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It's been a busy week for the Bulls. Let's get rolling.
Surprise: WR Griffin Transferring From USF - Tampa Bay Times
The biggest news came last Friday, when Sterling Griffin announced his plans to transfer. Griffin has been one of the Bulls' most talented receivers over the past few years, but could never seem to stay healthy for a full season. His best season came in 2011, when he was on pace to reset basically every Bulls single-season receiving record before getting injured and finishing with a team-leading 43 receptions for 530 yards. Many are speculating he'll wind up reuniting with Skip Holtz at Louisiana Tech, so the move appears to be more about coaching rather than injuries. Regardless, we wish Sterling the best and thank him for his contributions (and really awesome catches - see above) in his time here.
This creates a bit of a depth issue at receiver for the Bulls, with Griffin joining recently-departed Terrence Mitchell and still-suspended Chris Dunkley (who I wouldn't hold my breath on. Even if he does return, it's been ages since he played and he didn't make much of a splash last season). Apart from Andre Davis, there really isn't a proven commodity among the returnees. It's tough to predict how much of an issue it will be this coming season-- there's certainly potential for a good group if D'Vario Montgomery lives up to his billing and Deonte Welch can get back to freshman year form, but if injuries strike as they have in recent seasons, the Bulls are awfully thin.
Jefferson's Porter Commits to USF Football - Tampa Bay Times
East Lake CB Abraham the Latest to Commit to USF - Tampa Bay Times
Staying Home: CB Fullwood Latest Commit for USF - Tampa Bay Times
Willie Taggart's been on a roll, bringing in three commitments in the past week alone. First came Tampa Jefferson QB Deiondre Porter, who committed as soon as he received an offer from USF. Porter, a three-star prospect according to 247 and a two-star according to Rivals, also had offers from Iowa State, Ball State and Buffalo. He's expected to play a position other than quarterback with the Bulls.
East Lake cornerback Devin Abraham-- son of former NFL corner Donnie Abraham-- was next, committing on Saturday over offers from NC State, Ohio and Bowling Green, among others. Both 247 and Rivals list Abraham as a three-star prospect.
The most impressive commitment may have been Tampa Bay Tech corner Tajee Fullwood, another consensus three-star who chose the Bulls over an impressive list of offers including Florida State, Tennessee, Louisville and Rutgers (though in the interest of fairness, many reported that FSU wouldn't take Fullwood's commitment).
An encouraging theme in Taggart's ten commitments thus far-- fairly impressive ones too, currently chalking in at 34th in the 247 class rankings-- is how well he and his staff have been recruiting Tampa, something Skip Holtz failed spectacularly to do. Taggart has been on record saying he wants to build a wall around Tampa, and prospects seem to be taking notice. Upon committing, Fullwood said "I feel like if we can keep everybody in Tampa, we're going to be like Miami in the 80s. Unstoppable."
Bulls Headed Back to Vero on Aug. 10-17 - Tampa Bay Times
Pretty self-explanatory here. For the fourth consecutive preseason, USF will be training at Vero Beach. I have no real opinion on this, although I admit I wasn't really expecting Taggart to continue the Holtzian tradition.
College Football Countdown: No. 80 South Florida - USA Today
The annual preview countdown from USA Today's Paul Myerberg has hit USF, and as always it's a good read. The ranking looks pretty low, but Myerberg believes that the Bulls will improve, at least record-wise, in 2013.
Egbunu's Enrollment Pushed to Fall - Tampa Bay Times
This hopefully won't be a big deal, but USF fans are all too familiar with last-second academic problems making their big men ineligible. Egbunu, a 6'10" 230 pound top-100 recruit, figures to be a really, really crucial part of next season's team, so this is a situation to keep an eye on.
Heath Names Donnie Marsh Assistant Coach - GoUSFBulls.com
More basketball news as Stan Heath continues to fill out his coaching staff. Marsh has been in college basketball for 30 years, including a four-year stint as the head coach at FIU.
Lamar Making Big Plays for CFL's Tiger-Cats - GoUSFBulls.com
The main story here is that former Bulls running back/receiver/returner Lindsey Lamar made the roster for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the CFL, but more importantly click here and here for videos of LINDSEYTIME.