∴ Photo by Will Turner // Twitter: @TBTurner813
Tampa – USF continued its fall camp on Saturday, with day two of practice taking place at USF’s Sycamore Fields. Players were in shirts and shorts for the second straight day.
Here are some notes from Fall Camp Practice Two:
— Yesterday, media got a chance to see Blake Barnett take snaps under center. Today, quarterbacks completed independent work during the open media session. It is still unknown if the Arizona State transfer will be the one starting against Elon on September 1.
— USF may have lost Deadrin Senat, Bruce Hector, and Mike Love along the defensive line, but there looks to be more depth than what meets the eye, according to senior DE Kevin Bronson. “We added five or six more defensive tackles – RashawnYates, Tyrone Barber, Devin Leacock – we’ve added a lot more bodies, and we’re really going to have that rotation going,” Bronson said.
— Coming off of a season where the Bulls finished second in the nation in interceptions, defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary says there’s still a lot of intensity and potential in that group. “We have a great leader this season coming back in Ronnie Hoggins, and his goal is to make sure that standard does not change,” Jean-Mary said. Mazzi Wilkins will also be one to watch for on the outside during the fall.
— Khalid McGee and Nico Sawtelle look like a fantastic duo at the linebacker spot. McGee is up 20 lbs. from last fall and looks like he’s moving faster than last season. He compiled 38 tackles with 3½ TFL in 2017. Sawtelle emerged as a defensive leader last year alongside Auggie Sanchez, making 54 tackles and two interceptions.
— It’s still a mixed bag at the wide receiver and running back spots. Tyre McCants and Darnell Salomon return as the leading receivers. There’s a slight possibility that McCants can be moved around to the running back spot if need-be, but that is doubtful, considering the depth at the position. Elijah Mack, Jordan Cronkrite, Trevon Sands and Duran Bell Jr. may all see first-team snaps before Elon comes to town.
by Will Turner
Columnist & Photographer, SoFloBulls.com | @TBTurner813