2011 USF Football Prospectus - Special Teams

The Bulls made huge improvements in the third phase of the game in 2010, and another good special teams unit is on the way as long as the punter issue is settled.

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Defensive Backs

The starters are experienced, but the depth is a problem and they had a lot of trouble with the only big-time passing game they saw last year. Can the USF secondary stop allowing plays and start making them?

USF Fall Practice: Dontae Aycock Unexpectedly Leaves Team

When the South Florida Bulls took the field at the Vero Beach Sports Village for Sunday’s practice, two players were conspicuous in their absence. One of them was running back Dontae Aycock, who transferred from Auburn last year and was available to play this fall after sitting out his NCAA-mandated transfer season. After practice, coach Skip Holtz broke the news that Aycock had decided to leave the team.

According to Holtz, and as reported by the St. Petersburg Times’ Greg Auman, Aycock was struggling with his weight this summer. There was brief alarm when Aycock had apparently showed up to camp weighing 253 pounds. It turned out to be a typo, but even at his correct weight of 233 pounds, he was still a bit overweight for his 5’10" frame, and rumor was that it was showing up in practice. Holtz also said Dontae “wasn’t sure his heart was in playing football.”

While it’s disappointing to see a highly-touted player not live up to the expectations, the impact to the USF depth chart doesn’t appear too serious. Aycock was in a three-man competition with Marcus Shaw and Bradley Battles for the third running back spot behind Demetris Murray and Darrell Scott. It’s unclear whether the coaches would be willing to include more than three in their rotation plans. (Last year, only Moise Plancher and Murray saw action unless the game was out of hand.) Even if Aycock had stuck around, there was no guarantee he would see significant action this season.

The other missing player was redshirt freshman defensive end Brandon Wilkinson, who was in an uphill battle to stay in the picture at his position. Rather than waiting his turn to play, Auman reports Wilkinson will transfer to an FCS school or junior college to look for more immediate playing time.

Fall Camp Starts Thursday For USF Football

The USF Football Team gets ready for the 2011 season as they open up their fall camp. Stay tuned as we will keep you updated with the latest news on Fowler Ave.

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Linebackers

The Bulls have both youth and experience at linebacker and may have the best group in the Big East. Can they become more than just reliable and transform into impact players?

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Defensive Line

The Bulls must replace three more starters from last year's defensive line. How quickly will they be able to gel against the Big East's ground attacks and the new wide-open passing games?

2011 USF Football Prospectus: Offensive Line

With three senior starters gone, but experienced players still in the lineup, can the Bulls' offensive line regroup in 2011?

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Wide Receivers

With 2010's go-to receiver gone but many more options available, how will the wide receivers bounce back from last season's dismal showing?

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Running Backs

USF hasn't had a breakthrough running back in several years, but with new talent coming in and another year under Skip Holtz, will someone separate from the pack in 2011?

2011 USF Football Prospectus - Quarterbacks

Hey football fans, not sure if you'll have an NFL team to root for this fall? We'll get you completely prepared to root for the Bulls with our USF Football Prospectus, beginning today. First, we'll look at the quarterbacks.