By TOM ZEBOLD

USF Senior Writer

TAMPA - A program record total of 18 Bulls made the 2011 Big East All-Academic Football Team on Thursday after USF football broke its semester grade point average record this fall.

To be nominated for the conference's prestigious squad, a player had to have a cumulative grade-point index of at least a 3.0 and completed a minimum of two semesters of academic accomplishment.

Aside from Big East recognition, the Bulls increased their number of players with a semester GPA of 3.0 or better from 27 to 32.

"I'm very proud of these young men for being named to the Big East All-Academic Football Team," USF head coach Skip Holtz said. "Academics are very important to our program, and because we've put such an emphasis on it, we've seen our numbers increase in many different areas over the last two years."

USF's representation on the Big East All-Academic team has increased each year from 2008 when it had eight members on the squad. The Bulls' number grew to 13 in 2009 and 16 in 2010.

"This is a great accomplishment and we're going to continue to stress its importance, so we can see an even greater number of student-athletes on this list moving forward," Holtz added.

Three Bulls - Maikon Bonani, Evan Landi and Brandon Salinas - each posted 4.0 grade point averages this fall.

Here is a list of USF football players who made the Big East All-Academic Team: