Know Your Enemy: USF
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Former Notre Dame cornerback Spencer Boyd will transfer to USF this fall, choosing the Bulls over West Virginia. http://tinyurl.com/25Id9xg
Retweeted by BFeldmanESPN
Retweeted by BFeldmanESPN
espn_OTT_FB Cape Coral defender Edsel Caprice is set for South Florida - http://es.pn/bzHy1c
about 2 hours ago via API
about 2 hours ago via API
2010 finish: The Bulls won five of their last seven games, including solid wins over Miami and Clemson away from home. That's the kind of finish that gets people talking about a program heading into the following season.
Coaching: It's often a good bet that teams will improve in their second year under a new coach, as they become fully familiar with the new system. Skip Holtz has won everywhere he's been, and his staff has not suffered any defections in the offseason. Given that he came in under difficult circumstances last January and installed a different type of offense, there's every reason to suspect progress in Year 2.
Schedule: South Florida has only one road nonconference game, though it's a doozy. The Bulls open the season at Notre Dame, a team that will draw some considerable offseason buzz for many of the same reasons. A win there would put the program in the spotlight. The next three out-of-league games at home against Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP shouldn't pose too many threats. A Nov. 26 home date against Miami will be interesting as the Hurricanes will be looking for revenge and playing under a first-year coach. All in all, it's a manageable schedule with a couple of opportunities for marquee wins.
The drawback is that USF has four away games in Big East play and only three at home in 2011.
Returning players: The Bulls return just 10 starters (four on offense, six on defense) from their Meineke Car Care Bowl lineup, which is a small number for a buzz team. But while many seniors leave, the team still has a lot of returning players who saw valuable time.
The Bulls will have to replace three starting offensive linemen and three of the four starting defensive linemen, along with their leading rusher and receiver and top defensive back (Mistral Raymond). But they were deep on defense and have ready-made replacements up front with guys like Ryne Giddins, Julius Forte and Patrick Hampton. Finding someone to take over Terrell McClain's run-stuffing role might be the most difficult task.
Dontavia Bogan is gone, but A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin return from injury, and the Bulls will hope players like Evan Landi, Lindsey Lamar and Terrence Mitchell evolve as playmakers. Mo Plancher led the team in rushing but operated in a tandem with Demetris Murray, who is back. Colorado transfer Darrell Scott and Auburn transfer Dontae Aycock become eligible and should add to the running game.
Once again, the fortunes of the team may rest on quarterback play. B.J. Daniels looked very good in the bowl game, and he'll have Bobby Eveld to push him all offseason. Daniels will be the most experienced quarterback in the Big East in career starts in 2011, for what that's worth.
Conclusion: South Florida has a lot of factors you like to see when determining a buzz team. More returning starters, especially on the offensive line, would help, and there are several players who need to make a step forward in the offseason. Is Daniels the guy we saw in the bowl game or the one who struggled much of the season? Overall, I think USF deserves heavy consideration as one of the league favorites in 2011, but the conference will have many contenders.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/17248/how-buzzworthy-is-south-florida
Coaching: It's often a good bet that teams will improve in their second year under a new coach, as they become fully familiar with the new system. Skip Holtz has won everywhere he's been, and his staff has not suffered any defections in the offseason. Given that he came in under difficult circumstances last January and installed a different type of offense, there's every reason to suspect progress in Year 2.
Schedule: South Florida has only one road nonconference game, though it's a doozy. The Bulls open the season at Notre Dame, a team that will draw some considerable offseason buzz for many of the same reasons. A win there would put the program in the spotlight. The next three out-of-league games at home against Ball State, Florida A&M and UTEP shouldn't pose too many threats. A Nov. 26 home date against Miami will be interesting as the Hurricanes will be looking for revenge and playing under a first-year coach. All in all, it's a manageable schedule with a couple of opportunities for marquee wins.
The drawback is that USF has four away games in Big East play and only three at home in 2011.
Returning players: The Bulls return just 10 starters (four on offense, six on defense) from their Meineke Car Care Bowl lineup, which is a small number for a buzz team. But while many seniors leave, the team still has a lot of returning players who saw valuable time.
The Bulls will have to replace three starting offensive linemen and three of the four starting defensive linemen, along with their leading rusher and receiver and top defensive back (Mistral Raymond). But they were deep on defense and have ready-made replacements up front with guys like Ryne Giddins, Julius Forte and Patrick Hampton. Finding someone to take over Terrell McClain's run-stuffing role might be the most difficult task.
Dontavia Bogan is gone, but A.J. Love and Sterling Griffin return from injury, and the Bulls will hope players like Evan Landi, Lindsey Lamar and Terrence Mitchell evolve as playmakers. Mo Plancher led the team in rushing but operated in a tandem with Demetris Murray, who is back. Colorado transfer Darrell Scott and Auburn transfer Dontae Aycock become eligible and should add to the running game.
Once again, the fortunes of the team may rest on quarterback play. B.J. Daniels looked very good in the bowl game, and he'll have Bobby Eveld to push him all offseason. Daniels will be the most experienced quarterback in the Big East in career starts in 2011, for what that's worth.
Conclusion: South Florida has a lot of factors you like to see when determining a buzz team. More returning starters, especially on the offensive line, would help, and there are several players who need to make a step forward in the offseason. Is Daniels the guy we saw in the bowl game or the one who struggled much of the season? Overall, I think USF deserves heavy consideration as one of the league favorites in 2011, but the conference will have many contenders.
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast/post/_/id/17248/how-buzzworthy-is-south-florida
2011 signees: 21
Top prospects: Local receiver Andre Davis has a solid understanding of the position and was very productive in high school. Linebacker Edsel Caprice is active with a high motor, though he needs to put on some weight. Defensive tackle Elkino Watson picked the Bulls late over Miami and Louisville and should be solid inside.
Needs met: South Florida needed to bring in some receiver help and got that with Davis and Ruben Gonzalez. The Bulls also had to restock the offensive line and linebacking corps that were hit hard by graduation, and nearly half the class can play one of those positions.
Analysis: The Bulls didn't reel in any true blue-chip Florida athletes a la Terrence Mitchell or Todd Chandler last year, which is a bit surprising given Skip Holtz's success in his first year in Tampa. Ultimately, all that matters is if these players fit Holtz's system and lead to the Bulls' first Big East championship during their career. They will need these guys to develop and have the drive to be great. More success by Holtz should lead to better in-state recruiting efforts down the line.
What Holtz said: "When you look at a position standpoint, the biggest two needs that we had in this class and the answers we needed to solve were five offensive linemen and five linebackers. That was the main emphasis in this recruiting class as we hit the road recruiting and I think we did an awful lot to answer those questions.
Scouts Inc. grade: C
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast
Top prospects: Local receiver Andre Davis has a solid understanding of the position and was very productive in high school. Linebacker Edsel Caprice is active with a high motor, though he needs to put on some weight. Defensive tackle Elkino Watson picked the Bulls late over Miami and Louisville and should be solid inside.
Needs met: South Florida needed to bring in some receiver help and got that with Davis and Ruben Gonzalez. The Bulls also had to restock the offensive line and linebacking corps that were hit hard by graduation, and nearly half the class can play one of those positions.
Analysis: The Bulls didn't reel in any true blue-chip Florida athletes a la Terrence Mitchell or Todd Chandler last year, which is a bit surprising given Skip Holtz's success in his first year in Tampa. Ultimately, all that matters is if these players fit Holtz's system and lead to the Bulls' first Big East championship during their career. They will need these guys to develop and have the drive to be great. More success by Holtz should lead to better in-state recruiting efforts down the line.
What Holtz said: "When you look at a position standpoint, the biggest two needs that we had in this class and the answers we needed to solve were five offensive linemen and five linebackers. That was the main emphasis in this recruiting class as we hit the road recruiting and I think we did an awful lot to answer those questions.
Scouts Inc. grade: C
http://espn.go.com/blog/bigeast
