The 2017 South Florida Bulls football team represented the University of South Florida (USF) in the 2017 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They played their home games at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida, and were led by first-year head coach Charlie Strong. The Bulls competed as members of the East Division of the American Athletic Conference. They finished the season 10–2, 6–2 in AAC play to finish in second place in the East Division. They were invited to the Birmingham Bowl where they defeated Texas Tech.
Offseason
Coaching changes
The coaching vacancy left by Willie Taggart was filled when USF hired Charlie Strong as head coach on December 11, 2016.[1] Strong had been the head coach at the University of Texas before being fired after three seasons.
Sterlin Gilbert was named the new offensive coordinator on January 5, 2017.[2] Gilbert had been Charlie Strong's offensive coordinator at Texas in 2016. USF hired Brian Jean-Mary as the new defensive coordinator on January 8, 2017.[3] Jean-Mary has been on Charlie Strong's coaching staff since Strong started coaching at Louisville in 2010. He was Texas's linebackers coach in 2016.
Disciplinary issues
In late March 2017, senior USF defensive back Hassan Childs was dismissed from the team after being involved in a road rage incident in which he was shot three times. He was charged with aggravated assault and marijuana possession after the incident.[4]
In early May, another USF player was arrested, this time defensive end LaDarrius Jackson, who was charged with assaulting a female in student housing.[5] Judge Margaret Taylor, of Hillsborough County, criticized head coach Charlie Strong's lack of control over his players, saying that she was "ashamed of being an alum." Coach Strong had only been employed at the school for five months at the time of Jackson's arrest and had not recruited either of the players in question. A video of Judge Taylor's comments went viral, and she later recused herself from the case.[6]
Preseason
In the preseason AAC media poll, the Bulls were picked to finish first in the East Division of the AAC, receiving all 30 first-place votes.[7] They also received 26 of 30 votes as the favorite to win the AAC championship.[7]
Schedule
South Florida announced their 2017 football schedule on February 9, 2017.[8]
Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
---|
August 26 | 7:30 p.m. | at San Jose State* | No. 19 | | CBSSN | W 42–22 | 13,377 |
September 2 | 4:00 p.m. | Stony Brook* | No. 19 | | ESPN3 | W 31–17 | 26,460 |
| 7:00 p.m. | Illinois* | No. 22 | - Raymond James Stadium
- Tampa, FL
| ESPN | W 47–23 | 35,404 |
| 7:30 p.m. | Temple | No. 21 | - Raymond James Stadium
- Tampa, FL
| ESPN | W 43–7 | 24,325 |
September 30 | 12:00 p.m. | at East Carolina | No. 18 | | CBSSN | W 61–31 | 34,883 |
October 14 [a] | 7:30 p.m. | Cincinnati | No. 18 | - Raymond James Stadium
- Tampa, FL
| ESPNU | W 33–3 | 43,708 |
October 21 | 7:00 p.m. | at Tulane | No. 16 | | ESPN2 | W 34–28 | 17,256 |
October 28 [b] | 3:45 p.m. | Houston | No. 17 | - Raymond James Stadium
- Tampa, FL
| ESPNU | L 24–28 | 32,316 |
November 4 [c] | 3:30 p.m. | at UConn | | | ESPNU | W 37–20 | 18,430 |
| 8:00 p.m. | Tulsa | No. 23 | - Raymond James Stadium
- Tampa, FL
| ESPN | W 27–20 | 26,195 |
| 3:30 p.m. | at No. 13 UCF | No. 22 | | ABC | L 42–49 | 47,129 |
December 23 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. Texas Tech* | No. 23 | | ESPN | W 38–34 | 28,623 |
- *Non-conference game
- Homecoming
- Rankings from AP Poll released prior to the game
- All times are in Eastern time
|
- ^[a] The game between UMass and USF was cancelled. The game between Cincinnati and USF was moved from October 28th to October 14th.
- ^[b] The game between Houston and USF was moved from November 4th to October 28th.
- ^[c] The game between UConn and USF that was cancelled on September 9th was rescheduled for November 4th.
Game summaries
At San Jose State
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
No. 19 Bulls
|
0
|
28
|
7
|
7 |
42 |
Spartans
|
16
|
0
|
0
|
6 |
22 |
Stony Brook
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Seawolves
|
7
|
3
|
0
|
7 |
17 |
No. 19 Bulls
|
7
|
0
|
10
|
14 |
31 |
Illinois
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Fighting Illini
|
2
|
7
|
0
|
14 |
23 |
No. 22 Bulls
|
9
|
14
|
14
|
10 |
47 |
Temple
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Owls
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
0 |
7 |
No. 21 Bulls
|
3
|
17
|
13
|
10 |
43 |
At East Carolina
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
No. 18 Bulls
|
21
|
10
|
17
|
13 |
61 |
Pirates
|
10
|
14
|
7
|
0 |
31 |
Cincinnati
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Bearcats
|
3
|
0
|
0
|
0 |
3 |
No. 18 Bulls
|
3
|
20
|
7
|
3 |
33 |
At Tulane
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
No. 16 Bulls
|
7
|
13
|
14
|
0 |
34 |
Green Wave
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
14 |
28 |
Houston
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Cougars
|
0
|
0
|
14
|
14 |
28 |
No. 17 Bulls
|
0
|
7
|
7
|
10 |
24 |
At UConn
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Bulls
|
7
|
10
|
17
|
3 |
37 |
Huskies
|
0
|
7
|
0
|
13 |
20 |
Tulsa
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Golden Hurricane
|
7
|
10
|
0
|
3 |
20 |
No. 23 Bulls
|
21
|
3
|
3
|
0 |
27 |
At UCF
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
No. 22 Bulls
|
7
|
13
|
14
|
8 |
42 |
No. 13 Knights
|
21
|
0
|
7
|
21 |
49 |
Vs. Texas Tech–Birmingham Bowl
|
|
|
|
|
Total |
Red Raiders
|
10
|
0
|
14
|
10 |
34 |
No. 23 Bulls
|
3
|
7
|
7
|
21 |
38 |
Rankings
Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes т = Tied with team above or below | Week |
---|
Poll | Pre | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | Final |
---|
AP | 19 | 21 | 22 | 21 | 18 | 18 | 18 | 16–T | 17 | RV | 22 | 23 | 22 | 23 | 23 | 21 |
---|
Coaches | 21 | 20 | 21 | 17 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 13 | 14 | 23 | 21 | 20 | 19 | 23 | 24 | 21 |
---|
CFP | Not released | — | — | — | — | — | — | Not released |
---|
Roster
2017 South Florida Bulls football team roster
|
Players
|
Coaches
|
Offense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
WR
|
1
|
Chris Barr
|
Jr
|
RB
|
2
|
D'Ernest Johnson
|
Sr
|
WR
|
3
|
Darnell Salomon
|
So
|
RB
|
6
|
Darius Tice
|
Sr
|
QB
|
7
|
Brett Kean
|
So
|
WR
|
8
|
Tyre McCants
|
Jr
|
QB
|
9
|
Quinton Flowers
|
Sr
|
QB
|
10
|
Chris Oladokun
|
Fr
|
WR
|
11
|
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
|
Sr
|
WR
|
12
|
Temi Alaka
|
Sr
|
WR
|
14
|
Deangelo Antonie
|
So
|
QB
|
16
|
Mike Dean
|
Fr
|
QB
|
17
|
Kyle Trina
|
Fr
|
WR
|
18
|
DeVontres Dukes
|
Fr
|
RB
|
22
|
Duran Bell Jr.
|
Fr
|
RB
|
27
|
LaDarion McBride
|
Sr
|
RB
|
31
|
Elijah Mack
|
Fr
|
RB
|
32
|
Jordan Cronkrite
|
Jr
|
RB
|
36
|
Davion Sutton
|
Jr
|
TE
|
40
|
Derek Hintze
|
Fr
|
FB
|
40
|
Riley Sheehan
|
So
|
TE
|
48
|
Spencer Adkinson
|
Sr
|
TE
|
49
|
K. J. Miles
|
Sr
|
OL
|
50
|
Christion Gainer
|
Fr
|
OL
|
52
|
Michael Wiggs
|
Fr
|
OL
|
55
|
Eric Mayes
|
Jr
|
OL
|
61
|
Jacob Maxfield
|
Fr
|
OL
|
64
|
Demetris Harris
|
Fr
|
OL
|
66
|
Matt Nelson
|
Fr
|
OL
|
67
|
Hal Roberson
|
Fr
|
OL
|
68
|
Michael Galati
|
Jr
|
OL
|
69
|
Erik Listoe
|
So
|
OL
|
70
|
Glen Bethel
|
Sr
|
OL
|
71
|
Jeremiah Stafford
|
Fr
|
OL
|
72
|
Brooks Larkin
|
So
|
OL
|
73
|
Jeremi Hall
|
Sr
|
OL
|
74
|
Cameron Ruff
|
Sr
|
OL
|
75
|
Jean Marcellus
|
Fr
|
OT
|
77
|
Marcus Norman
|
So
|
G
|
78
|
William Atterbury
|
So
|
OL
|
79
|
Grant Polk
|
So
|
TE
|
80
|
Ryan Hintze
|
Sr
|
WR
|
80
|
Trevor Steinke
|
Sr
|
WR
|
81
|
Ryeshene Bronson
|
Sr
|
WR
|
83
|
Jernard Phillips
|
Fr
|
WR
|
84
|
Randall St. Felix
|
Fr
|
TE
|
85
|
Elkanah Dillon
|
Jr
|
WR
|
86
|
Stanley Clerveaux
|
Jr
|
TE
|
87
|
Frederick Lloyd Jr.
|
Fr
|
WR
|
88
|
Kevaughn Dingle
|
Fr
|
TE
|
89
|
Mitchell Wilcox
|
So
|
TE
|
97
|
Nicholas Munera
|
Jr
|
|
Defense
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
CB
|
3
|
Deatrick Nichols
|
Sr
|
DE
|
4
|
Jimmy Bates
|
Jr
|
DT
|
10
|
Deadrin Senat
|
Sr
|
LB
|
12
|
Andre Polk Jr.
|
Fr
|
CB
|
13
|
Tajee Fullwood
|
Sr
|
DB
|
14
|
Mike Hampton
|
Fr
|
DE
|
15
|
Vincent Jackson
|
Jr
|
S
|
18
|
Jaymon Thomas
|
Jr
|
CB
|
19
|
Ronnie Hoggins
|
Jr
|
S
|
20
|
Devin Abraham
|
Sr
|
S
|
21
|
Khalid McGee
|
Jr
|
DB
|
22
|
Mekhi LaPointe
|
Fr
|
CB
|
23
|
Mazzi Wilkins
|
Jr
|
DB
|
24
|
Nick Roberts
|
Fr
|
DB
|
25
|
Bentlee Sanders
|
Fr
|
S
|
26
|
Craig Watts
|
Fr
|
DB
|
27
|
Naytron Culpepper
|
Fr
|
DB
|
28
|
Donelle Thomas
|
Fr
|
LB
|
29
|
Devon Jones-Stewart
|
Sr
|
DB
|
30
|
Jeffery Farrar
|
Jr
|
LB
|
33
|
David Small
|
Fr
|
LB
|
34
|
Keirston Johnson
|
Fr
|
DE
|
35
|
Jabreel Stephens
|
Fr
|
CB
|
37
|
Nate Ferguson
|
Jr
|
CB
|
38
|
Nick Cuccia
|
So
|
DB
|
39
|
Trent Shaw
|
So
|
LB
|
41
|
Greg Reaves
|
So
|
LB
|
43
|
Auggie Sanchez
|
Sr
|
DT
|
44
|
Garry Cadet
|
Jr
|
DE
|
45
|
Darrien Grant
|
Fr
|
LB
|
51
|
Mi'Cario Stanley
|
Fr
|
LB
|
53
|
Danny Thomas
|
Jr
|
LB
|
54
|
Nico Sawtelle
|
So
|
LB
|
55
|
Josh Black
|
Jr
|
DE
|
56
|
Juwuan Brown
|
Jr
|
LB
|
57
|
A. J. Franco
|
Fr
|
LB
|
58
|
Anthony Beko
|
Jr
|
LB
|
59
|
Andrew Mims
|
Fr
|
DT
|
60
|
Bruce Hector
|
Sr
|
DT
|
90
|
Kevin Kegler
|
Fr
|
DE
|
91
|
Frank Johnson
|
Jr
|
DE
|
92
|
Marquies Price
|
Jr
|
DT
|
93
|
Brandon Boyce
|
Jr
|
DE
|
94
|
Kirk Livingstone
|
So
|
DT
|
95
|
Marlon Gonzalez
|
So
|
DT
|
96
|
Kevlin Pinkney Jr.
|
Fr
|
DE
|
98
|
Mike Love
|
Sr
|
DE
|
99
|
Kevin Bronson
|
Jr
|
|
Special teams
Pos. |
# |
Name |
Class
|
K
|
35
|
Emilio Nadelman
|
Sr
|
K
|
38
|
Marco Salani
|
Fr
|
K
|
42
|
Jake Vivonetto
|
Sr
|
P
|
44
|
Jonathan Hernandez
|
Sr
|
LS
|
46
|
Zach Deitz
|
So
|
|
- Head coach
- Coordinators/assistant coaches
- Sterlin Gilbert (offensive coordinator / quarterbacks coach)
- Brian Jean-Mary (assistant head coach / defensive coordinator / linebackers coach)
- Blue Adams (defensive backs)
- Justin Burke (Tight Ends / special teams coordinator)
- Damon Cogdell (defensive ends)
- Sean Cronin (defensive tackles)
- Shaun King (running backs)
- Matt Mattox (offensive line / run game coordinator)
- Charlie Williams (wide receivers)
- Legend
- (C) Team captain
- (S) Suspended
- (I) Ineligible
Roster Last update: October 10, 2017
|
[9]
Players in the 2018 NFL Draft
Source:[10]
References
- ^ John Del Bianco (December 11, 2016). "South Florida hires Charlie Strong". CBSSports.com. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Allison Leslie (January 5, 2017). "South Florida Hires Sterlin Gilbert As Offensive coordinator". Sports Talk Florida. Archived from the original on April 30, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Jeff Odom (January 8, 2017). "USF hires Brian Jean-Mary as defensive coordinator". Tampa Bay Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Nick Simon (March 28, 2017). "Hassan Childs dismissed from USF football". The Daily Stampede. Vox Media. Archived from the original on June 1, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Joey Knight (May 2, 2017). "USF football player LaDarrius Jackson arrested on sexual battery charge". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Mark Schlabach (May 4, 2017). "Judge Margaret Taylor recuses herself from LaDarrius Jackson case over critical comment toward South Florida Bulls coach Charlie Strong". ESPN.com. Archived from the original on May 5, 2017. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ a b "USF Is The Favorite In 2017 American Athletic Conference Media Poll". theamerican.org. Retrieved August 31, 2017.
- ^ 2017 USF Football Schedule Announced. February 9, 2017. GoUSFBulls.com. University of South Florida Athletics. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ Football - Staff. GoUSFBulls.com. University of South Florida Athletics. Retrieved May 4, 2017.
- ^ "2018 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved January 12, 2025.
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Venues | |
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Bowls & rivalries | |
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Culture & lore | |
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People | |
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