USF Football Promotes Bryan Hill, Finalizes 2019 On-Field Coaching Staff

A report from the Tampa Bay Times, a subscription-based newspaper, on Sunday indicated that quality-control assistant Bryan Hill would be promoted to safeties coach for the 2019 season.

The move finishes up the on-field portion of the upcoming year’s coaching staff as Charlie Strong moves into his third season.

Hill joined the USF staff in 2017 after being one of Strong’s graduate assistants at the University of Texas. In his two years with the Longhorns, he worked with linebackers and defensive backs. Before Texas, Hill was a defensive backs coach at Wayland Baptist University in Texas.

Sean Ellis was hired from Middle Tennessee State on Monday to coach defensive backs, so it appears that Ellis will focus on cornerbacks, while Hill focuses on safeties.

In a corresponding move, defensive tackles coach Sean Cronin was readjusted to coach outside linebackers.

Cronin was another of Strong’s first set of hires in 2017. After the departure of defensive ends coach Damon Cogdell, the Bulls brought in former Tampa Bay Buccaneers assistant defensive line coach Paul Spicer.

The ex-NFL veteran and coach will be in charge the entire defensive line, as both positions have been consolidated into one coaching job.

With USF’s 4-2-5 formation, perhaps both linebackers could be seen as outside linebackers, hence where Cronin comes in. This is the first time since 2004 where he’s coached linebackers - Cronin was the linebackers coach at Division II’s Clarion University in Pennsylvania.

The big picture:

Coming into spring camp, here is what USF’s on field coaches look like:

- Offense: Kerwin Bell (OC/QB), Shaun King (RB), Charlie Williams (WR), Justin Burke (TE/ST) and Jeremy Darveau (OL).

- Defense: Brian Jean-Mary (DC), Spicer (DL), Cronin (OLB), Ellis (DB), Hill (S).