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Today we meet one of the few proven entities on USF's offense.
#80 TE Mike McFarland
Redshirt Senior, 6'5", 260 lbs
Stats in 2013: McFarland appeared in all 12 games for the Bulls, starting six. He was the team's second-leading receiver behind Andre Davis, racking up 23 catches for 288 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
Where was he on the 2013 Depth Chart: Second string at tight end behind Sean Price, but the two were basically interchangeable last year and McFarland actually put up better numbers.
How did he come to USF: Mike transferred to USF after a year at the University of Florida, and was immediately eligible after the legendary compliance ninjas got him a hardship waiver. He previously attended Blake High School in Tampa.
Recruiting Rankings: McFarland was a pretty highly-regarded prospect. Scout gave him 4 stars and rated him as the 12th-best tight end prospect in the country, while Rivals slated him at 24th and gave him 3 stars.
Projected Playing Time: Early and often. Between McFarland and Price, the Bulls have a nasty pair of tight ends. Mike managed to post pretty good stats and earn second-team all-AAC honors in the first year of Taggart's offense with some truly dreadful quarterbacking. If USF can find some consistency at QB, he could be in for a very big senior season.
Fun Fact: McFarland is a terror on special teams as well-- he blocked three field goals for the Bulls last season. The first of those, you may remember, was returned for a touchdown against Cincinnati and helped USF get their first win of the Taggart era.