USF Athletics

Bulked-Up Bulls 'Flying Around' on Defense This Spring

April 10, 2019

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, APRIL 10, 2019 – The bulked-up Bulls have gotten back to "flying around" in their third spring under the tutelage of defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary.

The professor of the defense gave his group much more than just a passing mark on their progress report after watching them work through the rain in the 12^th practice of spring ball on Tuesday afternoon.

"If I had to give it a grade, I'd actually give it a B," Jean-Mary said. "I think if you're going to go from where we ended last year to where we feel we're at right now, I think we've progressed."

Advancement has been made in a number of different areas and it all started in the gym after the Bulls finished up their fourth straight postseason appearance late in December.

"We talked at the end of the season," head coach Charlie Strong said. "I said, 'Hey, I want to change everything in the program from the way we do things in the weight room to how we carry ourselves and how we go about it."

Strong's culture of increased accountability has resulted in the Bulls bringing more of a physical, aggressive brand of defense this spring.

Gains have been steady across the board, especially up front where the Bulls want to really put the pressure on opposing teams. Redshirt freshman defensive tackle Armon Williams (316) is up 31 pounds from last season while others have put notable weight on across the defensive line – Blake Green (284, +17), Kelvin Pinkney (299, +11), Tyrone Barber (270, +10), Devin Leacock (277, +7) and Kevin Kegler (290, +6).

"Our point of emphasis is going to be to stop the run, so it's going to be up front where we've had the most improvement," said Jean-Mary of the defensive line this spring.

Senior Kirk Livingstone (275, +12) is even more of a monster at defensive end, where USF also has seen notable gains from Jabreel Stephens (254, +13), Darrien Grant (254, +10) and Greg Reaves (253, +5).

"The defense has been flying around and just doing things that we didn't necessarily do last year," Livingstone said.

Dwayne Boyles (224, +14) is moving people much better this spring after making two starts at linebacker as a true freshman. Other gainers in his position group include Randal Copeland (227, +20), Antonio Grier Jr. (220, +10) and Nico Sawtelle (227, +5).

USF's secondary has been delivering more of a boom in scrimmages this spring thanks to added weight by Mike Hampton (180, +12), Eugene Bowman (181, +12), Keyon Helton (202, +12) and Nick Roberts (193, +10).

"My hat is off to the players because they went about it the right way," Strong said.

More muscle is good, but bigger Bulls know they still have to be fundamentally sound for the defense to make a leap in the greatest area of emphasis in practices this spring – tackling.

"That's something we've worked on at the start of practice (and) after we do field goals," Livingstone said. "We have like four little drills that we do for maybe 15 minutes or so. We've done it since day 1 and now it's day 12. We'll be doing it again on Thursday and Friday."

Jean-Mary couldn't give a grade on tackling because the spring differs a lot from the fall. These days, Bulls can't hit the quarterback and tackling below the waist is frowned upon in scrimmages to protect players from injuries.

"You don't get a full grasp of where you're at tackling, but we feel like we're tackling much better," Jean-Mary said.

Big Gainers on Offense
Just like the defensive line, USF wants a big push up front on offense and the line is better equipped to take on the task.

Four of five starting Bulls on the line have gotten bigger - right guard Donovan Jennings (341, +19), center Brad Cecil (307, +17), all-conference right tackle Marcus Norman (316, +15) and left guard Demetris Harris (329, +11). USF's average weight among the starting five is now 319.6 pounds, a 17-pound increase from last season.

Other notable gains on offensive line include Hal Roberson (328, +23), Jarrett Hopple (317, +12), Matt Nelson (289, +11) and Michael Wiggs (305, +7).

At the skill positions, star receiver Randall St. Felix (216) has packed on 11 pounds while three spring slot standouts also have added weight – Johnny Ford (176, +8), Eddie McDoom (188, +8) and Bryce Miller (187, +7).

Trevon Sands (221, +10) and Odunayo Seriki (181, +11) have played with a very physical style at running back this spring with increased weights.

Bulls Stepping Up at Linebacker
With Nico Sawtelle (neck/shoulder injury) limited to non-contact work and Khalid McGee now preparing for the pros, USF is getting a real good look at other linebackers this spring.

In Sawtelle's place at middle linebacker, sophomore Andrew Mims (St. Johns, Fla.) has made a major impression on the coaching staff after playing mostly on special teams last fall.

"Andrew Mims has probably been the brightest light so far in the spring as far as that (linebacker) group," coordinator Brian Jean-Mary said.

Antonio Grier Jr. (Atlanta) also has caught his coordinator's eye with increased reps and weight (220, +10).

"Antonio Grier has really picked up his level of play," Jean-Mary said.

Dwayne Boyles (224, +14) has made more progress on the field after a productive offseason in the weight room. Another name to take note of is converted defensive end Trey Laing (Tallahassee, Fla.).

"You still have Dwayne Boyles, who is doing an unbelievable job and Trey Laing, who we moved to outside linebacker," Jean-Mary said. "He's doing a great job also."

USF Spring Game Set for Saturday on Campus
Fans are welcome to watch the Bulls in action at the USF Spring Game presented by USF Federal Credit Union on Saturday at Corbett Stadium.

Prior to the 1 p.m. kickoff, Fan Pro Day will be a fun opportunity for Bulls supporters to get into football mode by participating in skills testing stations and display areas starting at 11 a.m. on Elm Drive outside Corbett Stadium. 

Fans out of town can still catch spring game action thanks to live and on-demand streaming on The Identity Tampa Bay, the sports and lifestyle digital hub for all things Tampa Bay. Get more streaming and spring game details HERE.
 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
In just its 22^nd season of football, and 19^th at the FBS level, the USF football program has earned 10 bowl appearances, including a current run of four straight, and owns a record of 6-3 in bowl games. The Bulls have appeared in the national top 25 rankings in each of the past three seasons, including a program record run of 20 straight weeks in the top 25, and in 2018 reached the program's 150^th win faster than any FBS program in state of Florida history. USF has posted a pair of 10-plus win seasons in the last three years, including a program-record 11 wins (11-2) in 2016, and logged 15 winning seasons overall. Since first taking the field in 1997, the USF program has reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings (2007), seen 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, 14 named All-American and 29 earn first-team all-conference selection.
 
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