Truth be told, Saturday night's USF Football Spring Game presented by LifeLink is a glorified practice, the finale to a couple months' worth of conditioning, scheming and incorporating new players into the flow during spring ball.
A dozen key performers won't be available due to injuries and recovery from various surgeries. And head coach Alex Golesh readily admits that the flavor of most things will be decidedly vanilla.
"You've got no idea who's there (in the stands),'' Golesh said. "There are no wrinkles that you want to show to anybody.''
So even though there might be an operative or two from Boise State pretending to enjoy the Street Fest before entering Corbett Stadium and hoping to gain an edge on the Aug. 28 season-opener at Raymond James Stadium, there remains a larger question:
If you're a devoted USF football fan who wants to gauge the program's status, what should you watch?
"I think what you would want to watch, offensively, is how we function, how we start and sustain drives and obviously the tempo,'' Golesh said. "Defensively, I think it's flying around with their hair on fire. It's a defensive group with a bunch of veteran leadership and also a bunch of youth that has been really encouraging so far this spring.''
More specifically, here are some spring-game viewing tips:
The quarterbacks — If Byrum Brown sees the field, it would be his first significant action (before a crowd) since suffering a knee injury at Tulane on Sept. 28. Fans usually follow the ball, so they'll notice anything done by Brown, Bryce Archie or any quarterback. A fascinating player to watch could be true freshman Locklan Hewlett, who has impressed coaches with his situational awareness and overall preparation. He looks the part.
The running backs — Maybe the biggest position of fascination. The Bulls lost their experience — Kelley Joiner, Nay'Quan Wright and Ta'Ron Keith are gone after a stellar 2024 — and Charlotte transfer Cartevious Norton is the only (current) player to log significant collegiate playing time. Sophomore Alvon Isaac (5-foot-9, 185 pounds) has waited his turn and has game-breaking potential. In addition to his make-you-miss skills, Isaac also has improved as a pass protector.
"You want to go through spring with six of those guys (running backs) and we've got four who are going through spring right now,'' Golesh said. "Our group has collectively gotten so much better, and a huge credit to them. But I still feel like we don't have enough depth there. We've got freshmen coming in, but they're freshmen, so we'll see. But that (running back) is one spot that you're waiting for, looking for guys to really flash.''
The receivers — It's a new 
look without the presence of Sean Atkins, but there's loads of talent and potential with emerging star Keshaun Singleton, sophomore Josh Porter, Tennessee transfer Chas Nimrod and freshmen Jeremiah Koger and Kory Pettigrew, among others.
Nimrod (6-2, 185), who played more than 400 snaps last season at Tennessee according to Golesh, has brought an air of confidence and experience. Nimrod was recruited to Tennessee by Kodi Burns, who is USF's first-year assistant head coach/co-offensive coordinator/receivers coach.
"He (Nimrod) was looking for a fit — an offensive fit, a personality fit,'' Golesh said. "He left a really good place (Tennessee). But he just said he wanted to be happy, he wanted to be productive and he wanted to be valued. He made it (transferring) about the important things, which is playing time, getting coached by the right people … and knowing that he can trust (those people).''
The offensive line — Maybe USF's strongest and most experienced position group. With four returning starters — and five players with a combined 87 starts along USF's offensive line — there's an expectation for this group to display efficiency and leadership. Two of the more promising newcomers are at tackle, Stanford transfer Connor McLaughlin (6-7, 295) and Appalachian State Thomas Shrader (6-5, 305).
Defensive front — B-backers Rico Watson and D.J. Harris have returned, along with big-play performer Michael Williams at defensive end. Two more areas to watch: The development of players such as sophomores Jahari Grant and Dinellson Exume, who both showed good flashes in their true freshman seasons. The presence of newcomers such as transfers Josh Celiscar (Texas A&M), Dre Butler (Charlotte) and Jacob Merrifield (Florida Atlantic).
The linebackers — Who wouldn't love the return of Mac Harris and Jhalyn Shuler, both of whom have led the Bulls in tackles? Golesh would feel more secure with experienced depth at linebacker, though, and the spring game could represent an opportunity for someone like sophomore Rodney Hill (mostly a special teams performer in 2024) to showcase that ability.
Defensive back end — The secondary has tons of experience and there's heavy competition at all positions. Golesh said he's expecting more weighty contributions from younger players such as safety Fred Gaskin and cornerback James Chenault.
So, what makes for an overall successful spring game on Saturday night?
"You want it to look clean,'' Golesh said. "You want the tackling to be elite. You want the offensive operation to be elite. That would make you feel good as a coach.''
"Just executing on the details,'' Nimrod said. "You can go out there and run plays. Everybody runs plays. But when it comes down to the details, everybody executing and doing their job, then everything else takes care of itself.''
"I think we are all eager to get on the field and show what we can do,'' Isaac said. "We just need to execute, be together and just be that team.''
–#GoBulls–
