Bulls Will Be Strengthened By Those Who Chose To Stay
July 15, 2026 | Football
But what about the USF players who stayed?
"Having a variety of guys who bleed USF Bulls, the veteran players who have invested so much in this program, that's vitally important,'' said first-year head coach Brian Hartline as he prepares for his first USF training camp. "It's a great reference point. We will lean on them and they will have important roles with this team.''
There are two players who arrived in 2022 — defensive lineman Michael Williams II and safety Tavin Ward. "My very first USF practice was so long ago, there wasn't even an indoor (facility) next to our practice field,'' Williams said.
There's wide receiver Mudia Reuben (36 catches for 495 yards with five touchdowns) and tight end Wyatt Sullivan (18 catches for 176 yards with two touchdowns). Reuben (Stanford) and Sullivan (Florida Atlantic) both arrived last season and became key playmakers for the Bulls.
There's offensive lineman Thomas Shrader, in his seventh season of college football, a veteran from Florida State and Appalachian State who started all 13 games last season at USF.
There are several others with multiple years of USF playing experience, such as wide receiver/special-teams ace JeyQuan Smith, running back Alvon Isaac, linebacker Rodney Hill, linebacker Zavier Hamilton, tight end Evan Dangler, wide receiver Joshua Porter, nose tackle Jahari Grant, wide receiver Jaden Alexis, defensive end Levi Smiley, defensive tackle Ryan Jenkins, cornerback Jair Murphy and jack Ashton Mosley.
There's also two holdovers from the previous coaching staff — special teams coordinator/outside linebackers coach Chad Creamer and cornerbacks coach James Rowe.
"There are a lot of new faces, but there's a core group of guys who wanted to be here and stayed through it,'' Creamer said. "From the players to the coaches, there's a bond. At the same time, there's excitement to welcome in all the new.
"I think there's a respect for the guys who stayed. We love this place. We want to be here and it means something to us. I think we've all got that in common and we want to be leaders in this program.''
Providing Leadership
Sullivan said he's excited about his final season of college football. He believes Hartline's offense will allow him to thrive with lots of receptions, perhaps even a chance to get deep.
And speaking of deep …
This kid is unique.
His tattoos show the inspiration of a deep thinker. There are images of Malcolm X, Muhammad Ali, Florence-Griffith Joyner and Kobe Bryant. There's a Latin phrase — Memento mori — meant to inspire purposeful living because it's a reminder that we all must die.
Then there are two lines from an 1875 poem, Invictus.
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
Sullivan said those words speak directly to his goals for this season.
"As soon as the new staff got here, my coaches challenged me to be a leader, be more vocal,'' Sullivan said. "I will be myself, but I want to hold other guys accountable. And to hold guys accountable, you've got to be accountable yourself. So I'm showing up every day, doing it the right way.''
A similar responsibility has been passed to Shrader on the offensive line.
"It was a battle to keep him here and I'm happy he decided to stay,'' offensive line coach Mike Sollenne said. "He plays hard. He does his job. He knows where he's supposed to be. He probably knows the job of every player on the offensive line.
"He's pretty quiet, so I challenged him to be a leader. This is his last year. What does he want this unit to look like? He has to lead. I was so proud of him during the spring. After one practice, he grabbed the whole line and started talking and I was like, 'Wow, who is that?' This USF program means a lot to him and he has taken some ownership.''
Shrader said he has embraced his leadership role.
"A bunch of young guys are looking up to me,'' Shrader said. "There's a bunch of older, experienced guys, too and I'm trying to learn new stuff from them. But I want to be the guy here who can teach some lessons.''
Such as?
"Adversity is going to hit … you just don't know when,'' Shrader said. "I started a game as a true freshman, then didn't start another game until my fifth year of college. You've got to weather the storms and be willing to learn every single day. You're never going to be perfect. But you've got to continue to grow and develop your skill-set. If I can get across anything in my last year at USF, it would be that.''
Contributing On And Off The Field
Reuben has big plans for his final season as well. With him, it's about much more than football. He has become one of the faces of all that's right with college football's modern era. Reuben is using a portion of his Name, Image and Likeness (NIL) earnings to fund the Nigeria Water Project, bringing clean water to the homeland of his parents by drilling wells in different villages.
Reuben will forever be remembered for his heartwarming and generous gesture.
But he has a great story on the field as well.
In the final three regular-season games, Reuben had 14 receptions for 325 yards (23.2-yard average) and four touchdowns. That included catches of 60, 60, 59, 41 and 32 yards.
"Obviously, I want to keep that going,'' Reuben said. "I hit a great stride at the end of last season and I want them to keep depending on me. I think there's going to be a huge dependence on us (returning players) overall, just to keep our respective rooms tight and together. When you see guys coming from a lot of different places, you typically see some tension. But with Coach Hartline and our coaches, there are good values and good cultures instilled here. I think we're already a brotherhood, like we didn't miss a step.''
After transferring from Stanford, Reuben said he found a happy home at USF and never considered looking elsewhere, even with the coaching change.
"I'm a big loyalty guy,'' Reuben said. "I never saw myself in the transfer portal once, let alone twice. The portal is not like a happy sunshine area where you find a new school and everything (works out perfectly). I knew I was already in a good situation at USF. I knew what we had coming in and the coaches we had. I knew there was room for big opportunity. So I'm grateful to be here and keep building the USF program.''
Ward (37 career USF games) missed last season's final three games and had surgery. Williams (34 games) missed the first half of last season with an injury. But they are probably the two remaining USF players with the most invested in the program.
"It's really about the relationships,'' Williams said. "There are so many seasons of sweating it out with your brothers, crying, spilling some blood. I have shorter relationships with many of the guys on our defense now, but we have already bonded, so the feeling will be the same.
"With everything going on at USF now, with the new stadium and football complex coming (in 2027), it has changed the way this program is viewed. There's talent that wants to come here, not just because it looks good, but because the hype is real. Coach Hartline saw something in USF. He saw what the rest of us saw. We stayed because this is our home, but we believe in what is being built here. Some great days are ahead.''
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
