Last season, during a particularly ravaging injury-plagued stretch, USF coach Jeff Scott made this proclamation:

"I've learned you can never have enough defensive linemen.''

The Bulls now appear to be well-stocked across the defensive front following a recruiting cycle that saw the addition of 12 players at defensive tackle or defensive end. Now it's a matter of who plays where — and USF defensive coordinator Bob Shoop is still sorting out the rotation heading into the team's second full scrimmage on Saturday morning.

Jatorian Hansford (a transfer from Missouri) and holdover Tramel Logan have had standout camps at defensive end, while Shoop has been impressed with Rashad Cheney (Minnesota transfer) and holdover Rashawn Yates on the interior.

With Shoop's plans to utilize his depth and keep defensive linemen fresh for the fourth quarter, the formal first-team and second-team depth charts might just be a formality, because everyone will see significant action.

Shoop said true freshman Eddie Kelly "may have been one of the stars of camp so far, so he'll find himself in a role,'' while Nick Bags (Temple transfer) has been a productive scrimmage performer. Stoops also expects holdover De'Juan Sease, a former walk-on who just received a scholarship, holdover Jason Vaughn and transfer Jonathan Ross (Bowie State) to earn substantial playing time. There's also hope that true freshman Michael Williams (an ESPN four-star recruit) can develop into a special player.

Former USF basketball player Bayron Matos (6-foot-9, 291 pounds) is "an athletic freak'' and an intriguing player who could help the Bulls in spots this season, Shoop said. Matos, who is playing an interior position, also could figure into a special-teams role, perhaps utilizing his long arms and leaping ability as a kick-blocker.

"We're going to send players out in tough situations to see how they're going to respond,'' Shoop said Thursday as he looked ahead to the scrimmage. "It's about the process more than the result. I want to see us play clean. I want to see us execute well.

"There are a lot of individual position battles still going on at all positions that could be determined in 48 to 72 hours, whether it's starters, second-unit players or what their role and responsibilities will be heading into the opening game against BYU (Sept. 3, Raymond James Stadium)."

The need for speed

Bulls' safety Will Jones, a transfer from Kansas State University who suffered a season-ending ACL injury just days before last year's opener, said he's all the way back.

Jones, who has been clocked at over 22 mph on the training staff's GPS tracking system and was featured in Bruce Feldman's preseason "Freaks" list for The Athletic, said he's the fastest player on the team. Jones added that wide receiver Jimmy Horn is probably running second and he believes his speed has actually gotten better during the injury recovery period.

"Honestly, I've gotten faster,'' Jones said. "The whole recovery process took a lot of time. But throughout that time, I was always working on running mechanics, speed, change of direction, things like that. It allowed me to work more than I ever had (on those specific areas). I feel like I'm faster than I was before.''

Finding a home

USF's Matthew Hill was a wide receiver when he arrived at Auburn in 2018 as a four-star prospect. He was shifted to the secondary at Auburn prior to the 2020 season, but saw action in just three games. After transferring to USF last season, he worked mostly at safety, starting 10 games at the position and posting 50 tackles.

Now Hill said he feels like he has finally found a home.

While working at the nickel-back position, Hill has become one of the training camp standouts and a leader in Shoop's defense.

"I think it's because I know I'm a very physical player and I can (deal with) a pulling guard or a running back on top,'' Hill said. "I'm close to the box. I'm like a corner-slash-safety. It's like both of those positions at once, so I have the best of both worlds. It shortens the field for me and whoever (I'm covering) … and I can put my hands (on them) faster. I feel like I was (made for the position).''

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