Only Bruce Hector Days Until USF Football

#60 DT Bruce Hector
Redshirt Sophomore, 6'2", 296 lbs.

Stats in 2014: Hector appeared in six games last season, but did not record any stats.

Spot on Spring Depth Chart: Not listed.

How He Came to USF: Bruce is a Tampa kid, hailing from Robinson High. He played both offensive and defensive line and had offers from a handful of MAC schools, including Bowling Green, Ball State, Buffalo and Akron.

Recruiting Rankings: 247 had Hector as a low three-star prospect, while Rivals gave him two stars. He committed to Skip Holtz early in the recruiting process and took a couple visits after Holtz was fired, but wound up sticking with the Bulls and Willie Taggart.

Projected Playing Time: Bruce is on the right track. He put on around 20 pounds in his redshirt season and managed to see the field ahead of veterans like Clavion Nelson last season. That said, playing time will still be sparse in 2015 behind guys like Deadrin Senat and Derrick Calloway, but perhaps he can begin to work his way into the rotation.

Depth Chart: As we did earlier for the receivers, we'll take a look at how the depth chart along the defensive line is shaping up, since we won't cover another D-lineman until late August.

Defensive End
Eric Lee
Mike Love
Daniel Awoleke
Eric Mayes
Demetrius Hill
Nicholas Munera

This is the Bulls' one true defensive end position in the new 4-2-5 defense. Lee will get the majority of the snaps here, but Mike Love, provided he's healthy, should see playing time. The wild card here is Demetrius Hill, who still hasn't been formally reinstated by Coach Taggart. Hill was an asset at end last season, but even if he works his way back onto the sideline, his playing time will likely be limited. Awoleke has been solid in his stead this spring, and should see some playing time. Mayes could be a candidate to play inside if he can put on some weight, and should be a big-time contributor in the future.

Nose Tackle
Deadrin Senat
James Hamilton
Bruce Hector

Consider this the position that Todd Chandler played last season in Chuck Bresnahan's ill-fated 3-4. These are true, space-clogging defensive tackles, and the Bulls have a good one atop the depth chart in Deadrin Senat. Hamilton's playing time has dwindled with Senat's rise, but he'll be in the rotation.

Defensive Tackle:
Derrick Calloway
Kevin Bronson

Here we're looking for the sort of tackle/end hybrid that Elkino Watson served as in 2014. Since the Bulls are essentially playing a down linebacker as their second defensive end (the "Bull" position), the second defensive tackle has to have the speed to play both inside and outside. Calloway's proven himself more than capable and should have a big season, and Bronson has the right combination of size and skill for this position, though he'll likely only see rotational snaps.

Bull (Hybrid):
Josh Black
Zach Bullock
Vincent Jackson
Juwuan Brown
Danny Thomas

As we said, this position is essentially a down linebacker used for edge rushing. Josh Black seems like a great fit here; he showed an ability to get to the quarterback as a true freshman in 2014. I tend to think one of the freshmen will overtake Bullock as the number two guy-- Jackson has great size for the position, and true freshman Danny Thomas, who enrolled early and played some defensive end in high school, could be a sleeper.