He couldn’t take the time to show up for the Penix visit! What a jerk! Penix could have totally altered the trajectory of the program. 2018 began our demise and a big part was QB play initially.

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I'll throw this one out as a possible scenario once we see a P2 breakaway that assumingly takes FSU, Clemson, North Carolina and Miami.

What could potentially play out is the restructure of the Big 12, ACC and Select G5 schools to form a national conference with geographic divisions to keep costs down and reinvigorate rivalries. While I have no idea how this would exist in relation to the P2 or the rest of the FBS it would make to consolidate the best of the rest into a single conference.

With that I give you the Big American Conference (or other snazzy name that some PR firm will get paid millions to come up with) - 36 schools in 4 geographic divisions.

Northeast
Boston College
Syracuse
Pitt
Virginia
Virginia Tech
West Virginia
Cincinnati
UConn*
Temple*

Southeast
North Carolina State
Duke
Wake Forest
Georgia Tech
Louisville
UCF
South Florida*
Tulane*
Memphis*

Midwest
Iowa State
Kansas
Kansas State
Oklahoma State
TCU
Texas Tech
Baylor
Houston
SMU

Pacific
Washington State
Oregon State
Cal
Stanford
BYU
Boise State*
San Diego State*
Colorado State*
UNLV*

*promoted from The G5

Nice early get for the Bulls. https://usf.rivals.com/news/usf-lands-2025-ol-caleb-harris

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One-time USF commit who as I recall didn't qualify and got dropped.

If the SEC and Big 10 don't come a calling.

Could and does FSU have enough cache to go independent? They did before and it was arguably the reason they reached their peak with Bobby Bowden. At worst they were a 9-4 team in the ACC and at its best they were they nations best football program, feared by the SEC and Big 10 and built their program by playing anybody AND on the road.

Michigan and Ohio State and the rest of the Big 10 don't want to be second and third tier teams to a team from the south, and the SEC feels the same way. Both leagues are scared shitless of having FSU in their comfortable conferences, and if you think FSU recruits well now, they would have a top 3 recruiting class every year.

I'll need a couple of drinks in me to do the defense. lol

The Clemson transfer is again looking for a new place to call home. He's in the portal per our sources and multiple reports.

Dukes rushed for 350 yards this season. Login to view embedded media

Bulls set 12 team and 16 individual program records in six-win improvement over 2022;

Bulls win in Boca Raton Bowl only FBS bowl victory among four state programs that reached bowls in 2023



TAMPA, Jan. 2, 2024 – First-year head coach Alex Golesh and USF Football wrapped-up a record-breaking resurgence in 2023 with a 45-0 victory over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl that stands as the only FBS bowl victory for a state of Florida program in 2023.



The Bulls set 12 team records and 16 individual marks during the 2023 season and logged the program’s highest ranked recruiting class in a decade (No. 48 by Rivals) and highest ranked of any program outside the autonomous “power” conferences as USF heads full speed into 2024.



USF’s seventh bowl victory, the largest shutout in NCAA bowl history, put a stamp on a resurgent season for the Bulls that saw USF go 7-6, a program-best six-win improvement over 2022 and the second-best win improvement for any FBS program in 2023 behind Northwestern’s seven-win improvement. Other bowl results from the state of Florida ‘s four FBS qualifying programs included losses by Florida State (13-1, lost 63-3 to Georgia in the Orange Bowl), Miami (7-6, lost 31-24 to Rutgers in the Pinstripe Bowl) and UCF (6-7, lost 30-17 to Georgia Tech in the Gasparilla Bowl).



The Bulls seven bowl wins in the last 20 years rank third in the state since 2004 behind only Florida State (10) and Florida (10) and ahead of UCF (6), FAU (4), Miami (4) and FIU (2). The American Athletic Conference finished 4-2 in bowl games in 2023,



USF set 12 team records and had five other significant marks ranked among the top five all-time. Among the program team marks set were the largest bowl victory margin (45-0), the first bowl shutout, largest win improvement, most offensive plays (1,028), most pass yards (3,494), most touchdown passes (27) and best completion percentage (64.1%). USF also saw a 28 percent increase in home attendance (37,944 average is the best since 2018 and second-best since joining the AAC), led the AAC in home attendance, posted its first home winning record (4-2) since 2018, won its first bowl game since 2017 and won its first road game in three years.



The Bulls, who finished fifth in the AAC after being picked 13th in a preseason poll, finished No. 17 in the nation in total offense (451.6 ypg) in their first season running Golesh’s lightning-fast scheme, which led the nation in plays per game (82.1). Their 5,871 offensive yards rank as the third-best total in program history, while their 415 points stand fifth.



The 16 individual records set, and another 11 notable marks that registered in the top three all-time, included season records for passing yards (3,292), touchdown passes (26) and season completion percentage (64.6%) from redshirt freshman quarterback Byrum Brown; season receptions (92) and receiving yards (1,054) marks from wide receiver Sean Atkins; and records for season defensive touchdowns (tied with 3) and season fumble return yards (131) posted by defensive end Tramel Logan. All plan to return in 2024.



Brown’s 4,101 total yards and 37 touchdowns responsible for both finished as the second-best season totals at USF behind marks Quinton Flowers set in 2016 (4,342/42). Brown ranked No. 8 nationally in total offense (315.5 ypg) and points per game responsible for (17.4 ppg) as he joined Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only FBS players to post at least 3,000 passing and 800 rushing yards on the year. Atkins finished No. 8 nationally in receptions per game (7.1) and No. 25 in receiving yards.



TEAM RECORDS Set in 2023 (12)

6 - Largest Win Improvement Year over Year

45 points - Largest Bowl Game Win

45-0 - First Bowl Game Shutout

1,028 - Most Offensive Plays In A Season

287 - Most Pass Completions In A Season

3,494 - Most Pass Yards In A Season

64.1% - Best Season Completion Percentage

27 – Most Season Touchdown Passes

46 – Most Season 4th Down Attempts

20 – Most Season 4th Down Conversions

100.0% (52-52) – Best Season PAT Percentage

6 – Most Consecutive PAT Made (Team) – Multi-year



Notable Team Marks In The Top 5 (5)

300 First Downs – Tied 2nd Best Season Mark

5,871 Total Yards – 3rd Best Season Mark

451.6 Yards per Game – 3rd Best Season Mark

54 TD – Tied 3rd Best Season Mark

415 Points – 5th Best Season Mark



INDIVIDUAL RECORDS Set in 2023 (16)

3,292 – Most Season Passing Yards – Byrum Brown

26 – Most Season Passing TD – Byrum Brown

276 – Most Season Pass Completions – Byrum Brown

64.6% - Best Season Pass Completion % - Byrum Brown

4 – 300-yard Passing Games in a Season/Tied Record – Byrum Brown

630 – Most Plays in a Season – Byrum Brown

203 – Most Season Rushing attempts by QB – Byrum Brown

5 – Tied Most Touchdown Passes In A Game – Byrum Brown at Memphis (11/4/23)

25 – Most Game Rushing Attempts by QB – Byrum Brown at WKU (9/2/23)

92 – Most Season Receptions – Sean Atkins

1,054 – Most Season Receiving Yards – Sean Atkins

272 – Most Game Receiving Yards – Naiem Simmons

3 – Most Season Defensive TD/Tied Record – Tramel Logan

131 – Most Season Fumble Return Yards – Tramel Logan

55 – Most Career Games Played – Donovan Jennings

100.0% (52-52) – Highest Individual Season PAT Percentage – John Cannon



Notable Individual Marks in The Top 3 (11)

4,101 – Season Total Yards – 2nd All-Time for a Season – Byrum Brown

315.5 Total Yards Per Game – 3rd-Best For a Season – Byrum Brown

253.2 – Passing Yards Per Game – 2nd-Best For a Season – Byrum Brown

37 – TD Responsible For In Season – 2nd All-time for a Season – Byrum Brown

427 pass attempts – 2nd All-time for a Season – Byrum Brown

435 Passing Yards vs. Rice – 2nd All-Time for a Game – Byrum Brown

517 Total Yards vs. Rice – 2nd All-Time for a Game – Byrum Brown

224.6 – Pass Efficiency vs. Rice – 3rd All-Time for a Game – Byrum Brown

773 – 2nd-Most Passing Yards in Consecutive Games – Byrum Brown

160 Rushing Yards vs. WKU – 3rd Most By a QB – Byrum Brown

7 – Receiving TD Season – Tied 2nd All-Time for a Season – Sean Atkins



Raymond James Stadium Records (3):

435 passing yards – Byrum Brown vs. Rice (9/23/23)

517 total offense – Byrum Brown vs. Rice (9/23/23)

272 receiving yards – Naiem Simmons vs. Rice (9/23/23)

Let's close out this year strong with a win!!!

Michigan looks like the better team, whether they win is a different story.

They are letting Bama hang around….

13-10

3Q 7:22

Liberty is showing that playing no one and getting a nod over the AAC champ wasn’t a good idea for the CFP committee. History has shown that the AAC champ is highly competitive. Tulane beat USC last year not to mention strong showings in the past from other AAC programs. I know a few of those are gone but Tulane is still here and we have other programs on the rise. One being USF at last!!!

Nice for him to include us in his graphic……probably would have had a much better season at USF than Arkansas.

Grier graphic

I want to extend to each of you and your families a safe and Happy New Year's. Here's hoping for a prosperous 2024 for USF Athletics!

I'm in Los Angeles this week covering the Rose Bowl (a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity crept up) so I'll be a little in and out of touch. I have some content coming, but wanted to give you all a heads up.

Let’s go the Fighting Dusty Mays!!!!

GO BULLS!!!

Kelly,

Do you know what was going on with the website as I wasn’t able to get into it for a couple of days? Not sure if others were having the same issue.

Is he still with the site? It looks like he hasn’t, logged in or posted since November 30. Same with his twitter account. I know Kelly mentioned something vague, but is he coming back?

USF release



TAMPA, Fla. (December 29, 2023) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team ended 2023 inside the Yuengling Center on Friday against Alabama State. Chris Youngblood recorded a career-high 26 points and tied a career-high six 3-pointers made as the Bulls defeated the Hornets 73-70. USF extended its winning streak to five games.



South Florida improved to 7-4 on the year, while Alabama State fell to 4-8 on the season. The 7-4 start is the second-best mark since South Florida started 9-2 during the 2018-19 season. It is just the sixth time in the last 17 seasons that USF has started 7-4 or better.



The Bulls tied a program record for 3-pointers made in a game with 14. The previous marks were against ORU on December 7, 1991, and against Charleston Southern on December 2, 2022. The Bulls made 10 3-pointers in the opening half and set a new program record. The previous mark was eight against Memphis on March 1, 2018.



The Hornets opened the game with a 12-8 run. During that stretch, the Bulls shot 100 percent from 3-point range as Selton Miguel and Youngblood each hit a 3-pointer. South Florida was unfazed and answered with a 9-7 run to cut the deficit to 19-17 with 11:13 left in the first half. During the run, Miguel knocked down two 3-pointers.



The Bulls outscored the Hornets 9-5 over the next four minutes of play and tied it at 26-26. Jayden Reid, Youngblood, and Miguel each hit a 3-pointer. South Florida continued its run and outscored Alabama State 8-3. The Bulls made it a 13-3 run over 5:15 of game action and held the Hornets scoreless for 2:08.



South Florida closed out the half with a 7-4 run and took a 41-33 lead into the break. The Bulls made 10 3-pointers in the opening half and set a new program record.



The second half was a little different than the first half as neither team was able to score in the first 3:30 of play. Alabama State’s CJ Hines scored the first points of the second half with a 3-pointer and cut the South Florida lead to 41-36 with 16:30 left in regulation.



USF outscored ASU 8-7 over the next 4:30 of play and took a 49-43 at the under-12 media timeout. Youngblood knocked down two 3-pointers during that stretch.



The Hornets went on an 11-6 run and cut the deficit to one, 55-54, with 7:40 left in regulation. Kobe Knox ended the run with a dunk in transition.



Alabama State outscored South Florida 8-7 and tied the game at 62-62, with 3:49 left in the game. The Bulls game up big down the stretch and went 10-for-10 from the free-throw line as they bested the Hornets 73-70.



USF finished with three players in double digits. Youngblood posted a game-high 26 points, tied a career-high with six made 3-pointers, and tied a career-high three blocks. He added two rebounds and one assist. Miguel tallied 14 points and tied a career-high four made 3-pointers. He brought down three rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked one shot. Reid rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points. He posted a team-high four assists and added one rebound.



For the first time this season, the USF bench was outscored by an opponent. Alabama State produced 25 bench points to South Florida’s 21. The South Florida defense forced 12 turnovers and turned those into nine points. As a team, the Bulls shot 81.0 percent from the free-throw line, 48.3 percent from 3-point range, and 43.8 percent from the field.



CJ Hines led the Hornets with 14 points to go along with three bounds. TJ Madlock finished with 12 points, four rebounds, and two steals. Micah Octave, Kendal Parker, and Sean Smith all added 11-point games. Octave collected a game-high 11 rebounds and finished with a double-double.



Notables

· Chris Youngblood posted a game-high 26 points, tied a career-high with six made 3-pointers, and tied a career-high three blocks. He added two rebounds and one assist.

· Selton Miguel tallied 14 points and tied a career-high four made 3-pointers. He brought down three rebounds, dished out three assists, and blocked one shot.

· Jayden Reid posted a 13-point performance with four assists and one rebound.

· The Bulls made 10 3-pointers in the opening half and set a new program record. The previous mark was eight against Memphis on March 1, 2018.

· South Florida tied a single-game record with 3-pointers made with 14. The previous mark was 14 against ORU on December 7, 1991, and 14 against Charleston Southern on December 2, 2022.

· The 7-4 start is the second-best mark since South Florida started 9-2 during the 2018-19 season. It is just the sixth time in the last 17 seasons that USF has started 7-4 or better.

· For the first time this season, the USF bench was outscored by an opponent. Alabama State produced 25 bench points to South Florida’s 21.



Next Up

South Florida begins the new year with the conference home opener against Temple. The Bulls and Owls are scheduled for a 7 p.m. tip on Thursday, January 4, on ESPN+.

QB- Bryce Archie led all players 80.3 PFF score (11 snaps)
QB- Bryum Brown finished second 78.5 PFF score, 75 pass grade and 65 run (63 snaps)
QB- Israel Carter 58.5 in 4 snaps

Skill Offense Grades
SLT- Sean Atkins 76.3 in 48 snaps
RB- Nay'Quan Wright 71.4 in 46 snaps
RB- Jaylen Johnson 70.9 in 3 snaps
WR- Naeim Simmons 69.8 in 26 snaps
RB- K'Wan Powell 68.5 in 16 snaps
RB- Dominic Gonnella 67.9 in 3 snaps
WR- Khafre Brown 66.2 in 24 snaps
RB- Kenny Walker 1 snap
TE- Gerard Edimo 1 snap
RB- Kelley Joiner 1 snap got hurt
TE- Weston Wolff 58.7 in 43 snaps
TE- Jayson Littlejohn 57.2 in 16 snaps
RB- Yasias Young 56.6 in 8 snaps
SLT- Christian Helms 55.3 in 17 snaps
WR- Tyree Kelly 55.1 in 26 snaps
WR- Yusuf Terry 54.4 in 31 snaps
WR- Brock Burnette 48.4 in 17 snaps
WR- Jaden Alexis 48.0 in 41 snaps
TE- Gunnar Greenwald 46.7 in 21 snaps

OFFENSIVE LINE GRADES

LT- Donovan Jennings 67.0 PFF 86.6 pass blk, 63 snaps
RG- Nikola Milovac 64.2 PFF, 78.3 pass blk, 14 snaps
C- Mike Lofton 62.6, 72.1 pass blk, 63 snaps
RT- Derek Bowman 61.3 PFF, 83.9 pass blk, 63 snaps
C- Kody Black 4 snaps
LT- Caysun Kinghorn 1 snap
RG- Cole Best 59.6 PFF, 81.9 pass blk in 27 snaps
RT- RJ Perry 53.8 PFF, 68.8 pass blk in 74 snaps
LT- Gannon Lanning 51.9 PFF, 0.1 pass blk (never seen this before) in 16 snaps
LG- Cole Skinner 51.2 PFF, 62.8 pass blk in 51 snaps
RG- Gabriel Hahn 48.8 PFF, 27.1 PFF in 15 snaps.

DEFENSIVE LINE GRADES

NT- Jacquez Williams 90.5 PFF in 16 snaps getting the pick helped!
DE- Tramel Logan 79.1 PFF in 26 snaps
DT- Rashad Cheney Jr. 74.9 PFF in 27 snaps
DE- Evan Dangler 4 snaps
DE- Jonathan Ross 70.6 PFF and a 84.6 run D grade in 32 snaps
NT- Doug Blue Eli 70.6 PFF in 21 snaps
NT- Stantavious Smith 4 snaps
NT- Michael Williams 67.6 PFF in 21 snaps
NT- Immanuel Hickman 67.3 PFF in 23 snaps
DE- Keeon Terrell 6 snaps
DT- Danny Gonzalez 5 snaps
NT- De'Juan Sease 6 snaps
DE- D.J. Harris Jr. 60.6 PFF in 38 snaps
DE- Chad Elder 4 snaps

LINEBACKER GRADES
Jhalyn Shuler 86.3 PFF, 88.5 run D grade, 84.2 tackle in 55 snaps
Brian Norris 69.0 PFF in 27 snaps
DJ Gordon IV 64.6 PFF in 16 snaps
Mac Harris 58.4 PFF in 43 snaps
Andrew Mata'Afa 9 snaps
Jamie Pettway 7 snaps

DEFENSIVE BACK GRADES
S- Tawfiq Byard 83.0 PFF in 10 snaps
CB- Kendall Dennis 78.2 PFF in 9 snaps
NB- Daquan Evans 73.2 PFF in 42 snaps
S- Jaelen Stokes 70.7 PFF in 33 snaps
S- Logan Berryhill 70.6 PFF in 39 snaps
S- Christopher Townsel 68.8 PFF in 26 snaps
S- Timarcus Simpson 66.6 PFF in 22 snaps
S- Matthew Hill 63.9 PFF in 8 snaps
S- Jayden Curry 4 snaps
CB- Tavin Ward 60.5 PFF in 56 snaps
CB- JaBari Roberson 3 snaps
NB- Jarvis Lee 54.8 PFF in 19 snaps
CB- Aamaris Brown 54.3 PFF in 54 snaps

From ESPN:
12/21
RoofClaim.com Boca Raton Bowl
FAU Stadium (Boca Raton, Florida)
8 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Bonagura: Georgia State vs. South Florida

12/22
Friday, Dec. 22

Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl
Raymond James Stadium (Tampa, Florida)
6:30 p.m., ESPN and the ESPN App
Schlabach: South Florida vs. James Madison

Jerry Palm CBS:
12/28
Fenway Bowl
USF vs Boston College

CFB Network
12/26
First Responders Bowl (Dallas, TX)
USF vs Iowa State

Athlon
12/23
Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL)
UCF vs USF

Brett McTurdy

12/21
Boca Raton Bowl (Boca Raton, FL)
USF vs Coastal Carolina

FoxSports
12/22
Gasparilla Bowl (Tampa, FL)
USF vs South Alabama

Sporting News
12/16
Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL)
USF vs Texas State

The Athletic
12/16
Cure Bowl (Orlando, FL)
USF vs Coastal

USAToday
12/23
Birmingham Bowl (Birmingham, AL)
USF vs South Alabama

These guys have us at 1-11, with a LOT of close losses.

I think we win 5 games - but who really knows with all the roster turnover, new staff & system.

IMO, defense can't get worse, but we lost of lot of playmakers in what was a pretty good offense last year. Ditto for special teams.