Bulls finally off and running with 2017 recruiting class
South Florida's path back to annual bowl opportunities took a giant step forward the last few days.
The Bulls have received an amazing 10 commitments since Friday as they try to build on last season's 8-5 mark, the program's first winning record since 2010. South Florida reached bowl games five straight seasons from 2006-10, but endured a four-year drought that ended wiht last season's Miami Beach Bowl loss to Western Kentucky.
After the Bulls picked up their first commitment in April from in-state wide receiver Jernard Phillips, the Bulls had to wait until July to pick up their second. This wait turned out to be well worth it, as that second commitment has resulted in 10 more since last Friday. Among those was four-star athlete Bruce Judson, who chose USF over several Power Five schools.
“The real spark of this surge in commitments came from the Bulls Saturday Night Live camp,” said Runningthebulls.com publisher Kelly Quinlan. “They held an elite camp which was their only solo on-campus camp and those kids bonded with the staff and they kept it around 50 players to keep it tight. A quarter of the kids at that camp have committed to the Bulls now and several others are heavy leans."
One of those important camp attendees was three-star wide receiver Daewood Davis, who committed to the Bulls on Wednesday.
“What led to my commitment is the love I was receiving from the coaches and the program,” Davis said. “Also it just felt like family. I think USF has picked up 10 commits because we all see the vision of what the program is trying to do and since we’ve seen and competed with each other, we became brothers.”
A large part of this resurgence by South Florida can be attributed to head coach Willie Taggart, who came over from Western Kentucky after the 2012 season.
“He is very cool,” said three-star cornerback commit Nick Roberts. “He just loves having fun and competing. He’s special. He guided me and taught me every step in the defensive scheme. He’s a great coach.”
Now that the Bulls have quickly established recruiting momentum, the next step for them will be maintaining it. This can also be said about their on-field production, as a strong finish to their 8-5 season in 2015 has fans excited about 2016 and the future.
“I think USF needs to win on the field and keep the momentum up from 2015 on the field,” Quinlan said. “The Bulls will be picked to either win or finish second in the league. Having a good season and hanging with FSU in that game in Tampa will be huge to stopping poaching of their class.”
After a 34-14 loss at Florida State in 2015, the Bulls will have the advantage of facing the Seminoles at home this fall. This game may prove to be vital for both the 2016 season and many more after it.
“The South Florida/Florida State game is very important to South Florida,” said Davis. “It would wake people up about us rising Bulls and I believe that the Bulls can pull it off.”
A victory against Florida State may be a cherry on top of the sundae at that point, but even before that game in September, the Bulls have put themselves in a favorable position with several additional important recruits. This includes three-star cornerback Zamari Maxwell, two-star linebacker Shanon Reid, defensive end Darrien Grant and three-star defensive end Antwan Owens, who is currently committed to Central Florida but has been getting worked on continuously by the Bulls’ staff.
The Bulls have caught the attention of recruiting fans around the country as they attempt to build on their recent momentum and finish out the 2017 class strong.