After two straight 10-win seasons, USF football will be reloading in 2018. Who are the next generation of Bulls stars who could make an impact in 2018?
It was a reasonably successful debut season in Tampa for Charlie Strong, as the Bulls rode a senior-laden offense and a much-improved defense to a 10-2 record.
Strong followed that up with a solid recruiting class, many of whom will be expected to contribute right away and fill the holes left by one of the Bulls’ greatest senior classes of all time.
There are many freshmen who narrowly missed the cut on this list. Bulky halfback Brian Norris looks the part and enrolled early, but it seems unlikely that he’ll work his way to the top of a crowded depth chart at running back. One of the many recruits that Strong brought in to bolster the interior of the line, like John Waller or Devin Leacock, should see significant playing time, but it’s difficult to predict which of the bunch will do so.
Incoming punter Trent Schneider is the leader in the clubhouse for the punting job, but having spent a year at a junior college, he’s not eligible for inclusion here.
Here are the five incoming freshmen who are the safest bets to see the field early and often this season.
There’s a lot of room for playing time for newcomers along USF’s defensive line, as the Bulls lost three starters from their excellent 2017 line, all of whom are in NFL camps.
There are a handful of options at defensive end – junior Greg Reaves is the standout returner, but he’s more of a hybrid edge rusher. The Bulls could use a traditional three-technique end to complement Reaves on the other side of the line.
Good luck figuring out the frontrunner for that position. Junior Kirk Livingstone could rebound after an injury-plagued 2017 season, or perhaps seniors Josh Black and Juwuan Brown could have something to say in the race.
All that uncertainty bodes well for Stacy Kirby, one of the biggest gets of Strong’s recruiting class. A high three-star recruit, Kirby endeared himself to Bulls fans everywhere by flipping from rival UCF during the early signing period. He enrolled early, and while he had a quiet spring, he’ll have every chance to enter the defensive rotation once fall practices begin.
The Bulls have two permanent linebacker spots in their defensive scheme, and they both seem to be locked down – returning starter Nico Sawtelle should switch from the weakside spot and succeed the departed Auggie Sanchez as the strongside linebacker, and converted safety Khalid McGee was impressive when pressed into action late in 2017. They’ll be a solid starting pair.
Beyond them, things get hairy. USF will undoubtedly be relying on freshmen to provide depth among the ‘backers, and Grier has already made a name for himself on campus this spring. He enrolled early and saw action with the presumed second and third-team units in the spring game.
Grier isn’t a highly-touted recruit; in fact, he was the lowest-ranked prospect and the only two-star recruit in USF’s class. But he seems to already have impressed Strong and defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary, and that’s much more important when it comes to earning early snaps.
The only non-early enrollee on this list, Carter gets the nod by playing at a position of need.
The Bulls lost one of their two standouts at the position, Elkanah Dillon, to a graduate transfer this offseason. Beyond junior Mitchell Wilcox, no one on the depth chart has taken significant snaps. Redshirt freshman Frederick Lloyd would be the presumed backup, but he’s shown no signs of significant playing time during the spring.
More likely than not, the Bulls will be using one tight end, max, in their offensive formations, so there’s not a glaring need for a backup to emerge. Nonetheless, if they’re looking for an option to spell Wilcox as Dillon did in 2017, Carter is a good bet to end up in the rotation.
Keep an eye on Carter, who boasted offers from the likes of Auburn and Illinois, once fall practice begins. He’ll have more than a few chances to earn snaps.
Roland is playing a position that rotates frequently, is one of the most highly-ranked recruits in USF’s 2018 class, and was already on campus during the spring. It’s a pretty safe bet that he’ll see some playing time this year.
The high three-star prospect was a former Louisville commit who switched to the Bulls and made things official during the early signing period in December. He was already running with the second and third-string offenses in the spring and had four receptions for 41 yards in the spring game.
The Bulls are loaded at receiver, but the top two options of the bunch – Tyre McCants and Darnell Salomon – are both upperclassmen. Roland may be a star wideout waiting in the wings, and he should get his first opportunity to prove it this fall. The bigger question is whether or not he’ll appear in enough games to sacrifice a year of eligibility.
A handful of USF freshmen, as we’ve seen above, have already made a dent in the spring. None of them, apart from Dwayne Boyles, had already worked their way onto the second-team unit for the spring game.
Boyles took advantage of the uncertainly in the Bulls’ depth chart at linebacker, joining the team for spring practices and elevating himself into the rotation almost immediately. Sawtelle and McGee, as expected, got the first reps at linebacker during the spring game; Boyles and senior Jimmy Bayes were up next.
There are caveats to be offered here. Promising sophomore Andre Polk has been hampered by injuries and could have a say in the race by the time August comes around, and there’s fellow sophomore Keirston Johnson – who was impressive in spot duty in 2017 – to consider as well.
Next: Preseason Top 25 following spring practices
But clearly, Boyles, a hybrid edge rusher who received four stars from 247 Sports, has already made an impact on the field. He’ll have a chance to make even more of an impact this coming season.