USF Football: 2018 Bulls are reloading, but still dangerous
A defensive renaissance
You got the feeling that the USF defense wasn’t quite as bad as they showed in 2016 – after losing defensive coordinator Tom Allen to Indiana, the Bulls suddenly plummeted from 39th to 88th in points per game allowed, despite largely the same personnel – but it was still a bit shocking to see them rebound as quickly as they did last season. The Bulls were stellar on the defensive side of the ball from the opening snap of 2017, holding half of their opponents below 5.0 yards per play, including a remarkable 85 yards surrendered on 58 plays against Temple.
Their success is a testament to the defensive chops of Charlie Strong and coordinator Brian Jean-Mary (and, perhaps, a testament to a lack thereof from the previous staff, but that’s neither here nor there). It seems safe, then, to assume that a solid unit can be crafted from the Bulls’ defensive returnees, despite a few high-profile losses.
Standout corner Deatrick Nichols departs, but seniors Ronnie Hoggins and Mazzi Wilkins combined for 85 tackles and five interceptions in 2017. The Bulls lose all-time leading tackler Auggie Sanchez at linebacker, but converted safety Khalid McGee was impressive late in the season alongside junior Nico Sawtelle. There are clear and viable replacements at almost every position, save for one.
Questions along the defensive line
A huge part of the USF defense’s bounce-back season was the fantastic play of their interior line. Defensive tackles Deadrin Senat and Bruce Hector combined for 23.5 tackles for loss and 13 sacks in 2017, and both are in NFL camps now. The returnee with the most production? True freshman Kelvin Pinkney, who had 16 tackles and 1.5 sacks. The Bulls are short on proven bodies inside, and will need breakout seasons from a couple new starters – rising senior Kevin Bronson, for one, is a key piece. There’s a reason why Charlie Strong inked seven defensive linemen in his 2018 recruiting class; we’ll likely see two or three of them before the season is through.
If Strong and Jean-Mary can find answers inside, it’s difficult to find too many holes in this defense. That’s a pretty big if, though.