Only Eric Mayes Days Until USF Football

Stats in 2014: Mayes was not eligible to play in 2014 because he was a partial qualifier.

Spot on Preseason Depth Chart: Mayes does not appear on the spring depth chart.

How He Came to USF: Mayes went to Booker High School, along with Marlon Mack, and graduated in 2013. He signed with USF out of high school, but couldn't qualify academically and attended a prep school in New York called Milford Academy. Mayes then resigned with USF but was ruled a partial qualifier for the 2014 season. This means that his academic scores were not high enough to play yet, but that he could still attend the university and practice football with the team. During his recruitment, USF was not expecting Mayes to spend 2013 in prep school and 2014 on the bench, but those years have probably built some character and wisdom that will serve him and the Bulls well in the future.

Recruiting Rankings: Mayes had four stars from ESPN and three stars from 247 and Rivals.

Projected Playing Time: There are a lot of defensive ends on this team and Mayes is not yet at the top of the list. He has some serious talent and is probably excited to get back on the field after a year of partial eligibility, but the wisest thing for the coaching staff to do may be redshirting him. Going to prep school and sitting out last year do not count as redshirt seasons, so he still has one to use. This would mean the Bulls could play him as a 21-year-old redshirt freshman in 2016. Mayes could be a huge asset to the team by then, at which point the absence of Eric Lee and Demetrius Hill will have depleted the unit.

Fun Fact: Eric Mayes is the funniest dude Marlon Mack knows.

OMG ERIC MAYES IS THE FUNNIEST DUDE I KNOW BRA @eizzymayes23

— Ⓜ️&Ⓜ️3⃣0⃣0⃣ (@Marlon_Mack2) December 24, 2014

Highlights: most of Mayes' high school football career was spent humiliating offensive tackles: