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Daily Links

• Brett McMurphy writes that Lindsey Lamar is off to a fast start after the first day of practice, as players and coaches had high praise about the rookie's quickness out on the field. "Lamar has the quickest feet I've ever seen in my life," USF senior quarterback Matt Grothe said. "He's ridiculously fast. I think he'll have a chance to play this year. I know he impressed a lot of people today."

• In one of his blogs, Greg Auman also tells his readers that high praise was found left and right for a pair of newcomers in running back Lindsey Lamar as well as junior college linebacker Jacquian Williams.

• Don't forget to catch Matt Grothe's post-practice interview on YouTube. Hear what Grothe has to say about the upcoming season.

• McMurphy gives a rundown of how practice went, including what some of the USF coaches thought about the first official day of practice for the Bulls, as well as a few other news and notes for readers.

• Auman offers his readers a whole slew of news and notes from the first day of practice. Read up on how the Bulls did during the two-hour practice.

• Martin Fennelly of the Tampa Tribune writes that the Bulls are looking to put the past behind them, and focusing on capturing the BIG EAST title after starting strong the past two seasons but finishing out of the race by the end of the season.

• The Tampa Tribune's Joe Henderson says that change was in the air Thursday, thanks to a few new coaches, and that change should lead to a BIG EAST title, he believes.

• Auman states that head coach Jim Leavitt knows he has to be patient with the team as practice opens up, as the Bulls welcome a host of freshmen after losing a good number of seniors from 2008.

• Tom Zebold of the Ledger writes that a key for the Bulls in 2009 is to be more consistent on offense. "If I had to put my finger on one thing and say, 'this is what we need to do better than last year,' that's take care of the football," said (Mike) Canales, who was the school's first offensive coordinator in 1996.

• Fans can see how practice went through the eyes of the camera, thanks to Larry Weisbaum of USF Nation, which offers readers a glimpse of the first day of practice.

• Tom Edrington of the Bleacher Report writes that USF is flying under the radar in 2009 after being picked fourth in the BIG EAST preseason media poll.

• George Selvie has been named to the watch list for the Ted Hendricks Defensive End of the Year Award, writes Auman and ESPN's Brian Bennett. Selvie was named to the watch list last year as well after being a finalist two years ago. Auman also writes that former Gaithier girls basketball coach Andy Alwood has been hired as the director of basketball operations for coach Jose Fernandez' staff at USF.

• Voting has finished for the all-time top defensive players, and McMurphy gives us the rundown of who were the top vote-getters. Current NFL players Kawika Mitchell and Mike Jenkins were among those voted to the all-defensive team.

• With spring practice opening up yesterday, Auman poses the question about whether fans and coaches would want to sweep Florida State and Miami this season or win the BIG EAST. Click on the link to find out what head coach Jim Leavitt thinks.

• Andre Hall signed with the Texans Thursday, says McMurphy.

• McMurphy asks USF baseball coach Lelo Prado if they'll proclaim Lelo Prado Week if the Bulls win the BIG EAST in 2010 after finishing second last season. Find out what coach Prado said.

• Greg Auman's Blog

• Brett McMurphy's Blog

• ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's BIG EAST Blog

• Oracle Sports Blog

• Former USF quarterback Marquis Blackwell is back with the program, writes Auman and Brett McMurphy. The former signal caller will return as a program assistant, working with offensive coordinator Mike Canales.

• With USF preseason camp opening up today and incoming freshmen officially reporting for practice, Auman writes that one of the Bulls' most versatile rookie, Victor Marc, a quarterback in high school, could get a strong look at safety for the Bulls.

• Former USF running back Andre Hall will get a shot to join the Houston Texans this season as he works out with the team during preseason practice.

• Brian Bennett of ESPN is excited that football season is officially underway today with Louisville and South Florida opening up their preseason training camps, and takes a quick peek at the main issue on the field affecting each team this season.

• McMurphy analyzes the BIG EAST media poll closely, as he compares where USF was picked in the preseason polls since joining the conference to how the team actually finished in the league.

• McMurphy also takes a look at the past several preseason media polls to see which teams have been the most underachieving/overachieving during that time.

• Auman updates his blog readers about USF's Athletics District Initiative and the plans to upgrade and expand USF's facilities, including new football and basketball practice facilities as well as new stadiums for baseball and softball.

• McMurphy also adds more to what he reported earlier in the week about the BIG EAST's bowl alignment for beyond the 2009 season, when new contracts will be signed between leagues and bowls.

• Bennett deciphers all the talk about how the league could possibly change down the road, including some sort of expansion.

• McMurphy reports that Andy Alwood, the former girl's basketball coach at Gaithier High, has been hired as USF's new director of women's basketball operations.

• NBE Basketball Report takes a look at how USF could fare in the 2009-10 season, including key losses and returnees and which newcomers could have a solid impact for coach Stan Heath's squad.

• The Standard Speaker in Hazelton, Pa., posted a story about USF track & field athlete Casey Wagner competing in the Pan American Junior Championships.

• Greg Auman's Blog

• Brett McMurphy's Blog

• ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's BIG EAST Blog

• Oracle Sports Blog

Daily Links

• GoUSFBulls.com has an Exclusive Photo Gallery from BIG EAST Media Days. The majority of the images were taken by two-time All-American George Selvie and Heisman candidate Matt Grothe, who had a blast at the event. 

Selvie and Grothe took questions from fans on Twitter throughout the event.  You can read about it at http://twitter.com/usffootball.

• Brett McMurphy and the St. Petersburg Times' Mike Shalin, from the BIG EAST media days in Providence, write that George Selvie and Matt Grothe were clear headliners at the event, garnering a good amount of attention from media members present. But with all the accomplishments the seniors have garnered, there's one still missing: a BIG EAST title.

• Greg Auman takes another angle for the upcoming season, in that the Bulls are confident in their new offensive line after losing four senior starters from a year ago.

• Brian Bennett of ESPN, also reporting from BIG EAST media days, writes that one of the dominating themes at the event was how teams will answer their quarterback questions, although USF is lucky enough to not have that problem.

• The BIG EAST will keep its BCS berth for the next five years, writes Paul Zeise in the Pittsburgh Post Gazette.

• Auman reports that Florida State made it official, that the FSU-USF game up in Tallahassee will be a 'whiteout.'

• Fans can catch a bunch more links from Auman, including one from Rivals.com in which the website posts its Inside Slant team report on the Bulls.

• Bill Stewart, head coach at West Virginia, is glad former USF defensive coordinator Wally Burnham is now at Iowa State, says McMurphy, as the Mountaineers have struggled offensively the past few seasons against the Bulls.

• Despite all the press recently that the BIG EAST will have a down year, Bennett writes that the coaches are looking at things differently, as the league has gotten used to having to defend and prove itself over the years.

• Auman also posts several links from the BIG EAST media days, including a video interview with Jim Leavitt and pictures of Grothe and Selvie from the lobster dinner.

• Fans can also catch an interview Fox Sports did with Leavitt, Grothe and Selvie.

• Bennett also offers several other news and notes from media days, including Selvie documenting the event with his digital camera as well as tweeting with Grothe about their experiences.

• The Sporting News also continues its countdown of the top teams in college football, checking in with its No. 32 pick, USF.

• McMurphy also tries to decipher the BIG EAST's bowl picture beyond the 2009 season, plus a few other notes from his time up north.

• Catch some news and notes from the Orlando Sentinel as well. 

• Auman blogs that USF forward Solomon Jones will be working as a camp counselor at the Adidas Nations camp in Dallas, as well as a link to a story on collegefootballnews.com in which the site names its preseason Freshman All-America team, with USF defensive tackle Cory Grissom named honorable mention.

• Greg Auman's Blog

• Brett McMurphy's Blog

• ESPN.com's Brian Bennett's BIG EAST Blog

• Oracle Sports Blog