USF Spring Report
(April 4, 2010)

There has been a buzz around the University of South Florida this spring. It comes with the excitement of hiring a new head football coach and the hope that the Bulls can reach the next level. It is still tough to think that Jim Leavitt is not there. New head coach Skip Holtz admitted to a Tampa Tribune reporter, “I hate why I’m here. I hate the reasons why this job came open. I’ve known Coach Leavitt a long time. He’s a great person, he’s a good football coach, and he’s done a phenomenal job of developing this program from its infancy. But from a team standpoint, we’ve got to put our eyes forward. We’ve got to look at where we’re going. That’s the only way we’re going to get where we want to be.”

2009 Spring Game

Matt Grothe (3 of 4 for 26 yards) may have started for the White team, but the game turned into an exciting contest between backups B.J. Daniels and Evan Landi in front of 5,500 fans at Raymond James Stadium. The battle saw Daniels (11 of 19 for 181 yards with 1 INT) and Landi (20 for 30 for 189 yards with 2 INTs) each toss a pair of TD passes. Daniels (pictured) also rushed for 33 yards and a score. A Landi to Colby Erskin TD pass as time expired saw the White team pull within one point. A failed two-point conversion allowed the Green team to post a 21-20 victory. Stars on defense included Clinton Washington who returned a Daniels interception 95 yards for a touchdown and Aaron Harris who had three sacks. Head coach Jim Leavitt commented, "That was as an exciting game in spring as you'll maybe ever see. You could go across the country. I don't know if they'll be one anymore exciting than that." To read a history of the USF Spring Game prior to 2009 click here.

Okay coach. Let’s thank Jim Leavitt and look to future.

Skip Holtz has been praised for being accessible to the media and fans. He held several town hall type meetings, nicknamed “The Inside Skip,” so fans could ask questions of the new head guy. For the first time a scrimmage was opened for season tickets holders and somewhere near 1,000 showed up for a glance at the team. His famous father, former head coach and current commemorator, Lou Holtz dropped by practice.

Of course, with a new coach and coordinators it will take some time for everybody to get on the same page. Offensive coordinator Todd Fitch came with Holtz from East Carolina and defensive coordinator Mark Snyder comes to USF from Marshall. There are some holdovers from Leavitt’s staff to help ease the transition.

On offensive, the shoulder injury to starting quarterback B.J. Daniels has limited his ability to practice the new system. Daniels injury is to his non-throwing shoulder and he has been held out of any contact drills. Who will back up Daniels has been a question mark. Evan Landi is the most experienced, but wants to move to receiver and compete for a starting role. In the fall, true freshman Jamius Gunsby could be the number two, however, walk-ons are getting a lot of reps this spring. Ryan Epps is listed second on the first depth chart.

The running back position took a major hit when Mike Ford was released from the team. Ford has had off-field problems since he came to USF and they finally caught up with him. The most experience at running back comes from Jamar Taylor, who was granted a sixth year of eligibility. Senior Aston Samuels injured his ankle during the scrimmage, so we’ll have to wait and see what happens there. Lindsey Lamar has impressed Holtz, as much as he impressed Leavitt, and could see more playing time and play at receiver in 2010.

The defense has the job of replacing the likes of Jason Pierre-Paul, George Selvie, Nate Allen, Jerome Murphy, Kion Wilson and Chris Robinson. Most, if not all, of these former Bulls could end up being NFL draft picks. Not is all bleak, as there is talent returning and there is opportunity for newcomers to start.

On special teams, place kicker Maikon Bonani returns after missing all of last season, but now he will have to compete with Eric Schwartz who handled those duties in 2009.

The 2010 Spring Game is April 17th at Raymond James Stadium. After that, we’ll have the long wait until college football returns in the fall.