Bull Speed Ahead Podcast: Episode 20
TAMPA, JAN. 17, 2020 – USF Vice President of Athletics
Michael Kelly sits down with Voice of the Bulls
Jim Louk to cover numerous important program topics during Kelly's 20th
Bull Speed Ahead podcast.
- KELLY ERA: Kelly begins the podcast reflecting on the first 18 months of his tenure as Vice President of Athletics. Throughout this exciting time in his current role, Kelly has made three significant head coaching hires – Erik Jenkins (track and field/cross country), Jeff Scott (football) and Jolene Shepardson (volleyball) - while continuing to build the Bulls' brand nationwide.
BRINGING SCOTT TO USF: Kelly fills listeners in on the process of finding USF's new head football coach in December and why Jeff Scott was a perfect fit for the program. Since the hiring announcement and Scott's introductory press conference, the program has earned rave reviews from local and national media members for choosing a coach who brings a winning "United from Start to Finish" mentality to USF. Momentum continued to build with USF football welcoming nine talented student-athletes during Early Signing Period ahead of Scott's fourth CFP National Championship Game appearance as Clemson's co-offensive coordinator. Now back with the Bulls after his fifth straight College Football Playoff run, Scott is staying super busy in Tampa and beyond, as the program focuses on reeling in more talent leading up to the next National Signing Day on Feb. 5.
GET TO KNOW THE FOOTBALL STAFF: Kelly covers more ground on the gridiron, talking about the new USF football coaching staff, which is the youngest in the American Athletic Conference. Youth is certainly a strength on the 11-person staff that includes Charlie Weis Jr. (offensive coordinator/QBs coach), former Tampa Bay Buccaneer Da'Quan Bowers (defensive line coach), former standout West Virginia quarterback Pat White (running backs coach) and others with national championship experience. Scott also added a veteran in defensive coordinator Glenn Spencer, who has coached in the college game for three decades. Meet the new staff HERE.
CONTINUED SUCCESS IN CLASSROOM: Kelly applauds USF's student-athletes and academic support staff after the Bulls extended their record run to 10 straight terms with a 3.0 grade-point average or higher. USF saw 15 of its 17 teams post a fall term GPA over 3.0 and 270 student-athletes (65 percent) earn a cumulative 3.0 GPA average or better. The Bulls had 39 student-athletes post a perfect 4.0 GPA in the fall term and 153 log a 3.5 or better.- SOFTBALL/BASEBALL SEASONS NEAR: Kelly looks ahead to highly anticipated softball/baseball seasons. While Ken Eriksen's prepares Team USA for the Tokyo Games, interim head coach Jessica Moore looks to lead USF softball to its third straight conference regular-season championship. Softball season begins with a huge exhibition test at home against Team USA on Feb. 4, two days before the Bulls officially start their 2020 campaign hosting the USF-Rawlings Invitational. Third-year head coach Billy Mohl's baseball team's challenging 2020 schedule gets underway with a three-game home series against Marist College (Feb. 14-16).
- CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES FOR HOOPS: Kelly updates fans on an action-packed conference basketball season that has featured a huge crowd at the Yuengling Center for the men's teams close battle with No. 21 Memphis on Jan. 12. Like the men's squad, head coach Jose Fernandez's women's team has dealt with injuries and heads into Sunday's War on I-4 home game against UCF with a winning league record.
KELLY INTERVIEWS SHEPARDSON: Kelly spends the final portion of his podcast interviewing new head volleyball coach Jolene Shepardson, a former USF student-athlete who was a part of two conference title/NCAA tournament teams during her first stint with the program (2000-02). Shepardson returns to her hometown after transforming two programs during her first nine seasons as a head coach. Find out more about new leader of USF volleyball HERE.
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 54th season in 2019-20. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. The Bulls have claimed 19 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, and own 120 conference titles overall. Eleven USF programs reached national postseason competition in the 2018-19 season and six were ranked in the Top 25 nationally. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the fourth straight year in 2018-19 and have posted a program record 10 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had 309 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
Follow USF Athletics on Twitter (
@USFAthletics) and
Facebook for all the latest information concerning the USF Athletic program.
- #GoBulls -
