved in the recruitment of just one of those players in Aaron Spurlock.

There are 11 top 100 players this cycle in the Sunshine State and USF is targeting three guys so far in Sweetwater four-star center Erik Hill, Jacksonville tight end Ryan Sanders and Pembroke Pines safety Chris Green.

The rest of the board is littered with Florida talent and guys that they have a good shot at landing. The elite three, however, will be an uphill climb for the Bulls.

As will their recruitment of Elite 11 alumni Brian Anderson, the top quarterback this cycle. Anderson is an Ohio State commit that the Bulls are trying to steer away from. Anderson is from Ohio, grew up a Buckeyes fan and committed as a sophomore. Will the possibility of starting as a true freshman be enough to make him reconsider it?

Who do they have in the boat already? Two in-state tackles in Joe Williams and Josh Hardy, two local kids that have good size, good athleticism and are people movers. Hardy likes ends up being a guard in the SEC while Williams is more of a right tackle than left tackle, which is what he currently plays in high school.

On the defensive line, they have a local defensive end in Lakeland's George Vogel who is a bit of a hybrid capable of playing both on the outside or kicking inside. He dominates his high school competition with mostly bull rushes so he'll need to expand his pass rushing repertoire in order to compete at the college level. They also have Washington D.C. defensive tackle Brett Gunn, the fifth ranked defensive tackle in the class who has a ton of potential if he's able to put it together. He's a bit undersize but has a high motor and can be situational pass rusher from the inside relatively early on his career as he continues to add weight.

They also have a commitment from Pensacola kicker Brian Henry.

2031 USF Recruiting Class
DT Brett Gunn [DT #5]: 5'11", 278lbs | Washington D.C. | 4-star | 5.16 40-yd dash, 410 Bench Press Max, 525 Squat Max
T Josh Hardy [T #5]: 6'4", 323lbs | Tampa, FL | 4-star | 4.98 40-yd dash, 430 Bench Press Max, 560 Squat Max
T Joe Williams [T #29]: 6'7", 315lbs | Brandon, FL | 4-star | 4.98 40-yd dash, 430 Bench Press Max, 560 Squat Max
K Brian Henry [K #]: 6'0", 194lbs | West Pensacola, FL | 3-star | 4.92 40-yd dash, 255 Bench Press Max, 255 Squat Max
DE George Vogel [DE #108]: 6'5", 241lbs | Lakeland, FL | 3-star | 4.86 40-yd dash, 375 Bench Press Max, 510 Squat Max

2031 USF Recruiting Board
WR Max McDonald [WR #5]: 5'10", 196lbs | Lakewood, WA | 5-star | USF, Minnesota, Michigan, San Diego State, Wisconsin
C Erik Hill [C #1]: 5'11", 264lbs | Sweetwater, FL | 4-star | USC, Ohio State, Texas, Michigan, USF
QB Brian Anderson [QB #1]: 6'3", 210lbs | Englewood, OH | 4-star | Ohio State [Committed], Notre Dame, Michigan, Penn State, USF
S Chris Green [S #1]: 6'1", 206lbs | Pembroke Pines, FL | 4-star | Florida, Florida State, USF, Miami, UCF
CB Damien Ford [CB #5]: 5'10", 190lbs | Addison, TX | 4-star | USF, Notre Dame, Michigan State
TE Ryan Sanders [TE #3]: 6'5", 273lbs | Jacksonville, FL | 4-star | USC, Nebraska, Alabama, Auburn, USF
C Jeff Freeman [C #17]: 6'2", 278lbs | Tampa, FL | 3-star | Middle Tennessee State, Western Kentucky, Arizona State, Michigan, USF
CB Brian Ransom [CB #23]: 6'2", 189lbs | Fort Lauderdale, FL | 3-star | FAU, UCF, FIU, Mississippi State, USF
QB Mike Evans [QB #27]: 6'3", 220lbs | Orlando, FL | 3-star | UCF, Miami, USF, Florida State, Mississippi State
TE Adam Bryant [TE #26]: 6'6", 247lbs | Miami, FL | 3-star | FIU, Memphis, South Alabama, UTSA, USF
ILB Paul Williams [ILB #49]: 6'2", 234lbs | Jacksonville, FL | 3-star | USF, UCF, UAB, South Carolina
G Ryan Terrell [G #38]: 6'0", 311lbs | Tampa, FL | 3-star | Florida, Florida State, Oklahoma, Clemson, USF
FB/TE Matthew Smith [FB #2]: 6'0", 219lbs | Fort Myers, FL | 3-star | USF, Maryland, Auburn
FB Rian McAfee [FB #5]: 6'1", 241lbs | West Pensacola, FL | 3-star | USF, Florida, Alabama, Auburn, South Carolina
T Kyle Parker [T #55]: 6'7", 312lbs | Okeechobee, FL (juco) | 3-star | USF, Georgia, Ole Miss, Alabama
G Martin Cunningham [G #71]: 6'1", 291lbs | Tampa, FL | 3-star | NC State, Middle Tennessee State, Ohio State, Minnesota, USF
FB/TE Will Thomas [FB #20]: 6'1", 234lbs | Tampa, FL | 2-star | Mississippi State, Georgia State, Troy, FAU, USF

[Soapy]

No. 1 jersey stays on defense, LB Greg Booth next player to wear the jersey
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

USF linebacker Greg Booth will wear the No. 1 jersey this season, USF announced on Sunday following their second fall scrimmage.

The jersey had been worn previously by defensive end B.J. Patton, who recorded a school and NCAA record for most sacks in a single season while donning the jersey last season. The jersey number is designated by the coaching staff and former players that have won the jersey. Patton was a big supporter of Booth getting it.

"[Booth] got us right last season," Patton wrote in the comments, "His time to shine!"

Booth led the team with 100 tackles this season after going from a situational contributor his first two seasons to a full time starter. He is one of two preseason AP First Team All-Americans along with fellow linebacker Mark Johnson. Safety Fred Jones made the second team.

[Soapy]

Brown is the guy at quarterback as Francois Sr. makes announcement
Cooper Byrd -- Dynasty Sports Staff Writer

Redshirt sophomore James Brown has been named the USF Bulls starting quarterback and will make his first career for South Florida during the team's opener against Tennessee.

Brown beat out fellow third-year sophomore Todd Woods and true freshman Brandon Wilson. According to head coach Malcolm Francois Sr, Brown created distance between the rest of the pack as camp got underway.

"It was neck and neck leaving the spring," said Francois Sr, "As fall camp was unfolding, he just kept stacking good days after good days until in my eyes, it was no longer a competition."

Brown was the 41st ranked quarterback in his recruiting class, making him the lowest ranked recruit in Francois' tenure at USF who will start a game at quarterback. James Pittman was the 38th ranked quarterback and the previous record holder.

Here is the rest of the official depth chart for the Tennessee game:

Quarterbacks
#14 James Brown, Rs Sophomore | 6'2", 225lbs | 77 ovr, 74 spd, 69 acc, 72 awr, 77 thp, 85 tha
#18 Todd Woods, Rs Sophomore | 6'2", 215lbs | 72 ovr, 63 spd, 66 acc, 65 awr, 83 thp, 81 tha
#12 Brandon Wilson, Freshman | 6'2", 196lbs | 66 ovr, 68 spd, 68 acc, 56 awr, 81 thp, 75 tha

Running backs
#3 Pookie Harrell, Junior | 5'11", 216lbs | 89 ovr, 96 spd, 93 acc, 85 btk, 80 car, 82 trk, 93 elu
#42 E.J. Thomas, Sophomore | 5'10", 234lbs | 85 ovr, 90 spd, 90 acc, 84 btk, 79 car, 90 trk, 72 elu
#25 Roger Shaw Jr, Freshman | 6'2", 218lbs | 76 ovr, 92 spd, 87 acc, 68 btk, 91 car, 76 elu
#34 Anthony Montgomery, Sophomore | 6'1", 210lbs | 81 ovr, 85 spd, 91 acc, 87 btk, 74 car, 84 elu
#31 Joe Marshall, Rs Junior | 6'3", 223lbs | 77 ovr, 91 spd, 85 acc, 76 btk, 67 car
#20 Terrance Small, Freshman | 5'11", 197lbs | 63 ovr, 89 spd, 75 acc, 63 btk, 56 car, 73 elu

Fullbacks
#89 Lance Fields, Junior | 6'4", 245lbs | 70 ovr, 70 spd, 75 acc, 73 rbk

Wide receivers
X
#4 Brad Williams, Senior | 6'4", 211lbs | 82 ovr, 95 spd, 91 acc, 76 cth
#81 Brent Cunningham, Freshman | 5'10", 176lbs | 72 ovr, 94 spd, 89 acc, 58 cth

Z
#5 Pat Newsome, Junior | 6'5", 221lbs | 90 ovr, 91 spd, 98 acc, 90 cth
#85 Louis Dukes, Sophomore | 6'4", 210lbs | 81 ovr, 84 spd, 86 acc, 83 cth
#80 Travis Lewis, Sophomore | 6'4", 182lbs | 77 ovr, 84 spd, 89 acc, 79 cth

Y
#8 Jeremiah McCullough, Senior | 5'11", 183lbs | 92 ovr, 93 spd, 97 acc, 87 cth
#11 Nigel Medley, Junior | 6'1", 205lbs | 89 ovr, 86 spd, 94 acc, 92 cth
#9 Brent Slaughter, Junior | 6'5", 228lbs | 85 ovr, 87 spd, 93 acc, 86 cth
#10 Courtney Lane, Freshman | 5'11", 213lbs | 79 ovr, 89 spd, 84 acc, 80 cth

Tight ends
#83 Josh Smith, Junior | 6'4", 249lbs | 77 ovr, 82 spd, 86 acc, 72 cth, 73 rbk
#86 Chance Fisher, Sophomore | 6'5", 257lbs | 72 ovr, 83 spd, 86 acc, 85 cth, 69 rbk

Offensive Line
#66 LT Lance Williams, Freshman | 6'8", 324lbs | 73 ovr, 79 pbk, 76 rbk, 83 str
#71 LG Lamar Felder, Rs Sophomore | 6'5", 297lbs | 82 ovr, 92 pbk, 85 rbk, 81 str
#61 C Ben Brown, Rs Sophomore | 6'4", 329lbs | 83 ovr, 92 pbk, 85 rbk, 83 str
#75 RG Nick Matthews, Senior | 6'4", 317lbs | 90 ovr, 90 pbk, 97 rbk, 92 str
#64 RT Justin West, Freshman | 6'5", 308lbs | 75 ovr, 75 pbk, 83 rbk, 86 str
------
#62 T Luis Butler, Freshman | 6'5", 312lbs | 73 ovr, 76 pbk, 81 rbk, 83 str
#72 T Jim Weisbecker, Rs Junior | 6'4", 333lbs | 73 ovr, 83 pbk, 82 rbk, 80 str
#77 T James Jones, Sophomore | 6'7", 311lbs | 69 ovr, 78 pbk, 77 rbk, 84 str
#74 G Michael Browser, Rs Freshman | 6'6", 315lbs | 75 ovr, 77 pbk, 88 rbk, 84 str
#60 G Stephen Brown, Rs Senior | 6'4", 337lbs | 75 ovr, 88 pbk, 79 rbk, 80 str
#68 C John Rawlins, Rs Junior | 6'0", 317lbs | 83 ovr, 88 pbk, 85 rbk, 83 str
#76 C Daniel Moore, Rs Freshman | 6'3", 300lbs | 64 ovr, 74 pbk, 73 rbk, 75 str

Defensive Line
LDE
#90 Justin Young, Senior | 6'4", 255lbs | 86 ovr, 74 spd, 77 acc, 84 str, 90 pmv, 91 fmv, 89 bsh
#16 Aaron Spurlock, Freshman | 6'5", 259lbs | 80 ovr, 85 spd, 88 acc, 74 str, 80 pmv, 86 fmv, 79 bsh
#97 Rick Hunter, Freshman | 6'1", 252lbs | 68 ovr, 69 spd, 79 acc, 70 str, 75 pmv, 78 fmv, 78 bsh

RDE
#53 Reggie Harper, Rs Senior | 5'11", 253lbs | 90 ovr, 88 spd, 95 acc, 83 str, 85 pmv, 95 fmv, 83 bsh
#33 Cornelius Ross, Junior | 6'4", 247lbs | 84 ovr, 77 spd, 84 acc, 81 str, 87 pmv, 91 fmv, 87 bsh

DT
#13 Jason Hamilton, Junior | 6'4", 283lbs | 85 ovr, 74 spd, 84 acc, 88 str, 89 pmv, 67 fmv, 81 bsh
#91 Rodney Williams, Rs Senior | 6'2", 312lbs | 84 ovr, 71 spd, 75 acc, 82 str, 92 pmv, 88 fmv, 78 bsh
#94 Chris Mark, Junior | 6'4", 311lbs | 81 ovr, 58 spd, 78 acc, 80 str, 89 pmv, 85 fmv, 85 bsh
#95 Dwayne Callahan, Sophomore | 6'4", 302lbs | 74 ovr, 55 spd, 65 acc, 85 str, 79 pmv, 73 fmv, 82 bsh
#99 Kevin Simon, Rs Sophomore | 6'3", 324lbs | 73 ovr, 52 spd, 71 acc, 82 str, 81 pmv, 76 fmv, 81 bsh

Linebackers
MIKE
#1 Greg Booth, Senior | 6'1", 232lbs | 86 ovr, 88 spd, 99 acc, 40 awr, 82 tkl, 79 bsh, 86 zcv
#52 Gary Adkins, Rs Sophomore | 6'1", 254lbs | 85 ovr, 82 spd, 91 acc, 56 awr, 76 tkl, 87 bsh, 82 zcv
#54 Curtis Carter, Sophomore | 5'11", 226lbs | 81 ovr, 81 spd, 86 acc, 49 awr, 78 tkl, 81 bsh, 75 zcv
#55 Brent Pearson, Freshman | 6'0", 230lbs | 77 ovr, 80 spd, 84 acc, 43 awr, 76 tkl, 78 bsh, 72 zcv
#50 Willie Lawrence, Rs Freshman | 5'11", 247lbs | 68 ovr, 74 spd, 92 acc, 46 awr, 70 tkl, 81 bsh, 63 zcv

WILL
#7 Mark Johnson, Sophomore | 6'2", 228lbs | 81 ovr, 85 spd, 94 acc, 45 awr, 80 tkl, 81 bsh, 76 zcv
#59 Bill Pace, Sophomore | 6'1", 244lbs | 74 ovr, 86 spd, 89 acc, 44 awr, 73 tkl, 74 bsh, 71 zcv

SAM
#56 Adam Hughes, Freshman | 6'4", 230lbs | 78 ovr, 83 spd, 93 acc, 41 awr, 72 tkl, 83 bsh, 72 zcv
#51 Mike Jackson, Rs Sophomore | 6'1", 236lbs | 73 ovr, 84 spd, 95 acc, 48 awr, 80 tkl, 83 bsh, 60 zcv

Secondary
LCB
#2 Jay Burke, Senior | 5'11", 193lbs | 90 ovr, 96 spd, 93 acc, 99 awr, 91 mcv, 95 zcv, 90 press
#17 Kareem Hunter, Freshman | 5'9", 175lbs | 78 ovr, 96 spd, 96 acc, 58 awr, 80 mcv, 89 zcv, 76 press

RCB
#27 Sam Harris, Rs Senior | 5'11", 198lbs | 89 ovr, 95 spd, 89 acc, 99 awr, 93 mcv, 94 zcv, 90 press
#22 Adam Kelly, Rs Freshman | 5'11", 181lbs | 73 ovr, 93 spd, 91 acc, 56 awr, 75 mcv, 85 zcv, 83 press

STAR
#23 Andrew Wright, Junior | 5'11", 181lbs | 85 ovr, 93 spd, 76 acc, 77 awr, 93 mcv, 89 zcv, 86 press

FS
#21 Fred Jones, Junior | 6'1", 186lbs | 89 ovr, 92 spd, 93 acc, 92 awr, 87 tkl, 80 mcv, 83 zcv OR
#26 Jason Lawson, Rs Senior | 5'11", 184lbs | 85 ovr, 91 spd, 83 acc, 88 awr, 70 tkl, 87 mcv, 89 zcv
#24 David Daniel, Sophomore | 6'2", 221lbs | 78 ovr, 89 spd, 88 acc, 86 awr, 72 tkl, 76 mcv, 81 zcv

SS
#6 Brandon Benjamin, Junior | 6'2", 202lbs | 86 ovr, 90 spd, 94 acc, 83 awr, 86 tkl, 76 mcv, 85 zcv
#35 Jason Lindsey, Rs Senior | 6'1", 235lbs | 78 ovr, 85 spd, 86 acc, 46 awr, 87 tkl, 80 mcv, 67 zcv

Specialists
K #96 Sheldon Davis, Senior | 6'1", 205lbs | 91 ovr, 89 kick power, 95 kick accuracy
P-Short Yardage #37 Spencer Quinn, Senior | 5'10", 172lbs | 77 ovr, 74 kick power, 81 kick accuracy
P-Long Yardage #93 Adam Cain, Freshman | 6'4", 215lbs | 81 ovr, 84 kick power, 80 kick accuracy
R #81 Brent Cunningham, Freshman | 5'10", 176lbs | 94 spd, 71 agility, 89 acc
R #17 Kareem Hunter, Freshman | 5'9", 175lbs | 96 spd, 80 agility, 96 acc

[supahotfire]

defense is gonna carry u this year

[Soapy]

defense is gonna carry u this year

gonna have to be

[Soapy]

will be lucky to make it to november with 5 wins. what are u ranked?

Currently 6th, should be an interesting season