The USF Bulls, coming off a 7-6 season and a win in the Hawaii Bowl, are going through spring practice now, getting ready for the 2025 season. Spring practice will culminate with the spring game on April 26th at Corbett Stadium.
The big news so far is that Byrum Brown is back at QB1 as spring practice continues. After Brown’s injury last season, Bryce Archie stepped in and led the Bulls to a 5-3 record. In those games, we saw some good, some bad, and a lot of inconsistency from Archie. With Brown as the quarterback, the Bulls have a good chance to be one of the top teams in the AAC this season. Brown totaled 4,101 yards in 2023 and missed most of the 2024 season with a leg injury.
USF will look to build on one of their strengths as four starters on the offensive line return.
The Bulls will have to rebuild at the wide receiver and running back positions as last year’s leading rushers departed. Naiem Simmons has entered the transfer portal, so Jaden Alexis is one of the few returning wide receivers after missing the 2023 season with injuries.
At running back, the Bulls picked up Cartevious Norton from Charlotte in the transfer portal. Norton ran for 525 yards and seven touchdowns with Charlotte in 2024.
On defense, the Bulls return eight starters to build on last year’s 7-5 team. However, the Bulls will rely on some transfers and incoming freshmen to take their defense to the next level.
Defensive linemen Josh Celiscar from Texas A&M, Dre Butler, a transfer from Charlotte, and Jacob Merrifield from FAU are all expected to improve the play along the defensive line. In the secondary, USF is counting on contributions from Jonathan Duclana, a transfer from Wisconsin. They also got Boogsie Silvera, a transfer from McNeese State.
The Bulls have also coined a new slogan for spring practice: “Fourth and Inches,” which they will wear on their workout gear this spring. If the Bulls can take care of the little things, getting those stops on fourth and inches will translate to more wins.
The Bulls will have one of the most demanding non-conference schedules in the AAC this season. They open the season at home against Boise State, a team that made the college football playoffs last season. That game will be on Thursday, August 28th. The following week, USF travels to Florida to take on an improving Gators team. Then, the Bulls travel to Miami to play the Hurricanes, a team that just missed out on the 2024 college football playoffs.
The Bulls could be looking at a 0-3 start before their first home game against South Carolina State on Saturday, September 20th. The Bulls will then open conference play on Friday night, October 3rd, against Charlotte in what will be the second of five weeknight games for the Bulls this season. The following week, the Bulls will play at North Texas on a Friday night before returning home for homecoming on October 18th against rival FAU.
For the complete USF football schedule, click here: https://gousfbulls.com/sports/football/schedule