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Ocala kicker Lincoln to walk on with Bulls
USF has picked up another preferred walk-on for the 2012 season, as James Lincoln, a kicker and punter from Ocala's Trinity Catholic High, said Tuesday that he's accepted an offer to join the Bulls this fall.
"I love the Tampa area. I've grown up a fan of the Bulls, have been in love with them ever since I was a kid," said Lincoln, who carries a 4.1 core grade-point average and will have a Bright Futures academic scholarship at USF.
Lincoln was recruited by several BCS programs, with similar offers from schools like Florida, Iowa State, California and Auburn. Lincoln handled both kicking duties for Trinity Catholic last fall, going 8-for-10 on field goals with a season long of 45 yards. He said he averaged about 42 yards on punts as well and would be equally comfortable in either role at the college level.
"I like my chances a lot going there and becoming the starting kicker," said Lincoln, who was told by USF coaches that he would be with the team for preseason camp this summer. "When I get there on campus, I will try to make an impression and get on the field as soon as I can." ... Read more
Bulls hoping to stick around on NCAA bubble
TAMPA -- Stan Heath is careful not to allow his focus -- or his team's -- to shift beyond its next opponent and the next must-win game, but with a home victory Wednesday night against Villanova, the Bulls will have a rightful place in conversation for the NCAA Tournament bubble.
How many wins does USF (15-10, 8-4 in Big East) need to make the NCAAs? The consensus is that a 4-2 finish by the Bulls entering the Big East tournament -- that's wins against Villanova and at Pittsburgh, then at home against Cincinnati and West Virginia, allowing for losses at Syracuse and Louisville -- would give the Bulls a worthy resume if they can win at least one game in Manhattan. ... Read more
Robertson's game starts with shutting down yours
TAMPA -- Points and rebounds are wonderful, really, but what Hugh Robertson is really looking for when handed the stat sheet from a USF basketball game is an ugly night for whatever star Stan Heath has asked him to shut down that night.
"I love it. Every game, Coach lines me up with the best player, and I accept the challenge," said Robertson, a 6-foot-6 senior guard from Macon, Ga., who has started every Big East game in his two seasons with the Bulls. "I like doing that, and he knows that, so he puts me on the best player, to try to contain them, hold them down so we have a chance to win the game."
Last week, when USF derailed a red-hot Pittsburgh team in a key home victory, Robertson had a season-high 18 points, but he was smiling for a different reason: holding Panthers guard Ashton Gibbs, the Big East preseason player of the year, to 4 points, his lowest total in nearly two years. And Robertson wasn't taking the blame for all four points, either. ... Read more
Leavitt: Solomon best to play college ball in Tampa
Within an hour of Monday night's sad news of the passing of former University of Tampa great and 49ers star Freddie Solomon, former USF coach Jim Leavitt had reached out to the Times with a text message, making sure Solomon's place in Tampa football history was known.
Leavitt, who grew up in St. Petersburg, remembers going to see Solomon play as a game-changing quarterback at UT in the 1970s, and said he would consider Solomon the best player ever to play college football in Tampa.
"I often said I wish we could recruit a playmaker as good as (Solomon) -- we tried to recruit QBs that were his style," wrote Leavitt, who has made the same Tampa-to-San Francisco move that Solomon did more than 30 years ago. "(Marquel) Blackwell, (Matt) Grothe, (B.J.) Daniels, all very good, but none were the playmaker he was, not close. And that isn't a knock on those guys." ... Read more
Could Bulls be match for Maryland QB transfer?
Could USF wind up with a scholarship quarterback joining the program this fall after all? After coming up empty in the regular recruiting process, the Bulls could have a new option for their 2013 starting job in quarterback Danny O'Brien, who is leaving Maryland after two seasons.
O'Brien, a 6-foot-3, 215-pound passer who threw for 22 touchdowns as a freshman when he was the ACC's 2010 Rookie of the Year, could see two things at USF: familiar faces in the coaching staff, and a wide-open quarterback job for 2013 after starter B.J. Daniels graduates.
When O'Brien came out of high school three years ago in Kernersville, N.C., one of his final three choices was East Carolina, which had Skip Holtz at head coach and Todd Fitch at offensive coordinator, in the same roles they now have at USF. Both made the three-hour trip to Kernersville in recruiting O'Brien, according to East Forsyth High coach Todd Willert.
"Danny loved Coach Holtz, and ECU was definitely in his top three," said Willert, saying that O'Brien's decision to not go to ECU was led by a belief that Holtz might not be around long in Greenville. ... Read more
More notes on USF's first commitments for 2013
Sunday's big news was that USF picked up its first two commitments for 2013 in Immokalee's Tshumbi Johnson and Xavier Richardson, who will both play receiver for the Bulls. Those two were part of a group of eight players who drove up from Immokalee for USF's Junior Day and could be a bigger part of USF's next recruiting class.
We had the chance Sunday night to talk with Immokalee coach Jerrod Ackley, who gave more insights into these two players and USF's recruiting efforts. ...
-- Johnson (5-11, 175) will play slot receiver at USF, but he's been a three-year starter at quarterback for Immokalee, earning first-team all-state honors last fall after totaling 44 touchdowns -- 25 passing and 19 rushing.
"Tshumbi is a phenomenal football player," said Ackley, noting that Georgia Tech was recruiting Johnson as a quarterback, but most schools were looking at him as a receiver. Florida coach Will Muschamp was "very interested" in him as a defensive back, Ackley said. ... Read more
Immokalee WRs are USF's first '13 commitments
USF's Junior Day gathering Sunday helped the Bulls land their first commitments for the Class of 2013, as Immokalee receivers Tshumbi Johnson and Xavier Richardson, second cousins, both committed to USF coach Skip Holtz on Sunday afternoon.
"It was my first choice -- so close to home, so all my people can come up and watch me play," said Johnson, who is 5-foot-11 and 175 pounds and was being recruited by Florida State, Alabama, Georgia Tech and Auburn, though USF was his first offer.
Richardson, much taller at 6-foot-4, 198 pounds, had a scholarship offer from South Carolina and was being recruited by Miami, Florida and Georgia Tech -- he said the campus visit clinched his decision that he wanted to play for the Bulls.
"It is a good school for me, education-wise, socially, and it's close to home," said Richardson, one of seven Immokalee players to attend Sunday's Junior Day event.
Both players said they are firm in their commitments to USF -- "I've made my commitment, and I know this is where I want to be," Johnson said.
Versatile Ervilus brings athleticism to USF football
TAMPA -- In recruiting jargon, a football player is often dubbed an "athlete" when his skills aren't limited to a single position, or even one side of the ball.
Guito Ervilus, by nearly any jargon, is an athlete.
The USF signee didn't take up football until his sophomore year at Orlando's Oak Ridge High, when football coach Elijah Williams convinced the basketball player to try on a set of pads. With a lean 6-foot-4, 220-pound frame, he has lined up as a receiver, a tight end, a defensive end, a linebacker -- so while his first look as a Bull will be at defensive end, that's really just the start.
"He could end up anywhere," said Williams, himself a former Florida running back who wound up playing defensive back for the Atlanta Falcons from 1998-2001. ... Read more
Bulls to host top local recruits for USF Junior Day
USF football's recruiting efforts for 2012 take a big step today as the Bulls host more than 100 recruits on campus for Junior Day, and if the guest list is any indication, the Bulls are being considered by nearly all of the Tampa area's best talents.
Among those scheduled to attend are (UPDATED: 17 now) of the top 18 recruits for 2013 in the Tampa Bay area, from the Times' early top 25 list offered up by writer John C. Cotey two weeks ago. That includes top running back Ryan Green of St. Pete Catholic, Wharton cornerback Vernon Hargreaves III, the Armwood trio of safety Leon McQuay III, receiver Alvin Bailey and quarterback Darryl Richardson, and defensive end Jordan Sherit of Hillsborough -- listed by Cotey as the top six prospects in the area for 2013. ... Read more
USF women bounce back, beat Villanova
USF women's basketball ended a four-game losing streak and helped its chances of playing in the postseason with a 54-39 win against Villanova, sparked by 22 points from junior guard Andrell Smith.
The Bulls, now 13-13 and 5-7 in the Big East, had strong perimeter defense against the Big East's most prolific 3-point shooting team, holding the Wildcats to 5-for-25 shooting beyond the arc. USF also outrebounded Villanova 42-34, led by Tiffany Conner's 10 boards, and guards Sasha Bernard and Kaneisha Saunders stepped up with six and five assists, respectively.
USF has just four games left in the regular season, and Tuesday's game at Marquette (4-6 in Big East) is a pivotal one as the Bulls try to finish the regular season at .500 or better. The next two are almost assuredly a split, with Pitt (0-11) at home and Notre Dame (11-0) on the road, and then the Bulls finish the regular season at home against Providence (5-7). If USF were to go 3-1 in its last four, the Bulls would be assured of a winning record, even if they lost in the opening round of the Big East tournament.
About the blog
South Florida Bulls fans, you've come to the right place: the USF Sports Bulletin blog. Tampa Bay Times sportswriter Greg Auman, who covers USF, will post news and thoughts on the Bulletin, and we invite your participation in the comments area.
Follow the Times' coverage of USF athletics on Twitter.
E-mail Greg Auman:auman@tampabay.com.
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