Take a seat and fasten your seat belts, we have A LOT to cover in this #20Strong recruiting update. Without further ado, let’s get after it!
Let’s start with the decommitment of 3-star OLB Vincent Starling on July 21st per Twitter. Starling was previously committed to the Bulls on July 7th before backing away from his commitment 2 weeks later. Starling could very well rejoin the Bulls 2020 recruiting class when it’s all said done as hinted at in a Sun Sentinel article on Starling’s decommitment. Nonetheless, we wish Starling nothing but the best in his future endeavors, both at the high school level and wherever he plays ball at the next level.
Khristopher Love
As for the newest Bulls to join the 2020 class, I’m going to start with American Heritage’s OG Khristopher Love (@khrislove1) out of Fort Lauderdale, FL who committed to USF via Twitter on July 26th. Let’s discuss USF’s newest #20Strong OG with a look at his tape and my thoughts on his future on the Bulls roster.
The Scoop
Standing at 6-3″, 315 LBs, Love is a whole lot of dude and will step into a Division I football program at the right size as soon as he hits campus. Size alone doesn’t just get you offers, Love’s talent on the football field has netted him 15 scholarship offers (according to 247), including several prominent P5 programs such as Boston College, Kentucky, Maryland, N.C. State, and Pittsburgh amongst others. Let’s take a look at Love’s Hudl tape and see what USF will be getting on the OL in the coming years.
The Tape
Throughout the film, Love had his way against opposing defensive lineman, often engaging with the man in front of him and pancaking the defender into the ground. Love shows good strength and power once engaged with the defender, continuing to drive his feet until the play is over. Love is also effective as a pass blocker, showing a great initial punch to knock the defender off balance. Last thing that I’ll note about Love is his pulling ability and how much of a factor he was for American Heritage’s running game when doing so. Not only does it show Love’s effectiveness as a pulling guard (Something that USF does frequently as a power-run team), but also highlights his athleticism and skill at the position as well.
The Verdict
I believe that Love will be effective at either left or right guard at the next level with his strength as an offensive lineman being his run blocking prowess. As mentioned in the previous paragraph, Love is also effective as a pass blocker as well which should bode well for him when the opportunity opens up for him to compete for a starting role on the line. With that being said, look for Love to be a factor at either guard position down the road as an offensive lineman that can contribute on the line right away.
Tyler Berrong
For the next USF commit, we have 6-2, 220 LB OLB Tyler Berrong (@berrong_ty) out of Atlantic High School in Port Orange, FL. Berrong committed to the Green and Gold on August 4th via Twitter. Let’s discuss USF’s newest #20Strong OLB with a look at his tape and my thoughts on his future on the Bulls roster.
The Scoop
A high three-star recruit according to 247, Berrong was a great recruiting win for the USF coaching staff as Power 5 programs such as Nebraska, Purdue, West Virginia, and Pittsburgh were all included in Berrong’s Top 5 back in June via Twitter. Besides the four Power 5 programs mentioned, Berrong has also collected offers from other P5 schools such as Florida, Indiana, Minnesota, Missouri, and North Carolina as well. Let’s take a look at Berrong’s Hudl tape and see what USF will be getting at the LB position in the coming years.
The Tape
The first thing that you notice from Berrong’s film is his hard-hitting ability at the position. Berrong is an enforcer at LB, a trait that you don’t see often in linebackers at the high school level. Berrong does a great job of reading the eyes of the quarterback, moving appropriately in coverage to put him in position to make a play on the ball. One thing that separates Berrong from the other LBs at his size is his closing speed to the ball, whether on a blitz through the middle of the line or closing on a ball carrier heading towards the sideline. This bodes well for him depending on where the staff lines him up at the next level.
The Verdict
Berrong, similar to the Vincent Starling write-up that I did back in July, is a LB that could play either inside or outside at the next level. However, I do see Berrong as more of a inside linebacker with his size and hard-hitting ability at the position. In a defense that normally runs with 2 ILBs and 1 OLB that will either flex out to the slot receiver or play inside, Berrong fits the mold of an ILB that defensive coordinator Brian Jean-Mary likes to have inside to stop the run and fill running lanes with their size and strength.
Meanwhile in Decommitment World…
USF lost a good one in WR Tyree Saunders who decommitted from USF on August 21st via Twitter. As predicted by those that have been following his recruitment, Saunders recently committed to Virginia Tech via Twitter on September 7th. We wish Saunders nothing but the best at Virginia Tech if he decides to sign there in next couple of months.
Evan Webster
Last, but not least, we have 6-4, 293 LB OT Evan Webster (@BIG_EVDOIT) out of Hardee High School in Wauchula, FL. Webster committed to USF via Twitter on August 31th. Let’s discuss USF’s newest #20Strong OT with a look at his tape and my thoughts on his future on the Bulls roster.
The Scoop
Currently unranked by 247, Webster has an impressive offer sheet which includes schools such as Florida State, Iowa State, Louisville, Virginia, and UCF. Webster is currently the 3rd OL commit to the 2020 Recruiting Class including OG Miller Merriweather-Lewis and OG Khristopher Love who was mentioned earlier in the article. Let’s take a look at Webster’s Hudl tape and see what USF will be getting on the OL in the coming years.
The Tape
The first thing that I’ll bring up from Webster’s tape is his first punch when in range with a defender. Similar to Love, Webster does a fantastic job of getting the defender off-balance, often winning these 1 v. 1 battles against the man in front of him. In pass protection, Webster does a great job of maintaining a solid base, something that will prove well for him at the next level against the better pass rushers off the edge. Webster is also effective as a run blocker, showing a great first step into the defender and great strength to drive the lineman back. The last thing that I’ll mention is his athleticism at the position, showing great movement for his size both across the field on lateral blocking assignments and up the field on screen plays.
The Verdict
With OG Miller Merriweather-Lewis projected to be a tackle at the next level, Webster figures to be in the same position when it’s all said and done, becoming the 2nd offensive tackle commit in the 2020 recruiting class. Webster could very well be a guy that the coaching staff puts inside being an effective run blocker, but I believe that Webster projects more at either tackle spot depending on what side the staff wants him at in the future.
Leave your thoughts and comments below and be sure to tune in next week when I update Bulls fans on all things USF Football recruiting!