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While the team is away on spring break this week, we decided to pass along the media Q&A with new co-defensive coordinator and linebackers coach David Blackwell. Blackwell left Clemson last week to complete the Bulls staff.

Here's the transcript:

How are things going? You getting acclimated to the new staff?
It is going great. I got down here Sunday. Only been down here two days. The staff has been just unbelievable, as far as helping me along. Showing me how things work. They are great group of guys. I have really enjoyed it so far.

Have you worked with any of the guys or have known any of them through the coaching circles?
A few I have through recruiting things and stuff like that. My brother worked with John Hendrick at South Carolina State. I had met a few guys recruiting but have never worked with any of the guys prior.

Take me through the timeline in talking with Coach Leavitt? How did it come about and how quickly did they move along?
Coach Leavitt called, I think, Tuesday last week. Asked permission from Coach (Dabo) Swinney, talked to me, did everything the right way, above board. He never talked to me or contacted me before that, and it kind of went from there. There was mutual interest.

What was your timeline of this offseason? Were you aggressive looking for a job and what made USF a destination?
As the thing went down there at Clemson, we hired an outstanding staff. Coach Swinney is an awesome guy, great friend of mine, and I think, will be an outstanding head football coach. We brought in Kevin Steele and Charlie Harbison from the outside. Both had been coordinators before. Kevin, obviously, was at Alabama, Charlie at Mississippi State, and they were outstanding football coaches. I was very excited about working with them, and throughout my few months there with those guys, it was going to be a very close-knit staff. I thought we worked really well together. I had told Coach Swinney from the beginning, because he was concerned about me having opportunities, that I wasn't interested in making a lateral move, was interested in bettering myself, in position to one day be a head football coach. It'd take a special type of job for me to leave. This was a job that had always intrigued me. I think the potential is high. You've got some outstanding people, and I think obviously what's happened here in 12 years is amazing.

How comfortable are you recruiting Florida?
When I was at Pittsburgh, I recruited (linebackers) H.B. Blades out of Plantation High and Clint Session out of Killian High School. They're both in the NFL now from Pittsburgh. We had several kids when I was at Pitt from the South Florida area. When I was at Illinois State, I recruited Aveion Cason out of St. Pete Lakewood, who is in the NFL still. Brian Bruch was the coach at the time. Armando Andrade was a young man out of St. Pete Lakewood also we recruited up at Illinois State, was a great player for us. Leonard Reliford was another St. Pete kid that started for us. There have been several through the years. At Illinois State, I had the I-4 corridor, from Daytona Beach over to St. Pete. When I went to Pitt, I had Dade County and Broward County. At Clemson, I've had a large portion of South Carolina and have dabbled a little in South Florida. Chris Chancellor was one we signed out of Edison High School who will end up