USF Football: Who steps up at quarterback in 2018?

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TAMPA, FL – SEPTEMBER 21: Head coach Charlie Strong of the South Florida Bulls gestures from the sidelines during the second quarter of an NCAA football game against the Temple Owls on September 21, 2017 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Brian Blanco/Getty Images) /

McCloud, the younger brother of former Clemson standout and now Buffalo Bills draftee Ray-Ray McCloud, is a bit of an enigma. Like Battle, he won’t be enrolling until the fall, so the chances of him factoring into the quarterback race before the season starts are negligible.

He’s still a fascinating prospect. McCloud was the quarterback at local Plant High in Tampa, but his speed and athleticism (and diminutive stature at six feet, 175 pounds) had coaches and scouts thinking he’d be more of an asset at cornerback at the college level. He received a handful of offers from Power Five teams — most notably Oregon — that likely viewed him as a future piece of their secondaries.

Like Quinton Flowers before him, McCloud signed with USF not in small part due to the fact that they offered him a chance to play quarterback. Unlike Flowers, McCloud wasn’t a can’t-miss athlete with offers from across the nation, so the comparison is a bit unfair. But Charlie Strong saw enough potential in him to give him a shot at quarterback, and by all accounts that’s where he’ll be competing in the fall.

Next: Way-too-early 2019 NFL Mock Draft

But with four other scholarship quarterbacks on the roster, none of whom are seniors, it’s reasonable to wonder if McCloud’s future lies at a different position.

Chances of being named the starter: <1 percent

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