Bull Speed Ahead Podcast: Episode 8
TAMPA, JAN. 4, 2019 – USF Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly sits down with USF radio host
Darek Sharp to chat about numerous notable program topics during Kelly's eighth
Bull Speed Ahead podcast.
BUSY HOLIDAY BREAK: Kelly recaps his holiday break trip across the country, starting in Texas for a family visit and Cotton Bowl festivities. Kelly then headed to California to watch his daughters, Cara and Seana, participate in the 130th Rose Parade with their high school marching band on New Year's Day. Kelly got a kick out of meeting a Bulls fan at a tailgating event in Pasadena prior to the Rose Bowl.- GASPARILLA BOWL EXPERIENCE: Kelly touches on USF's Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl week experience in the Bay area and how the Bulls and Marshall were fortunate that weather didn't affect the game at Raymond James Stadium. USF made its fourth straight bowl game appearance and the program's 10th overall postseason trip.
MEN'S BASKETBALL SUCCESS: Kelly commends head coach Brian Gregory and the 11-2 Bulls on their 76-68 comeback win over UConn in Wednesday night's conference opener in front of a loud crowd at the Yuengling Center. USF has already exceeded its wins total of 10 from last season and has matched the second-best start in school history. The Bulls are in the midst of the program's first seven-game winning streak since 2007-08 heading into Saturday's conference test at Tulsa (10-4, 0-1 in AAC). A win over the Golden Hurricane would give the Bulls their first eight-game winning streak since 1982-83. Learn more about the program's impressive progress HERE.
WOMEN'S BASKETBALL STILL BATTLING INJURY BUG: Kelly talks about another unfortunate setback for the Bulls regarding the news of standout freshman center Beatriz Jordao being out for the rest of the season due to a leg injury she's been battling through. The recent addition of Luize Septe, a five-star prospect, was a big boost for head coach Jose Fernandez's squad that is down to 10 healthy players after two-time All-America honorable mention Kitija Laksa suffered a season-ending injury in November. Kelly applauds Fernandez's 9-5 Bulls on keeping the right attitude through adversity heading into the conference opener at Temple on Saturday. Mark your calendar for Tuesday, Jan. 8 as USF returns to the Yuengling Center for a War on I-4 battle with UCF that's slated for a 7 p.m. start. Reserve your seats at USFBullsTix.com.- SPRING SPORTS SET TO BEGIN: Kelly looks ahead to the spring sports season that begins with the USF women's tennis team's home match against Florida Atlantic on Saturday, Jan. 12. The USF men's squad also starts its season with a home match against Florida Gulf Coast on Saturday, Jan. 19. Admission is free at the USF Varsity Courts. Plan ahead for USF softball and baseball action by checking out their season schedules HERE and HERE. Fans can get great deals on season ticket packages at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-Go-Bulls. Keep up with the whole spring sports season by viewing the program's composite schedule.
MORE THOUGHTS ON FOOTBALL: Kelly reflects on USF football's 2018 season and the Bulls' exciting future that was brightened even more with the addition of 19 talented players during early signing period. The entire offensive line will return for 2019 along with starting quarterback Blake Barnett and standout receiver Randall St. Felix, who set a program record with four 100-yard games this past season. The Bulls also bring back dynamic running backs Jordan Cronkrite and Johnny Ford, who combined to post more than 1,900 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns in 2018. Kelly also mentions record-breaking kickoff return man Terrence Horne Jr. being back after a season-ending injury and the hopeful return of injured starting linebacker Nico Sawtelle, a fall 2018 graduate. Kelly finishes this segment talking about coaching staff transitions and his confidence in the program adding more coaching talent prior to spring football.
FOOTBALL CENTER UPDATE: Kelly provides an update on the planned USF Football Center, which he says is the program's No. 1 priority for this calendar year. Over the past months, Kelly has worked with the staff on slight improvements to the architectural plan and getting construction preparations completed while the program continues its fundraising efforts. Kelly says about $13 million in funds have been raised at this point for the $40 million state-of-the-art facility that will benefit Bulls in many ways.
STAFF ADDITIONS, PRIDE IN THE PROGRAM: Kelly shares his excitement about fundraising efforts really being ramped up with Deputy Director of Athletics Lelo Prado's growing Bulls Club development staff being engaged even more than ever with the community. Kelly also talks about the large amount of pride in the program he's seen from unified staff members and supporters since his return to USF Athletics late last June. Keep a look out for the "Horns Up" slogan around the Bay area and beyond. Feel free to throw a "Horns Up" back to anyone associated with USF Athletics in order to bring more awareness to Bulls Nation.- PODCAST 9 PREVIEW: Kelly provides a sneak preview of the next Bull Speed Ahead podcast with some important topics on the horizon. Be on the lookout for updates on the return of the USF Athletics auction planned for Saturday, May 18 at Raymond James Stadium. Proceeds will benefit the Selmon Mentoring Institute that helps student-athletes get prepared for life after sports. Also look for an update on another class being added to the USF Athletics Hall of Fame.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965 and is in its 53rd season in 2018-19. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 16 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including at least three in each of the last three seasons, and own 113 conference championships overall. Nine USF programs reached national post-season competition in the 2017-18 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the third straight year in 2017-18 and have posted a program record seven straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has seen more than 180 student-athletes earn their degree in the last two years.
