If there was something glaringly missing from USF's first eight oral commitments for 2011, it was size, as none of the future Bulls weighed in at more than 205 pounds. That changed Friday as David "Boo" Simon, a 6-foot-4, 285-pound offensive tackle from Bay Minette, Ala., committed to the Bulls during a campus visit, his father confirmed Friday night.

Simon had 12 scholarship offers, as impressive academically as they are from a football standpoint, with Stanford and Vanderbilt among his top suitors, along with Maryland and Mississippi State. He's rated as a  three-star recruit by both Scout.com and Rivals.com, with the latter ranking him as the nation's No. 63 offensive tackle. He's a rare out-of-state recruit for the Bulls, but Bay Minette is only about an hour northwest of Pensacola, so he won't be too far from home.

"Coach Holtz has stolen one," said David Wofford, Simon's coach at Baldwin County High School. "He has been a wonderful player for us, and has anchored our line -- this will be his third season starting. He's very intelligent, ranked No. 3 in a class of nearly 300. He'll definitely help their APR as well. He's going to be a great ambassador for the University of South Florida. They've landed a whale."

With three seniors and two juniors likely to be starting on the offensive line, it's a priority position in USF's recruiting efforts, and Simon is the first lineman in this year's class. July has been a busy recruiting month for the Bulls, who open preseason camp on Wednesday in preparation for Skip Holtz's first season.

Wofford said Simon's intelligence stands out, but his athleticism is strong as well. He runs fast enough to play tight end, he said, but they've used him as a right tackle, as they're a strong right-side running offense. Baldwin County's top running back last year, Charleston Gandy, took a scholarship to Alabama State -- running behind Simon, he rushed for 327 yards and six touchdowns in one game.

"He runs extremely well, but I don't think he's scratched the surface of what he can be," Wofford said. "Coach Holtz did a good job, because he didn't go down there to commit. He had very hard looks from SEC schools -- Auburn and Alabama were strong possibilities."