USF Athletics

Bulls Continue Momentum With Big 2018 Signing Class

February 08, 2018

SIGNING DAY CENTRAL
 
By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, FEB. 8, 2018 – Coming off consecutive double-digit win seasons, the future of USF football sure looks bright after what the Bulls accomplished on National Signing Day.

After inking 24 promising players during NCAA Early Signing Period in December, USF's 2018 class grew by just two to 26 on Wednesday, which allowed the Bulls' coaching staff to get a head start on recruiting for 2019. Strong made visits to Atlanta and across the state, mentioning stops in Pensacola, Tallahassee, Jacksonville, Miami, Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, the west coast of Florida and central Florida, as well as local Tampa-area schools and run north to the Gainesville area.

"We're really happy with the class that we signed," Strong said. "We're really comfortable, and we're looking to build the program and move the program forward. When you get good players in your program with good grades, and they understand what you're trying to do and the vision we have in place for them, then things will happen moving forward."

Now in his second season with the program, Strong has a firm grasp what goes into USF's winning blueprint and his staff knew exactly what additions to look for in their first full-cycle recruiting class with the Bulls. Scouting outlets think highly of the staff's choices with 247Sports and Rivals ranking USF's class No. 2 in the American Athletic Conference.

"You're going to win with the type of players that we went out and got," Strong said. "… Every one you look at with the recruits that we signed, they're all going to be able to come in and help us somewhere."

With that in mind, let's take a look at how USF reloaded its already super-talented roster during the signing day periods. With Strong being a defensive guru, we'll start on his favorite side of the ball.

Defense

8 New Bulls on the Line
Being a force in the trenches is paramount to Strong, who has a bevy of new talent to use with eight three-star defensive line signees.

On Tuesday, USF added Bay Area standout John Waller (St. Petersburg) and Tyrone Barber (Venice) to bolster a new tackle group that includes Devin Leacock (Port Charlotte) and Armon Williams (Snellville, Ga.).

USF's signings at defensive end also could pay dividends with the additions of Dwayne Boyles (Miami), Stacy Kirby (Orlando), Trey Laing (Tallahassee) and Rashawn Yates (Port St. Lucie).

All eight new defensive linemen are at least 6-foot-2 with an average weight of 260 pounds.

"(We) really good some good defensive linemen," Strong said. "You're always looking for those big guys."

Strong definitely found what he was looking for in Waller, the biggest Bull in the group, who stands tall at 6-foot-5 and has no problem moving people at 310 pounds.

Four More in Secondary
USF's ball-hawking secondary helped the program tie for second nationally with 20 interceptions in 2017 and the talent pool has been replenished with four signees.

The Bulls' increased their ability to go up and get it with tall talents in 6-foot-2 safety Keyon Helton (Pensacola) and 6-foot defensive back Eugene Bowman (Jacksonville). Bowman also is joined at USF by Robert E. Lee High School teammate Vincent Davis and JaJuan Cherry, a safety from Okeechobee, who was invited to play in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl held on Dec. 30 in New Orleans.

Tackling Talent Headed to Linebacker
USF has to replace Auggie Sanchez, the program's career tackles leader, and joining the mix are two linebackers with a ton of stopping experience.

Combining for 362 tackles the past two years, freshmen Antonio Grier (Atlanta) and Randal Copeland (Havana, Fla.) give the Bulls much more to work with at linebacker.

Copeland (6-2, 220) became known for his hard hits at middle linebacker for Gadsden County High School. Grier, one of USF's six early enrollees, has gotten a head start in his college development by adding at least 10 more pounds to his previously listed 6-foot-1, 220-pound frame since arriving at USF in January.


Offense

Bulls Add More Big Guys Up Front
One of the keys to USF's record-breaking success on offense the past two seasons has been a sturdy offensive line that's been restocked with four three-star signees.

Bay Area standout Donovan Jennings (6-5, 310) helped pave the way for Gaither High School to produce nearly 4,000 yards this past season. Jennings will line up in the fall with Brad Cecil (Jacksonville), Sebastian Sainterling (Hollywood, Fla.) and Ethan Watson (Pensacola).

At 6-foot-5, Jennings and Watson stand the tallest in this group that heads to USF at an average of 310 pounds.

"We were able to get us some really good offensive linemen," Strong said.

Two Quarterbacks Enter the Competition
USF's offense has thrived with Quinton Flowers at the controls the past three seasons and the Bulls are continuing their trend of dual-threat quarterbacks with Flowers, a recent NFL Combine invitee, now preparing for the pros.

Early signee Octavious Battle (Atlanta) threw for 5,581 yards and 43 touchdowns in his career at Carver High School, which recently made its first state semifinal appearance since 1968. Battle also rushed for 1,272 yards (11.3 ypc) in his career after racking up 713 yards on the ground as a senior.

Tampa's Jordan McCloud, another early signee, led Plant High School to a 12-2 record as a senior while throwing for 2,426 yards and 26 touchdowns. Like Battle, McCloud can make it happen with his feet, rushing for 27.8 yards per carry and six touchdowns in 2017.

USF Reloads at Running Back
With D'Ernest Johnson and Darius Tice graduating, USF filled a numbers need at running back with a little thunder and lightning.

Early enrollee Brian Norris (6-2, 220) gives the Bulls another physical presence at the position after rushing for 1,539 yards and 17 touchdowns in his career at Chiefland High School.

USF found a speedster in Johnny Ford (5-8, 175), who rushed for 998 yards (8.0 ypc), 12 touchdowns in 2017 with three kick returns for scores at Miami High School, which made its first trip to the state semifinals since 1992.

More Pass-Catchers Join the Bulls
USF added more targets to its up-tempo attack with the signings of two receivers and a tight end.

Early enrollee Zion Roland (St. Petersburg) ranked No. 19 on the Tampa Bay Times' HomeTeam 25, which lists the area's top player in the class of 2018. Terrence Horne (Miramar, Fla.) gives USF more speed in the slot and he's showcased it in the 2017 outdoor track season for Miramar High School with a 100-meter time of 10.29 seconds and a 200-meter personal best of 21.12 seconds.

USF also took care of a need at tight end with Chris Carter (6-4, 230), who caught touchdown passes in five different games as a senior for South Dade High School in Homestead, Fla. Playing tight end at USF will be a family affair for Carter, who is the cousin of current Bulls tight end Frederick Lloyd Jr.

Special Teams

Bulls Get a Punter From Down Under
When he was at Texas, Strong found a special Australian talent at punter and he's done the same thing at USF with the signing of Trent Schneider.

The 27-year-old Sydney, Australia native spent one season at Santa Barbara City College and was one of six new Bulls to enroll early in January.
 
Bulls Bits

• BULLS CONTINUE TO TARGET THE SUNSHINE STATE: USF continues to put a premium on recruiting the state of Florida, where the program signed 22 of its 26 players in the 2018 class. "With some of these guys, they came up here three or four times, so we were able to develop that relationship. They knew who we were. We were able to meet their families. They were able to meet all the coaching staff. Just being in this state, you look at the players within this state and the coaches do a great job here. It's amazing the talent that is in this state that you're able to pull from."
• SIX BULLS PREPARING FOR 2018 EARLY: Thanks to early signing period, USF already has six Bulls learning the system as early enrollees – defensive ends Dwayne Boyles and Stacy Kirby, linebacker Antonio Grier, punter Trent Schneider along with running back Brian Norris and receiver Zion Roland.
• STAR POWER: USF's 2018 signing class has plenty of potential with 24 three-star recruits and one new Bull being ranked as a four-star prospect by ESPN.

ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
USF posted its second straight 10-win season in 2017 (10-2) by winning its second straight Birmingham Bowl with a 38-34 victory over Texas Tech. USF is one of just 14 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and has spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the top 25, reaching as high as No. 13 in Week 8 of the 2017 season. The Bulls have won five of their last six bowl appearances and made nine (6-3) total bowl appearances in 21 seasons, including a current run of three straight bowls. USF won a program-record 11 games in 2016 (11-2) and has posted 14 winning seasons. The USF program, which first took the field in 1997, reached No. 2 in the rankings in 2007 and has seen 28 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 32 first-team all-conference selections.
 
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