Jeff Scott and his coaching staff are taking a step forward into completing their class of 2021 on Wednesday as they look to ink the names of a few key players in this recruiting cycle.

There are a few storylines to watch as well going forward, such as USF’s recruiting battle, the transfer portal (in and out), and class size/scholarship count. For now, here is a re-fresher for the current class:

2021 Verbal Commits

• Jacksonville Trinity Christian LB CJ Ross
• Vero Beach LB Davon Hicks
• Fort Myers DE Keeon Terrell
• Auburndale DB Jaelen Stokes
• Sanford Seminole QB Timmy McClain
• Satellite TE Gunnar Greenwald
• Prokick Australia P Andrew Stokes
• Tampa Carrollwood Day DT Desmond Mamudi
• Melbourne Eau Gallie Safety Jordan Blackmon
• St. Augustine ATH Dequan Stanley
• Miami Gulliver Prep Safety Gabe Nealy
• Clearwater Academy International WR Nickolas Tschivuadi
• University School K John Cannon
• Chiles CB Jalen Herring
• Tampa Gaither OT Andrew Kilfoyl
• Ruskin Lennard DT Jhalin Hobbs
• Savannah Jenkins DT Jacquez Williams
• Heard County (GA) OL Drew Cornelius
• Clearwater WR Cardrece Mobley
• Winter Park Trinity OL Cole Best
• Vernon RB K’wan Powell

On Wednesday, according to Rivals and 247, Coach Jeff Scott is anticipating having TE Gunnar Greenwald, WR Nickolas Tshivuadi, LB Davon Hicks, CB Jalen Herring, and CB Jaelen Stokes register as early enrollees to get them on campus immediately.

Recruiting Battles

One of the bigger storylines to watch will be the fate of Carrollwood DT Desmond Mamudi. Mamudi has been committed to USF since May 20th, but a late Virginia Tech offer has him flirting between the two schools.

Although he has not yet de-committed from USF, it is expected that he will flip to Virginia Tech on Early Signing day to early enroll in Blacksburg. There is a chance for the Bulls to hang on to the hometown lineman if Hokie head coach Justin Fuente is fired. But all signs are now pointing to Tech keeping the embattled head coach, indicating USF losing out to the ACC program here.

Another storyline to watch is the foggy area of Jenkins (GA) DT Jacquez Williams. It was reported that Williams would not be signing until the class of 2022 by Bulls247, but some mixed information has came out Williams, his eligibility, and desire to wait an additional year to suit up for the Green and Gold.

There also appears to be a backlog of defensive tackle scholarships, with the reports that all four seniors (Kegler, Pinkney, Green, and Mangum) choosing to return to USF, and three verbal commitments in the current class with the aforementioned Mamudi and Lennard DT Jhalin Hobbs.

The Transfer Portal Takes (And Eventually Gives)

The transfer portal out of Tampa seems to be hitting its stride, with 10 former Bulls in the portal as of December 14th.

Names include RB Johnny Ford, WR Randall St. Felix, LB Devin Gil and DB Nick Roberts. There seems to be more names that will be surfacing and confirmed soon, however all indications are that Coach Jeff Scott and company will be using the transfer portal to re-fill the lost production.

Much of the transfer portal will continue to be done behind the scenes, but Coach Scott did indicate before the season ended that they would be looking to add six to seven players from the portal. The other unknown will be the recruitment of FCS and JuCo players, as they had their seasons moved into the spring, and how the coaching staff will handle those who wish to come up a level to FBS and how they will count on scholarships.