USF Lands Former Duke Defensive Linemen Marquies Price and Brandon Boyce

Transfer season continued for USF football on Monday as former Duke defensive lineman Marquies Price and Brandon Boyce both announced on Twitter that they’ll be taking their talents to Tampa.

The two were dismissed from the Blue Devil program in February when head coach David Cutcliffe cited that they had “failed to meet program standards.”

A three-star class of 2015 defensive end out of Fort Valley, GA, Price was an early enrollee at Duke who found an immediate role in Jim Knowles’ 4-2-5 defense.

During his two years in Durham, he played in 21 games and started 11 in 2016. In that span, he racked up 34 tackles (7 TFLs), 3.5 sacks, and six quarterback pressures.

Alongside Price comes fellow three-star class of 2015 signee Boyce, a Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas alum who will return to his home state.

Boyce played in all 13 games for the Blue Devils during his freshman season in 2015, grabbing 24 tackles (4 TFLs) and a sack in the process. However, his sophomore campaign got off to a rocky start as he was suspended for the first three games of the season for undisclosed reasons. He would go on to appear in eight games in 2016.

It’s still unknown what standards they failed to live up to in the eyes of Coach Cutcliffe. But with the Blue Devils pulling in ESPN 300 defensive end Drew Jordan in their most recent class and having four-star defensive end Tahj Rice on board for 2018, they obviously felt they had enough depth in the immediate future to part ways with the two.

The addition of Price and Boyce provides added depth in 2018 for a pass rushing attack that has been more of an Achilles heel than a strength over the past two seasons. The two already being familiar with the 4-2-5 scheme is an added bonus — they can come in and contribute almost immediately for Charlie Strong’s defense when they become eligible.