2012 Spring Preview: Secondary

The Bulls had a lot of injuries last year in the secondary and at the end of the season lost several key players such as safety Jerrell Young and cornerback Quenton Washington to graduation. However, the Bulls return several starters and key reserves for the 2012 season that will need them to raise their level of play this season. With that said, there are still a lot of concerns with this unit. Time to break down what the Bulls will have as they step on the field for Spring practices.

At the cornerback position, USF returns starter Kayvon Webster (5-11 195-pounds) after his solid junior season. The Bulls will need him to be an anchor this year on the edge as they bring in new players and try to give the younger players a chance as well. Behind him (from last year’s depth chart) is George Baker (5-11 180-pounds) who played sparingly in his junior season, but has a chance to win the other starting role and help the secondary with his experience (talked with Jerrell Young and Baker could be most athletic player in the secondary, awesome to hear).

JaQuez Jenkins returns after a great sophomore season (limited due to a hamstring issue). The 6-2 183-pound sophomore was safety, but shifted over to cornerback and could play a lot in nickel situations depending on the schemes by new defensive coordinator Chris Cosh.

At strong safety is Jon Lejiste (6-0 201-pounds). The hard hitting safety will be a key enforcer in the secondary this season. At the free safety position, Mark Joyce (5-10 195-pounds) returns and will have big shoes to fill that are left behind by Jerrell Young.

The secondary has several returning players, but there is a concern over the experienced depth that is coming in behind the starters. USF added JUCO stars Josh Brown (6-1 190-pounds) and Fidel Montgomery (6-0 183-pounds) who both have a chance to play early, both at cornerback or at the safety position. Incoming freshman Chris Bivins (5-11 175-pounds) is enrolled early, but won't participate in the Spring practices as he continues to recover from ACL surgery last year.

Aside from the incoming recruits that are enrolled early, the Bulls do return several players that will have opportunities to get playing time early and will need to raise their level of play this season. Sophomore Ricardo Dixon (5-11 167-pounds) tore his ACL at the end of the season and will most likely be limited if not out for Spring. Freshman Kenneth Durden (6-0 170-pounds) redshirted last year and could a play key role this season. Freshman safety C.J. Garye (6-3 206-pounds) is another player that could have a chance to step in early. Junior cornerback Ernie Tabuteau (5-10 180-pounds) also returns after moving his way up the roster last year. Spencer Boyd will also return this season after there were questions if he could be transferring out.

Other names such Brandon Salinas (6-0 174-pounds), Trevon Griffin (6-0 203-pounds), Patrice Pierre (6-2 206-pounds), Tyler Robb (5-9 196-pounds), and Allen Singleton (6-0 195-pounds) all have a chance to get on the field and prove what they can do for the coaching staff.

The secondary has some question marks and could be the unit with the most concern entering the spring. The coaching staff will need to see who can raise their level of play, become consistent contributors, and lock up either the starting jobs or become key reserves for the season.