Stampeding Through the Roster: #54 Julius "JuJu" Forte

Ju-Ju is a karmic, West African religion that supposes that good deeds will bring good luck, and bad deeds will bring bad luck. We had some pretty bad ju-ju last year, but our defensive line this year should have some good ju-ju, in the person of #54, Julius Forte, also known as JuJu.

#54 DE Julius "JuJu" Forte
Redshirt Junior, 6'2" 255 lbs.

Stats in 2011: Played all 12 games as a reserve. Made 21 tackles, including 6 tackles for loss, and 3 sacks.

Current Spot on Depth Chart: Starting defensive end.

How did he come to USF: Forte came to USF from Boga Ciega High School in St. Petersburg, where he piled up 93 tackles, 35 tackles for loss and 16 sacks as a senior. Forte selected USF over Louisville, Ole Miss, Kentucky, North Carolina, Purdue, and others.

Recruiting Rankings: Both Rivals and Scout gave Forte three stars. Rivals listed him as the 42nd-best DE prospect in the country in 2009, while Scout ranked him 47th at defensive end that year.

Projected Playing Time for 2012: While Forte was a reserve player last year, he's expected to start this year and have an impact on an improving defensive line, starting opposite Ryne Giddins. He'll likely get pushed by incoming JuCo transfer Tevin Mims, but we expect Forte to become a vital part of the defensive line