In preparation for the last game of the regular season tonight, there are some players for whom this game means just a little more. Tonight is the last home game for the Bulls' class of 2011, and they'll be playing for a chance to play one more game as a Bull. USF started hot, looking like they were going to make a challenge for the Big East title and gain some national respect. That dream quickly went to shreds, but not all meaning has been lost for USF's class of 2012. We'll look back on the careers of the graduating Bulls that have contributed to make this a winning football team for the past few years after the jump.
Chaz Hine
Hine has been the anchor for the offensive line, which has been arguably the best part of the team for quite a while. Since redshirting in 2007, Hine has played in almost every game since 2008, starting every game in 2009 and 2010. This past season, Hine has excelled both on and off the field. While still anchoring the O-line, Hine earned himself nominations for the AFCA Good Works Team and the Lowe's Senior Class Award.
Kevin McCaskill
Coming out of Godby High School, McCaskill was a very popular center on Scout and Rivals, being rated as high as the #13 Center in the state. Following his 2007 redshirt year, McCaskill spent his early career playing behind USF star Center Sampson Genus. After Genus graduated last year, Bulls fans were assured not to worry about the Center position, because Kevin McCaskill was well-prepared and ready to fill the void. This past season was where Kevin really got his chance to show what he can do, and he has not disappointed.
Darren Powe
Offensive Guard is a rather unsung position. Though they are often responsible for the success of the whole offense, they rarely get credit, as there aren't a lot of statistics to keep for them. Powe has played in a mostly reserve role for much of his career, but his contributions should not be overlooked. These three linemen deserve much of the love for USF's recent history of good running backs and quarterbacks.
A.J. Love
Over his long career, Love has gained respect among USF fans as one of the best receivers to step on the field for the Bulls. Love played sparingly in 2007, but soon became a regular fixture of the USF offense. Alongside former Bulls Carlton Mitchell and Dontavia Bogan, Love needed to amplify his game to stay competitive within the team. He started all the games in his sophomore season and had a career year in 2009. USF fans were devastated when Love tore his ACL in the 2010 Spring Game, but were able to rest easy when he was granted a medical redshirt and a sixth year or eligibility. This season, Love has been a factor not only as a receiver, but as an outstanding blocker on the outside. Overall, Love is another great player in USF's recent line of notable receivers.
Joel Miller
Many people only know Joel Miller's name because of the incident that led to former USF coach Jim Leavitt's firing two years ago. But there's more to Miller than that. A former walk-on from local Wharton High School, Joel spent his first two years seeing exclusively Special Teams playing time. When Skip Holtz got here, Miller finally got a chance to play on offense. Miller's most notable performance came last season against Miami, where he became Bobby Eveld's favorite target for a crucial drive that helped seal the game for USF. This season, Miller helped USF to a historic win over Notre Dame and has played a considerable role for the Bulls' offense.
Keith McCaskill
The other McCaskill brother starred on the other side of the ball. In his first year on the field, Keith registered 3.5 tackles for a loss in the 12 games he played. He earned his first starts in 2009, capped with a career-high 7 tackles in a big USF win against West Virginia. He's continued to increase his production in his upperclassman years, and is a common force in this year's interior offensive line.
Claude Davis
Originally a native of Lakeland, Davis spent the first two years of his career at East Mississippi Community College, earning several honors, including bring named to the 2009 Mississippi Association of Community & Junior Colleges All-North State First Team and the 2009 NJCAA Preseason All-American First Team in his second year. Out of junior college, Davis decided to return back home to play for his hometown Bulls. Davis has seen action in every game on either special teams or defensive end. Perhaps the highlight of his career came this year, when Davis blocked a Cincinnati extra point.
Patrick Hampton
Hampton didn't get a lot of playing time in his first two years, but he picked up his game in 2010, getting the first starts of his career. This season, Hampton has started every game at DE, and has been leading the speedy defensive line to a great year. Hampton forced a fumble against Ball state this season, but the crowning moment of his career has to be last year at Louisville, when Hampton made a critical stop on 4th and 1 in overtime to deny the Cardinals a chance to go ahead inside the 5 yard line. The Bulls won the game on a long field goal, and Hampton was the hero.
Rony Delisca
Another local native, Delisca walked on along with teammate Joel Miller from Wharton High School, where he was an athletic and academic star. Delisca played reserve roles for much of his career, but no job is too small. In high school, Delisca was an outstanding special teams player, being named 2008 Wharton High School Special Teams Player of the Year. Appropriately, then, instead of waiting in line behind a class of senior defensive ends, Delisca has made his spot on the USF team as a great special teams player.
Sharly Azard
Azard joined the team just a year ago, as a walk-on in 2010. Back at home in New Jersey, he was named his high school's Scholar-Athlete of the Year. In addition to football, Azard is a track athlete who owns the his high record for the 4X200m relay. Since walking on in Spring of 2009, Azard was one of only four players who walked on and made the team. At USF, Azard has seen limited time on the field, but has provided depth at Linebacker for the team.
Curtis Weatherspoon
Another JUCO transfer, Weatherspoon went to Dean College in Massachusetts out of high school, where he was a two-time All-American. Upon his graduation from Dean, Weatherspoon returned back home to St. Petersburg, where he excelled on special teams while getting some reps at linebacker. He played in every game in 2010, and added some needed depth to the USF Linebacking corps.
Quenton Washington
Washington is a member of a secondary that has been up and down in recent years. However, Washington has provided a solid force in the CB position that will be challenging to fill when he's gone. He had plenty of highlights throughout his career, but the best game of his time with USF has to be the 2010 Meineke Car Care Bowl game against Clemson, where Washington had five tackles, and interception (almost for a touchdown), and a blocked punt.
Jerrell Young
Jerrell Young is a hometown kid who came to USF and really made himself known. He came over from Biggs High School in 2007 and redshirted his freshman year. Playing the next year behind Nate Allen didn't make it easy to get a lot of playing time, but Young got on the field in all 13 games that season. Since then, Young has been the go-to guy at Safety, and he's done more than fill his role. Most notably for his career with USF was his skillfully forced fumble against Notre Dame, which CB Kayvon Webster returned for a touchdown.
Tyson Butler
Since his arrival in Tampa, Butler has played in mostly a reserve role at USF, but he's played in a considerable amount of games throughout his career here. Butler was a great running back in his high school days, and he still holds the Lee County record for most yards in a season, but Leavitt saw his talents as a corner during his recruitment. Since then, Butler has contributed to the success of the secondary.
Thanasi "Saki" Mihalakos
We'll end this with two special teams guys whose names you may not have heard before. "Saki" was a three-year varsity football player in high school, and captained his team as a senior, later earning the team's Defensive Player of the Year award. He came to USF as a safety, but played behind three other guys on the depth chart. Nevertheless, he stuck around on the team, and earned a spot on special teams when Holtz took over. You'll not likely hear his name called on the speakers during games, but he's always been there, and he's been as big a part of the team as anyone.
Mike Walsh
Walsh is a guy whose name you might see on the free agents signing list this offseason, but you won't see him anywhere else. Walsh, coming over from Plant High School, has been the long-snapper for the Bulls during his tenure, and was even honored with Special Teams Player of the Year honors in 2009 due to his perfect season with no blown snaps. The past two years, we've seen more of the same, where Walsh has been the go-to guy for punts and field goals, and he's always been reliable.
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