USF Athletics

Fall Camp Preview: Bulls Return to Action Friday Night

August 02, 2018

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, AUG. 2, 2018 – Months of weight training and conditioning drills have prepared USF football well for the time Bulls fan have anxiously been awaiting.

Head coach Charlie Strong's second season with the program officially begins Friday night, when USF opens fall camp with its first practice at a fitting place. Entering their 22^nd season overall, the Bulls will train on the university's recreational fields, the site where USF football began its preparations for the inaugural 1997 season and for several years after before moving just south to the Morsani Football Practice Complex.

USF will practice nine times on the recreational fields and complete the rest of their 21 fall camp sessions at the Morsani Complex. Then comes the time Bulls fans are most excited for – game week – and supporters will get to see how the team has come together when USF hosts Elon on Saturday, Sept. 1 with a 6 p.m. kickoff at Raymond James Stadium.

Strong led the Bulls to a 10-2 finish in the 2017 season that was capped off by a thrilling Birmingham Bowl victory over a Power Five foe for the second straight year. Strong's entire coaching staff and 11 starters return from the 2017 squad that was ranked No. 21 at the end of the season. The Bulls are riding a record string of 20 straight weeks in the top 25 entering 2018.

Make sure to visit GoUSFBulls.com and USF football social media accounts (Twitter | Instagram | Facebook) for wall-to-wall coverage of fall camp. Also check out important preseason dates for fans and camp storylines below.

Your Chances to Be With the Bulls This Preseason

• Saturday, Aug. 11 – 2018 USF Fan Fest Presented by Florida Blue is free for fans to attend at the Yuengling Center from 1-4 p.m. Get more Fan Fest info HERE.
• Saturday, Aug. 25 – The third annual GTAC Bulls Block Party takes place from 2:30-6:30 p.m. in Ybor City. Get registration info HERE.
• Sunday, Aug. 26 – The USF football team and other USF athletic programs will be at Tropicana Field for USF Day as the Tampa Bay Rays take on the Boston Red Sox at 1:10 p.m. Purchase tickets HERE.

Notable Camp Storylines

• QB BATTLE: Spring 2018 saw junior Brett Kean (Lakewood, Ohio) and sophomore Chris Oladokun (Tampa) keep their competition close in an effort to replace record-breaking starting quarterback Quinton Flowers. Kean and Oladokun both gained valuable experience the past two seasons in the program and they'll be pushed by newcomer Blake Barnett, a graduate transfer from Arizona State and former five-star prospect with two seasons of eligibility remaining. USF also has two talented freshmen in the program – Octavious Battle (Atlanta) and Jordan McCloud (Tampa). This is USF's most important position to fill heading into the season and it will be fun to watch the leader step forward in Sterlin Gilbert's high-powered offense.

 

• BULLS LOOKING FOR A KICKER: The graduation of trusty Emilio Nadelman gives USF a huge spot to fill at placekicker. The staff got a glimpse of potential replacements in the spring with walk-ons Marco Salani (Boca Raton, Fla.) and Jake Vivonetto (Naples, Fla.) getting reps with Australian punter Trent Schneider. Since then, the Bulls welcomed former USF men's soccer player Jake Stone (Apopka, Fla.) into the program along with sophomore transfer Coby Weiss (Gainesville, Fla.) from Tennessee State.

 

• LEADERS MUST EMERGE: The 2017 Bulls had a bevy of leaders with seniors Quinton Flowers, Auggie Sanchez, Deadrin Senat and many more helping to guide Charlie Strong's first USF team. Turn the page to 2018, and USF is looking for a new crop of leaders. Potential candidates on defense include senior cornerbacks Ronnie Hoggins (27 career starts) and Mazzi Wilkins (nine starts in 2017) along with senior safety Jaymon Thomas (13 career starts, Wuerffel Trophy candidate). Offensively, USF could lean on sturdy senior receiver Tyre McCants (19 career starts, 38 games) and starting senior left tackle Eric Mayes (12 starts in 2017). Leadership also might come from junior offensive tackle Marcus Norman (Outland Trophy Watch List, 21 straight starts) and junior tight end Mitchell Wilcox (Mackey Award Watch List, 16 career starts). This leadership list could keep going with other worthy candidates and you never know who is going to step up during the grueling days of fall camp.

 

• RELOADING AT DT: Following 2017, USF must replace three of four starters on the defensive line, including spots at defensive tackle previously held by all-conference picks Deadrin Senat and Bruce Hector. Senior Kevin Bronson (Delray Beach, Fla.) has 33 games on his college football resume. USF also has two impressive run-stuffers with experience in sophomores Kevin Kegler (Madison, Fla.) and Kelvin Pinkney Jr. (Sarasota) after both played in all 12 games last season. Defensive tackles coach Sean Cronin said in the spring he was hopeful a couple freshman tackles could help the team in 2018 and he's got plenty to watch this fall, including Devin Leacock (Port Charlotte, Fla.), John Waller (St. Petersburg), Armon Williams (Snellville, Ga.) and Tyrone Barber (Venice, Fla.).

 

• BREAKOUT BULLS: One of the best parts of watching fall camp is seeing which under-the-radar Bulls exceed expectations and become go-to players for the season. Former walk-on defensive end Greg Reaves (Bradenton, Fla.) did just that last fall, earning a scholarship the last week of camp before leading the Bulls with 14.0 tackles for loss. Who could be the next Reaves at USF? There's a long list of candidates from the Bulls' big 2018 signing class and there are other talented players looking to take advantage of their opportunities. Defensive tackle Kevin Bronson is looking to make it happen in the middle while senior Khalid McGee (Miami) is determined to make a lot of noise at linebacker after moving over from safety late last year. USF has a ton of receivers waiting for their chance to shine and you can't sleep on redshirt freshman Randall St. Felix, who already gained attention with a standout spring.

 
Get Your Tickets
USFBullsTix.com is the place to reserve your seats to watch the Bulls at Raymond James Stadium.

Season ticket packages are on sale now, including the popular $99 plan, and the Boundless Bulls Voucher 10-Pack is available along with other notable purchase options.

You also can make ticket purchases by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls, or visiting the USF Ticket Office (Lee Roy Selmon Athletic Center) Monday through Friday between the hours of 9 a.m. and 5 p.m. 
 
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 15 teams nationally to win 20-plus games in the last two seasons (21-4) and posted 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 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and had 28 first-team all-conference selections.
 
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