USF Athletics

USF O-Line Ready to Pave the Way for #PlayFastScoreFaster Offense

August 19, 2019

By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer

TAMPA, AUG. 19, 2019 – At this point in fall camp, USF is feeling really good about its progress in new coordinator Kerwin Bell's #PlayFastScoreFaster offense and those positive vibes are very apparent up front.

Monday marked practice day No. 16 for the Bulls, who are taking tempo to another level with a first-team offensive line that's moving well together.

"Our starting five is as good as you're going to find right now," offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau said.

Darveau has really been impressed with his senior leaders – left tackle William Atterbury (Clearwater, Fla.) and right tackle Marcus Norman (Sebastian, Fla.) – who bring a combined total of 62 starts into the season.

"Those guys are setting the tone," Darveau said. "Every practice, they come out and they're ready to work."

In between USF's two trusty bookends are three interior linemen on the first team Darveau calls "bulldozers" because of their ability to move people around.

Redshirt sophomore Demetris Harris (Jacksonville, Fla.) returns to his spot at left guard after starting 11 games last season and helping senior back Jordan Cronkrite (Miami) post the ninth 1,000-yard rushing season in program history.

"He's really, really, really technically sound and strong," Darveau said.

So is sophomore Donovan Jennings, who has made a successful move to right guard from left tackle, where he started four times last season. The former all-state selection out of Tampa's Gaither High School trimmed 13 pounds off his 6-foot-5, now 328-pound frame in the offseason to operate even better than he did last fall.

"He just can move," Darveau said. "He leads every sprint that we do in conditioning. He's in the front. He can run and that's really fun to see."

Coaches also like what they're seeing at center from Brad Cecil, who started the final seven games of 2018 at the position. The Jacksonville, Fla., native and four-sport letterman (football, weightlifting, wrestling, track and field) out of Bartram Trail High School definitely brings strength and athleticism, but Darveau really likes how he's keeping the offense on the same page with his communication skills.

"He can be my voice, Coach Bell's voice, Coach Strong's voice," Darveau said. "He can be that guy out on the field when we're not there."

Cecil and USF's starting linemen seem to be jelling well at this point in camp and Atterbury said it's a testament to the continuous bonding by the whole bunch since the spring. Learn more about the fun-loving, close-knit line HERE.

"It's a good part of an offensive line, just to communicate with each other and have that unspoken bond," Atterbury said. "I think that's something we worked this entire offseason to get to. I think that this week it's kind of showing itself and showing we're really getting that communication down."

Staying in sync will certainly assist the Bulls' bruising blockers in their mission of helping Bell's offense zoom downfield this season. For now, it's all about kicking things into high gear in practice, so USF can really go fast in games like the highly anticipated 2019 opener against Wisconsin on Friday, Aug. 30

"We're starting to push it more and more now that everyone has the plays," Atterbury said. "Originally, when you're installing it, you take it a little bit slower. But now that we're getting closer to game time, you want to push the tempo and make it so that everyone is going full speed and trying to create as much of a game-like atmosphere as possible."

More About USF's Starting Seniors Up Front
For William Atterbury and Marcus Norman, fall camp has been been a time to showcase versatility and leadership skills.

After starting 23 games at right guard the past two seasons, Atterbury has been making his move to left tackle stick since spring practice. The Bay area product previously picked up left tackle experience at Clearwater Central High School and said "the change has gone pretty well" after having an offseason to prepare for his third different position at the collegiate level.

Atterbury's line coach said he's "come a long way" at left tackle since the spring thanks to the fall 2018 graduate going the extra mile.

"He knows that he's got to work a little bit extra to perfect that thing out there at left tackle," Darveau said. "He knows what an important spot that is."

While Atterbury is stepping up at left tackle, Norman is speaking up more as a go-to leader at right tackle, where he's started 34 times since 2016.

"I feel like a lot of people are starting to listen to me now," said Norman, who led this summer by showing Bulls the way in workouts.

"When it came to conditioning, I kind of wanted to be first to set good examples for everyone else," the Outland Trophy candidate said. "I think that not only helped them, but it helped me get even better in shape." 

The spring 2019 graduate continued to be a leader Monday by making sure the offensive line ran extra after practice because of a penalty during the action.

"I had forgotten about it," Darveau said. "… Marcus Norman, he says, 'We have to run. We had a false start.' Now, they're starting to hold each other accountable and that's what you want if you're going to be really good is accountability inside the team."

Bulls Have More Talent On Tap Behind Starting Five
In addition to USF's dependable starting five up front, offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau is happy about what's been developing in the depth department this fall.

"We've got eight, nine, 10 guys that we should feel really good about, going out there and playing with," Darveau said.

One of the reasons for that is the instant impact made by Joshua Blanchard (Miami), who is backing up Atterbury at left tackle.

"He learns the plays quick and he's going to be a special, special player," Darveau said. "I can put my mark on that. Check up with me in about a year-and-a-half. He'll be a pretty good player."

Among other players catching Darveau's eye this fall are junior Michael Wiggs (Lakeland, Fla.) as a guard/center and junior Jarrett Hopple (Suffolk, Va.) at right tackle behind Norman.

"I'm excited about where we're at as an offensive line," Darveau said.

Bulls Bits

• DARVEAU SOLD ON STRONG: Offensive line coach Jeremy Darveau is entering his first season at USF after spending four years at Valdosta State, but he already knows a lot about head coach Charlie Strong, who recruited him out of high school. "I knew what he was all about and I knew how tough he was. I knew the kind of guy that he was – a man of character," Darveau said. "I absolutely love working for him. He's been one of my favorite coaches to work for ever. He sets a standard. The standard is the standard and we know what it is, it's excellence."
• SCOUT WATCH: NFL teams continue to see what talent USF has to offer for the next level. A representative of the Seattle Seahawks was talking with Strong's staff about players at Monday's practice. Other teams that have already checked out the Bulls this fall include the Arizona Cardinals, Buffalo Bills, Chicago Bears, Detroit Lions, Green Bay Packers, Kansas City Chiefs, Jacksonville Jaguars, Miami Dolphins, New England Patriots, New Orleans Saints and Oakland Raiders.  

 
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
Having completed 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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