USF Athletics

New Coordinators Shoop & Trickett Begin Installing Schemes as Spring Ball Begins

March 01, 2022

By Joey Johnston

When USF football began spring practice Tuesday morning, there was an all-around coordinated effort. And that's because of the program's two new coordinators, who have big plans to help the Bulls turn a corner in the American Athletic Conference.

New defensive coordinator Bob Shoop said he writes only two things on the top of his game plan.

Solve your problems with aggression.

 No conscience.

"I remember going to clinics and hearing offensive coaches talking about how they're going to attack and you'd hear defensive coaches talking about how they're going to adjust,'' Shoop said. "I always thought, 'No, we've got this thing backward. We're not going to adjust. We're going to attack.'

"I don't talk a lot about a scheme, but I do talk about a style of play. It's an in your face style of play built on pursuit and never-ending pressure. It's going to be a full-court press for 60 minutes — from the first snap of the game to the last snap of the game.''

New offensive coordinator Travis Trickett likes the squad he has inherited. The Bulls were very good moving the ball in 2021 — at times, bordering on great — and Trickett has some standards to improve that efficiency.

Protect the ball.

Play with perfect effort.

Elite ATD (attention to detail).

"Those three things have nothing to do with talent, just effort,'' Trickett said. "We want to maximize who our guys are as players. We want to identify what they do best and highlight that, preferably by working against a weakness on the other side of the ball, a favorable matchup for us. Get a plan together. Get the ball to the players. Get them in space or quick out on the perimeter. Let your players play.''

An aggressive, take-no-prisoners defense that creates pressure?

An offense that puts the playmakers in game-breaking position?

Sound good, Bulls fans?

With the philosophies of Shoop and Trickett in place, Bulls coach Jeff Scott said he believes USF's program is ready for the next step.

After the Bulls utilized Ernie Sims and Daniel DaPrato as co-defensive coordinators for the 2021 finale at UCF — a 17-13 defeat, although the Knights were held to 285 yards and USF was denied from the 3-yard line on the game's final play — Scott was excited about the possibilities.

Scott said he interviewed four potential defensive coordinator candidates — with NFL and college football experience — but Shoop stood out. Shoop, who spent 2021 as an analyst on Manny Diaz's Miami staff, had a diverse, accomplished resume.

Shoop directed the nation's No. 1-ranked defense at Mississippi State in 2018 (263.1 yards per game) and the No. 2 squad at Penn State in 2014 (278.7). He also coached at Tennessee, Vanderbilt and Michigan.

But his most impressive work might have occurred in 2009 when he transformed a woebegone William & Mary defense into a unit that led the Football Championship Subdivision in tackles for loss, while ranking third in sacks.

"Everywhere he has been, the defense has improved and it has performed really well in tackles for loss and sacks,'' Scott said. "I didn't want to rush this process because it was a very important hire. I knew what I was looking for and we feel very fortunate that Bob Shoop is with us at USF. I could not be more confident in the direction of our defense.''

The veteran presence of Shoop, 55, should be an asset for a mostly young USF coaching staff.

"I've seen it all,'' Shoop said. "I told Coach Scott that I have scars. I'm battle-tested. I've seen the good and the bad. I don't think I'll fold under pressure.

"I watched the film from last season and while the stats indicate the defense wasn't very good, the film tells a different story. I think we're athletic and the guys played really hard, even in the most difficult of circumstances.''

Shoop already has made his imprint — and it's unmistakable.

"I want our guys to play with an absence of fear,'' Shoop said. "I want the offensive coordinator and quarterback on the other team to think, 'Holy crap! Do those guys (USF) have 14 guys on the field? It will be a fun style of defense for the fan base. We will attack and be aggressive without being reckless.''

Scott didn't anticipate needing a new offensive coordinator/quarterback coach, too, but Charlie Weis Jr., departed to rejoin Lane Kiffin's staff, this time at Ole Miss after previously working under Kiffin at FAU. Scott was pleased with USF's offensive progress, so he didn't want radical changes. He said he found the perfect successor in Trickett, who spent the past three seasons as inside receivers and tight ends coach at West Virginia, his alma mater.

Prior to that, Trickett was offensive coordinator and play-caller at Samford (2012-15), Florida Atlantic (2016) and Georgia State (2017-18). He also worked as a graduate assistant at Florida State and Alabama, gaining experience under Bobby Bowden, Jimbo Fisher and Nick Saban.

"I wanted someone with experience in our offensive scheme and system, someone with a reputation as a great quarterback teacher and quarterback developer,'' Scott said. "We've made progress on offense. Now I expect to see a better version of what we have been doing.''

Trickett also has a reputation for excellent recruiting in the Miami area. Scott joked that Trickett "knows the secret handshake'' and Miami-area coaches "let him in the back door over there.'' But USF's best teams historically have attracted great players from the Miami area, so Trickett's experience should be a definite asset.

Trickett said he didn't know Scott that well prior to his USF appointment, but long admired his work at Clemson. Trickett is from the same offensive family, although he termed himself a "cousin'' with a few different wrinkles.

"I was at my alma mater and happy there, so I wasn't going to leave for just any situation,'' Trickett said. "It had to mirror or be even better. When I think about running a program the right way, I think about Clemson. That's what Jeff Scott has brought to USF.

"When I got here, I already knew I had made the right decision. But when I went to the first team meeting and saw the genuine excitement and relationships that the players and coaches shared, I knew it was a no-brainer, home run-type decision for football and quality of life. I've always had respect for the South Florida program. When USF was really good, you knew you were in for a dogfight. That's what we want here again and I believe we have the right elements in place to make that happen.''

SPRING BALL VISITORS

The Bulls welcomed several visitors during Mat Drills and look forward to seeing several former players and guests return during spring drills.

Things got started on Day 1 with a visit from former defensive tackle Bruce Hector (2014-17), currently a Detroit Lion, and safety Devin Abraham (2014-17), now coaching at IMG Academy. Both players earned all-conference honors and put their names (Hector is No. 4 in career sacks, Abraham is No. 5 in interceptions) in the record books as stalwarts on Bulls teams that won 10 games in 2016 and 11 in 2017.