Jim Leavitt didn't specify any names Wednesday night, but had this cryptic statement to make as he approached the halfway point of preseason preparation:

"We're really getting down to the guys we know we need to prepare. Some guys are real good athletically, but they don't understand the kind of effort we want. We're just going to wait (on them) and go with the guys that do. We just don't have any more time. Some guys, it's just going to take them a while. It doesn't mean they're not great players. It just means this isn't their time yet. Maybye they'll get it eventually. We have enough guys we feel good about that we at least have a shot."

Wasn't completely sure who Leavitt was talking about -- perhaps true freshmen Mark Popek and Damian Edwards, who Leavitt spoke often of this summer but now remain on the third team, headed toward redshirts as most freshmen do.

Another possibility? Junior college transfers David Bedford and Craig Marshall, two sophomores who were among the most anticipated incoming players this fall. The two were working with the third-team defensive ends in position drills Friday, with redshirt freshman Patrick Hampton and junior Aaron Harris -- a starting defensive tackle last season -- working as the second-team ends. Could just be a motivational thing, but USF wouldn't move Harris outside, even part-time, if he was confident with the depth out there.

"Craig Marshall's doing some real nice things," Leavitt said Wednesday. "(Marshall) is a guy we're going to really keeping going hard (with). Craig is working end and d-tackle. He's 6-5, 265, has real good feet. He's just learning the game right now, learning how to play the game. He's getting closer, but he's not there yet."

Asked if there was a greater separation between the returning players and newcomers once the Bulls took to full pads, Leavitt had this to say:

"It's tough. You've got to really have a motor. It's more than that: you can still have a motor, but you don't understand. It's a different world, where those guys come from. Totally different. David Bedford is a good example. David Bedford went to junior college. David Bedford has a lot of talent. Very talented. But it's taking him some time to really understand what level we want to play at. I've been very impressed with him. He understands, but he has a hard time mentally getting there right now. But he wasn't here for summer workouts with these guys. Same with Theo Wilson. You walk into camp with guys who trained 8-9 weeks and spring ball. We're not going to really know how good David Bedford is until he gets to where he understands how to play with effort. Then, we'll evaluate him. We don't know how good he is at this point. But he's a good guy. I've been impressed with the kind of guy he is. It's just hard."

As it stands, USF's top four defensive tackles (not counting Harris, who will work at both spots) are all true sophomores or freshmen -- Sampson Genus and Terrell McClain were on the first line Friday, and both played sparingly as true freshmen last fall, with true freshman Cory Grissom and redshirt freshman Keith McCaskill working on the second line. Very promising, but very young and inexperienced.

Leavitt spoke Wednesday of wanting to give a longer look at redshirt freshman David Fonua, who has been slowed since spring by an injured left elbow. "We need to see what this guy can do," Leavitt said. "He plays with such great effort. We haven't been able to evaluate him yet."

-- Not much from Friday morning's practice -- offensive tackle Jeremiah Warren sill has a boot on his injured right foot, but he's off crutches, a small step toward returning, likely sometime next week. ... Three guys got most of the looks on punt returns -- Marcus Edwards, Theo Wilson, Daniel Bryant. ... USF has a key intrasquad scrimmage Saturday morning, but it's off limits to the media.