TAMPA, Fla. – The University of South Florida football program is on the rise, with a new head coach in Brian Hartline running the show and a new on-campus stadium being built in Tampa.
In the shadows of the new stadium is the Frank Morsani Football Practice Complex, where the newfound excitement in the Bulls’ fanbase is motivating the team in practice.
USF opened fall camp on Wednesday morning as anticipation builds for what Hartline and the rest of the new coaching staff will bring to the table. Now that the Bulls are back on the practice field, we’re starting to get a glimpse at what it might look like.
They still don’t have pads on, but it was clear that those guys were working hard on a hot morning in the Florida summer. The players understand where Hartline comes from as a national championship-winning assistant at Ohio State, so they understand they’re going to get pushed and they appear ready for it.
“It’s definitely tough, man,” senior defensive tackle Major Dillard said when asked how tough Hartline’s practices are. “He preaches excellence like that’s what he’s shooting for. That’s what he aims for. You know he comes from that cloth. So he’s trying to get us on the same cloth, you know, make his own cloth and turn us into what he’s used to. So, you know, he’s doing a great job. I love Coach Hart and, you know, he’s a great coach.”
“Yeah, I think we’ve been more physical through practice than we’ve ever been, you know, as of late. So taking a lot of pride on that. I think that’s an M.O. for the conference. The toughest teams in this conference are going to compete for championships. And if you don’t have that toughness, you’re not going to compete for championships,” Hartline said.
“Everyone’s excited for day one, even me and the coaches. It’s just something you’ve been looking forward to all offseason. You finally have a game in sight. You’re looking to earn your starting position and it’s just excitement all across the board,” senior offensive lineman Thomas Shrader said.
The biggest question entering fall camp for the Bulls is at the quarterback position. USF is calling it an “active competition” between LSU transfer Michael Van Buren and Mississippi State transfer Luke Kromenhoek.
Hartline is still not ready to name a starter and said it’s a decision that won’t be rushed
“Well, it’ll be dictated on the guys, so when we feel like we’re very confident in the decision and there’s been, you know, maybe an opportunity where any hesitation has been removed. To try to outline it with criteria, I mean, that’s hard to kind of do. I mean, you’ll know when you know. And frankly, it’s up to them to separate themselves, have one guy separate themselves. But haven’t given myself a final call date when I want to necessarily do that work through camp and we’ll see what happens,” Hartline said.
“It’s not the only way to get better, but it’s the only way to be your best. And you got honestly more than two, like really, really, really good guys who could go out there, who could command the offense, do everything that we need them to, and they’re battling out every day. That’s what you want to see. That end of the day, you need iron to sharpen iron, and it’s like that with every position group. But when you do that at the head of the snake at that position, come on man. And I’m going to say is whoever is out there I trust, I know they’re going to lead us to do whatever,” senior offensive lineman Caleb Cook said.
As the new stadium gets built on the horizon of the practice field, it’s a symbol of the growth of this program. For now, this team is focused on this season, with home games being played at Raymond James Stadium. The season opener is Saturday, September 5 at 7 p.m. against FIU.
Michael Epps
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