2013 Outlook - South Florida

Just like with the discussion of Texas Tech and their HC Tommy Tuberville, the South Florida Bulls and their HC Skip Holtz are entering their third year of marriage, and just like in Lubbock, the fans in Tampa are growing restless wanting to see some results.  Will this be the year that Holtz begins to deliver on some of his promise?



SR QB BJ Daniels is entering his third full season as the starter for the Bulls, and there are some lofty expectations for the dual threat signal caller.  He has won some big games, but also played inconsistently, prone to key turnovers when trying to do too much.  If the Bulls are going to compete for the conference crown, he will need to reduce his turnovers and increase his consistency.  At RB, the Bulls lost their feature back from a year ago, Darrell Scott.  Now, SR Demetris Murray takes over.  Murray shows a lot of promise, but has yet to put it all together leaving a question mark at the position.  The receiving options for this team are very good though.  JR Sterling Griffin was really emerging last season before sustaining a concussion, and now, paired with very highly touted transfer, SO Chris Dunkley, this team should be able to stretch a defense.  SR OG Danous Estenor and SR OT Mark Popek will lead an o-line that should continue their recent year-over-year improvement trend, putting South Florida in position to score some points.

Defensively, this defense is always fast and aggressive, and this year's version should be no different.  DE Ryne Giddens is entering his JR year, and by the end of last season, he was showing flashes of the talent that made him such a sought after prospect.  If he continue to improve, and SR DT Cory Grissom plays to his ability, this defensive front will be tough against both the pass and rush.  On a side note, the very highly touted Notre Dame transfer, Aaron Lynch will not be eligible until next year, but the Giddens/Lynch combination has the potential to be even better than the Selvie/Pierre-Paul combination from a few seasons ago.  At linebacker, all of the starters from last season return.  OLBs Sam Barrington and DeDe Lattimore are both poised for breakout seasons, and if they can help prevent opposing offenses from isolating against SR MLB Michael Lanaris, who is a liability in coverage, this unit will be very good.  The secondary also features some outstanding athletes.  SR CB Kayvon Webster has all of the athletic skill you want in a cover corner, but to date has not been able to put together the breakout year that has been expected.  If he can turn it around, while SR S Jon Lejiste cuts down on his mistakes, this secondary will be a difficult unit to face.

Skip Holtz has had the time to install his system, and start adding some of his players.  This is the most talent Bulls team he has had in his tenure in Tampa, so he should be able to improve on last season's disappointing 5-7 output.  If the team can reduce the turnovers, they may be able to avoid the mid season swoon which has become synonymous with South Florida football, and they may even compete for the conference crown this year.