Head Coach Jeff Scott said Tuesday that it was a "crystal clear'' decision to name junior Gerry Bohanon as the team's starting quarterback.

Why?

After just eight weeks at USF, Bohanon ranked second (out of 114 players) in the team's "GRIT'' points that measure effort and leadership in offseason workouts.

He learned the entire playbook in two weeks.

Before the first practice, in a secret vote, Bohanon was listed as one of USF's top three leaders by his teammates.

Following a particularly sloppy practice, Scott was prepared to dress down his team, but Bohanon stepped up to demand accountability. Everyone listened.

In tracking every pass thrown during practices and scrimmages, Bohanon had an 80-percent completion rate. The next closest quarterback was at 67 percent.

"Gerry has just been outstanding since the day he got here,'' Scott said.

"I've always prepared as a starter from the first day,'' said Bohanon, a 6-foot-3, 226-pounder who produced 27 touchdowns and 2,523 yards last season at Baylor. "So, nothing has changed for me.''

Still, the Bulls had options. Bohanon — a transfer who helped the Bears to a 12-victory season, the Big 12 Conference title and a Sugar Bowl championship — battled against left-hander Timmy McClain, the incumbent sophomore who started nine games in 2021.

After Scott's decision, McClain opted to transfer, elevating 6-5, sophomore Katravis Marsh (who has started two games in his USF career) to the backup quarterback position behind Bohanon.

"Timmy had a really good summer and a good fall camp,'' Scott said. "He really improved and worked hard to improve. The difference is Gerry's just at a very high level. He's three years older. He won 10 games as a starter in the Big 12 and had wins against BYU, Oklahoma, Texas and Ole Miss. That's just the experience you can't make up.

"That was part of our reason for bringing him in, that experience and knowledge. Part of my job as head coach is to make the tough decisions. I have to do what's best for the team, then what's best for the player. I asked our coaching staff Sunday by a raise of hands and it was 100 percent unanimous that Gerry's our guy.''

Scott said his former boss, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney, once passed on this advice:

"When there's a hard decision to be made and you're not willing to make that decision, then somebody else deserves to sit in your seat.''

Scott said he met with McClain and his father before bringing Bohanon in for his official visit and tried to keep the communication lines open. Scott said he knew that Bohanon's presence and potential status as the No. 1 quarterback could cause McClain to leave. Scott said McClain was "a class young man'' and predicted he would have a bright future.

"What I've learned is, it doesn't matter how nice or how fair you are,'' Scott said. "At the end of the day, when you're in those situations, the guy who doesn't get the job is probably leaving. That's just the environment we're in. … But, I'm confident that we've made the best decision for this year's team to win this year.''

The irony, of course, is Bohanon landed at USF after being beaten out for Baylor's starting job following spring football.

"The transfer portal giveth and the transfer portal taketh away,'' Scott said.

USF moved quickly to land Bohanon based on his reputation, 2021 production and quick recommendations. As theory has met reality, the Bulls haven't been disappointed.

"I want to be the best version of myself every day,'' Bohanon said. "I'm the same person every day. I'm going to do everything possible to make sure I'm the best player and best person I can be. I want to be that energy. When guys are not having their best days, I want them to look at me and feel my presence.''

"Every guy was sitting there listening to every word that he said and he was so genuine and real,'' Scott said of Bohanon speaking to the team earlier in the week. "I mean, with the feeling in that room, there weren't a lot of people worried about our future.''

Bohanon said USF's offensive talent level is "very, very, very, very high.'' So, he has set some ambitious goals, which he writes down each year. Bohanon wants to have 2,000 passing yards, 1,000 rushing yards and 40 total touchdowns, while the Bulls win the AAC title.

"That would be a great year,'' Bohanon said.

Bohanon's upward trajectory already has rubbed off on his USF teammates.

"We'll protect for anybody behind us,'' senior guard Demetris Harris said. "But when you see somebody busting his tail trying to make us better, it just makes you go harder. Because it's like, 'Man, I can't let him (Bohanon) down. I can't let the guy next to me down. I can't let the defense down.' It's like a brotherhood and we're all playing for each other.

"It's great having somebody who's already proven and has played at the highest level. The thing about Gerry is he rode the bench for three years (at Baylor). He still has something to prove. He's still playing with a chip on his shoulder. You mix in that experience and attitude with Coach Scott's culture and it's going to be special this year. For sure.''

Joiner out 6 weeks

Running back Kelley Joiner, who rushed for 496 yards last season, broke a bone in his foot during Saturday's scrimmage and is expected to miss at least six weeks. Scott said he hopes Joiner can return at some point during USF's American Athletic Conference schedule.

"Probably the deepest position on our team is the running-back room,'' Scott said. "We really feel with Kelley that we had five or six guys that we could win with. I really hate it for Kelley because he has looked excellent, but we hope to get him back as soon as we possibly can.''

Pinder absent

Scott said defensive lineman Clyde Pinder, a transfer from North Carolina, is no longer with the team due to academic issues. Scott hasn't closed the door on a potential return, but said it's currently "out of our control.''

Fall camp movers and shakers

Scott said two players — receiver Ajou Ajou and nickel back Matthew Hill — have made the greatest strides during fall camp. Ajou has shown remarkable productivity, scoring four touchdowns in the two most recent scrimmages. Scott described Hill as "the MVP of our defense'' during fall camp.

Tuesday scrimmage

The Bulls used half of Tuesday's practice to scrimmage and the offense had a much better showing than Saturday's effort that saw a dominant defensive performance.

The offense mounted a 70-yard touchdown drive on its first possession, getting a 50-yard touchdown pass from Bohanon to Xavier Weaver. There were just three penalties and zero turnovers. In last Saturday's full scrimmage, there were 15 penalties and four turnovers. The place-kickers also went 3-for-3 in field-goal attempts on Tuesday, including a 49-yarder from returning starter Spencer Shrader.

The Bulls will hold another full scrimmage this Saturday. Next Monday, the Bulls begin game preparations for No. 25-ranked BYU, which visits Raymond James Stadium for the Sept. 3 season-opener, set for a 4 p.m. kick on ESPNU.