Re: Strength in Unity.
Run of the Bulls ‣ USF Football News
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ LB Nate Clark dismissed from program amid armed robbery charges
USF linebacker Nate Clark (74 ovr, 87 spd, 90 acc, 78 tkl) has been dismissed from the program according to an official statement from USF head coach Malcolm Francois.
In the statement, Francois did not go into details on why Clark was released but that he simply "did not live up to the standards of being a USF Bull" and violated team rules. The statement came just a week after Clark was arrested in Temple Terrace, Florida on early Saturday morning.
According to the police report, Clark and two others robbed six people at gun point in at an apartment complex. The report alleges that Clark and the two other identified suspects were at a party Friday night, left and returned with each individual carrying a firearm. According to one witness, Clark was "the leader of the bunch" and demanded that they gave him their wallets and jewelry.
Clark was released on bond Monday morning.
A fifth-year senior, Clark led the team with 92 tackles last season and was an All-American in his first season as a starter. After opting to return for his senior season, it doesn't seem that Clark will be playing football any time soon.
‣ WR Stone to be more involved in offense as a runner
William Stone (86 ovr, 96 spd, 93 acc, 75 cth, 73 car) was one of the top running backs in high school but his performance at 7-on-7 camps led recruiting services to list him as an athlete. The Bulls coaching staff also saw him as more of a receiver and as a true freshman, he broke school records with 1158 receiving yards and had sixteen touchdowns.
His numbers dipped in 2022 due to the shaky QB situation, catching just 52 passes and two touchdowns. In 2023, it doesn't matter whose at quarterback, Malcolm Francois is going to get him the ball.
"Sometimes the flow of a game can take a receiver out of it," says Francois, "We want to get [Stone] the ball at least ten times a game and you can't guarantee that with him at receiver. He has the skillset to be a ball carrier, come out of the backfield and with Troy [Henry] not here anymore, we can certainly use his speed."
‣ Gross, Hughes and Lott running with the first team defense
With a new defense being implemented, everyone is sort of on the same level playing field and it can serve as an equalizer for freshmen when their upperclassmen counterparts are also learning a new defense.
Five-star linebacker Travis Hughes (79 ovr, 84 spd, 98 acc, 75 tkl) and four-star linebacker Dallas Gross (79 ovr, 80 spd, 82 acc, 84 tkl) have been rotating with sophomore linebacker John Reed (75 ovr, 80 spd, 77 acc, 84 tkl) and redshirt junior Montrell Jennings (77 ovr, 84 spd, 92 acc, 77 tkl) as the two linebackers besides Nate Clark.
With Clark's legal troubles, the door is now even wider for Gross or Hughes -- perhaps even both -- to get on the field as true freshman.
Safety Jake Lott, on the other hand, hasn't just been rotating as a starter, he's been the starter. Lott (80 ovr, 90 spd, 89 acc, 84 mcv, 82 zcv, 75 tkl) has taken the bulk of the first team rep at free safety with Malcolm Francois Jr. (64 ovr, 91 spd, 88 acc, 74 zcv, 50 tkl) serving as his backup. Four-star cornerback Corey Johnson (72 ovr, 93 spd, 91 acc, 59 tkl) has also played some free safety for the Bulls in Dave Doeren's defense which deploys a lone single high safety quite often.
Lott has been one of the biggest surprises since his arrival after many assumed that Francois Jr. would be the starter given his performance at the bowl game.
‣ QB Shaw, WR Burns and Bright latest to enter transfer portal
Redshirt junior QB Eugene Shaw and wide receivers Brandon Burns and Benji Bright are the newest names in the transfer portal.
Shaw (80 ovr, 57 spd, 86 thp, 85 tha) and Burns (85 ovr, 86 spd, 99 acc, 80 cth) will immediately be eligible to play as they both graduated this past summer while Bright is only a junior and will need to sit out for a season.
Bright (79 ovr, 91 spd, 83 acc, 81 cth) has played the most out of the bunch, using his 6'6" frame to catch four touchdowns passes as a true freshman. He saw his playing time reduced last season with the arrival of Joel Bass, a similar big body receiver. Bright caught just three passes last season compared to 29 and was likely going to be a backup receiver once more behind Bass who is a sophomore.
For Burns, this is likely the right decision as he's caught just seven passes as a Bull after making the switch from defensive back to receiver as a sophomore. The California native is likely headed back west.
Shaw's departure leaves the Bulls with just three scholarship quarterbacks.
Andrew Lake -- 247 Sports Staff Writer
‣ LB Nate Clark dismissed from program amid armed robbery charges
USF linebacker Nate Clark (74 ovr, 87 spd, 90 acc, 78 tkl) has been dismissed from the program according to an official statement from USF head coach Malcolm Francois.
In the statement, Francois did not go into details on why Clark was released but that he simply "did not live up to the standards of being a USF Bull" and violated team rules. The statement came just a week after Clark was arrested in Temple Terrace, Florida on early Saturday morning.
According to the police report, Clark and two others robbed six people at gun point in at an apartment complex. The report alleges that Clark and the two other identified suspects were at a party Friday night, left and returned with each individual carrying a firearm. According to one witness, Clark was "the leader of the bunch" and demanded that they gave him their wallets and jewelry.
Clark was released on bond Monday morning.
A fifth-year senior, Clark led the team with 92 tackles last season and was an All-American in his first season as a starter. After opting to return for his senior season, it doesn't seem that Clark will be playing football any time soon.
‣ WR Stone to be more involved in offense as a runner
William Stone (86 ovr, 96 spd, 93 acc, 75 cth, 73 car) was one of the top running backs in high school but his performance at 7-on-7 camps led recruiting services to list him as an athlete. The Bulls coaching staff also saw him as more of a receiver and as a true freshman, he broke school records with 1158 receiving yards and had sixteen touchdowns.
His numbers dipped in 2022 due to the shaky QB situation, catching just 52 passes and two touchdowns. In 2023, it doesn't matter whose at quarterback, Malcolm Francois is going to get him the ball.
"Sometimes the flow of a game can take a receiver out of it," says Francois, "We want to get [Stone] the ball at least ten times a game and you can't guarantee that with him at receiver. He has the skillset to be a ball carrier, come out of the backfield and with Troy [Henry] not here anymore, we can certainly use his speed."
‣ Gross, Hughes and Lott running with the first team defense
With a new defense being implemented, everyone is sort of on the same level playing field and it can serve as an equalizer for freshmen when their upperclassmen counterparts are also learning a new defense.
Five-star linebacker Travis Hughes (79 ovr, 84 spd, 98 acc, 75 tkl) and four-star linebacker Dallas Gross (79 ovr, 80 spd, 82 acc, 84 tkl) have been rotating with sophomore linebacker John Reed (75 ovr, 80 spd, 77 acc, 84 tkl) and redshirt junior Montrell Jennings (77 ovr, 84 spd, 92 acc, 77 tkl) as the two linebackers besides Nate Clark.
With Clark's legal troubles, the door is now even wider for Gross or Hughes -- perhaps even both -- to get on the field as true freshman.
Safety Jake Lott, on the other hand, hasn't just been rotating as a starter, he's been the starter. Lott (80 ovr, 90 spd, 89 acc, 84 mcv, 82 zcv, 75 tkl) has taken the bulk of the first team rep at free safety with Malcolm Francois Jr. (64 ovr, 91 spd, 88 acc, 74 zcv, 50 tkl) serving as his backup. Four-star cornerback Corey Johnson (72 ovr, 93 spd, 91 acc, 59 tkl) has also played some free safety for the Bulls in Dave Doeren's defense which deploys a lone single high safety quite often.
Lott has been one of the biggest surprises since his arrival after many assumed that Francois Jr. would be the starter given his performance at the bowl game.
‣ QB Shaw, WR Burns and Bright latest to enter transfer portal
Redshirt junior QB Eugene Shaw and wide receivers Brandon Burns and Benji Bright are the newest names in the transfer portal.
Shaw (80 ovr, 57 spd, 86 thp, 85 tha) and Burns (85 ovr, 86 spd, 99 acc, 80 cth) will immediately be eligible to play as they both graduated this past summer while Bright is only a junior and will need to sit out for a season.
Bright (79 ovr, 91 spd, 83 acc, 81 cth) has played the most out of the bunch, using his 6'6" frame to catch four touchdowns passes as a true freshman. He saw his playing time reduced last season with the arrival of Joel Bass, a similar big body receiver. Bright caught just three passes last season compared to 29 and was likely going to be a backup receiver once more behind Bass who is a sophomore.
For Burns, this is likely the right decision as he's caught just seven passes as a Bull after making the switch from defensive back to receiver as a sophomore. The California native is likely headed back west.
Shaw's departure leaves the Bulls with just three scholarship quarterbacks.
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