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The Challenge
The South Florida Bulls pulled in 18 recruits on National Signing Day. New head coach Charlie Strong had a limited window to secure a 2017 Class since being named USF’s fourth head coach on December 11. Strong says time was the biggest challenge in connecting with recruits. He secured eleven of the Bulls’ signees who were originally committed to former head coach Willie Taggart, who is now at Oregon. Strong also brought in seven last minute commitments.
The Players
The Bulls signed 10 players on the defensive side of the ball, including five defensive backs, four defensive linemen, and one linebacker. They rounded out their class with eight offensive signees: three wide receivers, three offensive linemen, one running back, and one tight end.
All but one of the Bull’s recruits are from Florida. The lone out of state player is tight end Fredrick Lloyd from Tifton, Georgia.
Thirteen of the signees are three star prospects. Three of the late commitments to USF came from Florida State Class 6A state champion Carol City High School (Miami). All three star recruits, cornerbacks Naytron Culpepper and Donelle Thomas and wide receiver Kevaughn Dingle, announced their commitments live on CBS Sports.
South Florida brought in four final three star recruits in Jabreel Stephens, Demetris Harris, Keirston Johnson, and Jeremiah Stafford. Three-star offensive lineman Jean Marcellus from Tampa is Strong’s highest-rated holdover.
The trifecta! Welcome, Naytron Culpepper. That makes three from the state champion Carol City Chiefs! #USFNSD17 #BullStrong pic.twitter.com/C3toXQwqad
— USF Football (@USFFootball) February 1, 2017
The Finish
South Florida’s recruiting class is ranked 77th nationally by 247Sports and 73th by Rivals. The Bulls finished 19 in the final AP Poll after an 11-2 record last season.
