USF Football: 5 freshmen who could have instant impact in 2017

Even with Willie Taggart gone, USF football enters the 2017 season with plenty of young talent on the roster.

After Willie Taggart left USF for Oregon after an 11-2 season, ex-Texas head coach Charlie Strong was brought in as his successor within a couple of weeks. Though he had a truncated offseason to work with, Strong still managed to put together a solid first recruiting class in Tampa, if not quite up to the lofty standards of previous years.

Still, the Bulls have a talented, experienced two-deep in 2017, and there may not be many opportunities for true freshmen to see serious playing time. If anyone manages to do so, it’ll almost certainly be one of these five.

Chauncy Smart is a very interesting case. A state champion in Florida in the 100-meter dash, he was set to accept a walk-on role at Florida State and compete on the track team. A few days after NSD, he flipped to USF on a full football scholarship and signed a late Letter of Intent.

Smart is undoubtedly a project at receiver — he didn’t even compete in football during his senior year of high school — but he’s already made a splash at USF with his potentially game-breaking speed. He’s one of a few candidates to open the season as the first-choice punt returner, and while he’s had some ball security issues during practices, the raw potential is there. He’s one to keep an eye on.