USF Offers 2012 Offensive Guard

The Bulls never stop the recruiting business. This time they have stepped out of Florida and have offered 6-4 270-pound offensive guard Joseph Spencer out of Mason, Ohio (according to Rivals.com).

Spencer is a big body on the interior of the offensive line and could be a huge pick up for the Bulls if they are able to sign him. From reports, he seems to have a strong relationship with the coaching staff, which is a huge plus for the Bulls and could be the selling point for him.

Spencer has several offers on the table from local programs like Ohio, Toledo, and Cincinnati, but has also been offered by NC State and even Air Force (has to be a smart young man to get an offer from an academy school).

The Bulls continue to recruit a lot of players out of the state and it seems that Holtz and company are beginning to offer more players in the state of Ohio (more recruits will be available now with OSU sinking like a rock in a sweater vest). Spencer could be a huge pick up for the Bulls, so hopefully the coaching staff will win him over soon.

The Big East's Manifest Destiny

Lately, I've been having many a disagreement with some fellow Big East bloggers on Big East Expansion. But really, who doesn't disagree on it? There seems to be no right answer. If you add some teams, you have to think about kicking some out. If you don't kick them out, you'll probably have to rearrange the way a lot of the sports are played. And of course there's always the issues with money.

So who's right? Maybe none of us are. Maybe there is no right answer. There are literally thousands of possibilities out there, but luckily for me, I write a blog, so I have an outlet for my thoughts and opinions.

I've spent a while putting together a collection of my thoughts on Big East expansion, and you can read them here after the jump.

USF Offers 2012 Wide Receiver

The Bulls have offered Winter Park, Florida wide receiver D'Vario Montgomery. Montgomery, the 6'2" 205-pound star at Winter Park High School is a huge receiver and is rated as a 4-star recruit, according to Rivals.com.

The Bulls have a need for a big physical receiver that can get down field and help create a vertical passing game and Montgomery is the athlete that can make it happen. But the competition for his services will be tough for the Bulls. Montgomery has a ton of offers, including Miami, Notre Dame, UCLA, Oklahoma, LSU, and Alabama, just to name a few. He recently stated that USF is in his top 13, which goes well for the Bulls, but they will have to bring him in for a visit and try to impress him with the new facilities and coaching staff.

Check out the game footage below. He is a very physical player that runs well after he catches the ball. He plays some defense, showing his toughness, but will most likely stay at the wide receiver position once he reaches the college level.

NOTRE DAME TICKETS FOR STUDENTS ARE UP!!!!!

If you are a student at USF, you've probably already gotten the email, so you are already well aware that USF has released the tickets for their September 3rd kickoff in South Bend at Notre Dame. The sign-up is easy, just go to www.gousfbulls.com and click on the "Students" marker at the top. Go to the "Ticket Login" tab, enter your login data, and find "USF vs. Notre Dame away game" under the Tickets and Plan Purchases section. I'll be coordinating the road trip with my friends this evening, and we'll all be registering for tickets, so you'll have to compete with at least five of us for those tickets. They're $73, and that includes the Ticketmaster processing fee. There's a lot of driving ahead of us, as 1,160 miles and 19 hours separates the two universities. I hope to see all these tickets bought by the June 24th deadline. For those of you making the trip, I'll be seeing you there, and don't skimp on the Green and Gold!

Top 5 players of 2010: Number 5

Football season is still a long way off, but as we sit and eagerly await the 2011 season to get started, we are taking a look back at the 2010 season and looking at the top players that made it a special season. Mike and I will be bring you our top 5 players from the 2010 season, starting with number 5. See if you agree with our picks and tell us who you think we should have picked!

Matt's #5 - Center Sampson Genus

Sampson Genus, the 6’1” 315-pound senior center makes my list at number 5. It is not often the big guys up front on the offensive line get their due credit, but Genus was one of the best players not only on the team, but in the conference as well.

Genus started all 13 games for the Bulls, playing in 44 games and starting 30 games during his career at USF. Genus was named team captain in 2010 and was named 1st All Big East for his great performance. Genus played well all season. He was the corner stone on the offensive line. Learning a new offense under first year offensive coordinator Todd Fitch and understanding the play calling and blocking schemes was difficult, but Genus learned quickly and became a contributor in both pass blocking and great holes for the running backs.

Genus wasn’t drafted by the NFL, but many believe (as well as I do) that he will find his way onto an NFL roster at some point because of his ability.

With Genus gone, the Bulls will be looking for a replacement, not the easiest task. Keith McCaskill will get the job and should do a fine job at center, but it will not be easy to replace an all conference performer like Genus.

Mike's #5 - RB Demetris Murray

Murray was actually my favorite breakout player this year, but I have him only at my #5 because he did share much of his role. He is, however, my highest-rated running back of my 2010 list because he really did everything for the position. Murray entered the first game as a redshirt sophomore and picked up a lot of the slack left by senior Mo Plancher. As the season progressed, Murray became the lead candidate at running back for the team, but didn't earn a start. He posted 542 yards on 120 carries with 4 touchdowns, including that galvanizing conversion in overtime at Miami.

While Plancher was still doing his one-yard-per-carry thing, Murray took over the position in garbage time initially, but showed an outstanding combination of speed and power that resulted in his 4.5 YPC mark. His style of play was essential in Skip Holtz's ground-and-pound strategy at Florida, where Murray recorded 11 carries for 62 yards and a touchdown.

With two 100-yard games (against Western Kentucky and Cincinnati), Demetris Murray may very well have earned himself the starting job that he perhaps should have held in the second half of last year. Unfortunately for him, however, is the fact that he's going to have much stronger competition for the job this year, as he'll have to stack up against Colorado transfer, and former #1 RB recruit in the nation, Darrell Scott and Auburn transfer Dontae Aycock. In spring practice, Murray saw a majority of the carries, which just might indicate that his seniority and potential may have reserved him a spot on the field for opening day.

So what do you think, USF fans? Genus was a great player on the offensive line for the Bulls, but where do you think he should have been placed on the list? Murray was a great runner between the tackles, but was he the fifth most important player on this football team? Should these guys be higher, or lower? Leave your thoughts below. Go Bulls!

Top 5 Baseball Players From 2011 Season

Who is the top player from the 2011 season? Is it Randy Fontanez?

The 2011 baseball ended just a few weeks ago for the Bulls and the results were disappointing. The Bulls opened up a new stadium and had plenty of hope and aspirations of going further this season and getting into the NCAA tournament. But a 25-29 (13-14) record left them at home for the Big East tournament and the 2nd straight losing season, the first time in 30 years of the program.

Despite the losing effort this season, the Bulls had plenty of great individual players that did everything they could to help the team get wins and make it a solid season. Here are the top five players, in our eyes, from the season. [keep reading]

USF Watching 8 Florida Teams

The Bulls missed the 2011 NCAA Tournament after finishing the regular season at 25-29 and 13-14 in the Big East and surprisingly Coach Lelo Prado was retained for another season, getting full confidence from AD Doug Woolard while the fans called for a change.

An interesting statistic was brought to my attention yesterday by one of our readers, @CTbrown720. 8 teams from the state of Florida are heading to the NCAA Tournament, while the Bulls sit at home and watch. 

Florida State, Florida, Bethune-Cookman, UCF, Stetson, Jacksonville, Miami, and FIU are all getting to punch their tickets to the NCAA tournament after the official bracket was released, making the Bulls feel even worse seeing teams they played and beat this season getting into the big dance.

Prado will be back next season, but he has to get the job done. Two straight losing seasons is not acceptable for a program that has a long history of success and seeing the other teams in the state of Florida getting into the NCAA Tournament is hard to take. There are no excuses this season, especially with the new stadium, new facilities, and a solid fan base, Prado needs to get the job done.  Maybe by sitting and watching the other teams around the state get a chance at the title will energize the team and coaches and maybe they can get something accomplished.

Happy Memorial Day Everyone!

Happy Memorial Day everyone! Please enjoy the day off with all of your family and loved ones. Whether you are at a BBQ, out to the beach or lake, please party responsibly out there and don't forget to remember why we have this special day.

A huge thank you goes out to the service men and women, both current and retired, that defend our country everyday and make it possible for us to live freely and enjoy our lives (even doing blogging stuff like we do). We owe all our thanks to the services, thank you.

USF Offers 2012 Quarterback

The Bulls have been busy and have recently offered 2012 quarterback prospect Trenton Norvell out of Daytona Beach, Florida (according to Rivals.com).

Norvell, the pro-style quarterback out of Seabreeze High School measures 6'4" 215-pounds and has a huge arm that could be a big weapon for USF. He is a Marshall verbal commit at this point, but with signing day still a year away, it could be interesting to see if the Bulls can land Novell to the roster and help add some more depth to the quarterback position. (also, he is close to my home of Deland).

Norvell has a big arm and will be a name to keep an eye on as the Bulls continue to recruit around the state of Florida and try to build up the depth all over the roster.

Top 5 Softball Players From 2010

Who is the top softball player from the 2011 season?

The 2011 softball season came to a close a few weeks ago. The ladies finished an impressive season, finishing with a record of 33-21 (13-5), falling in the first round of the Big East tournament. The Bulls were a young team and many thought they would not play so well, but they proved everyone wrong and are loaded with young stars that will make them a competitor for years to come.

We will be bringing the top 5 players from the 2010-2011 season. This list reflects who we believe made the greatest impact on the field for the ladies. See if you agree with our countdown should have added someone else. [keep reading]