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USF Bulls seek to lock up stellar recruiting class

 
Barring any signing day zaniness, coach Willie Taggart is expected to secure a glistening 2015 class - by American Athletic Conference standards - for the second consecutive winter. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]
Barring any signing day zaniness, coach Willie Taggart is expected to secure a glistening 2015 class - by American Athletic Conference standards - for the second consecutive winter. [OCTAVIO JONES | Times]
Published Feb. 4, 2015

TAMPA — By all accounts, USF's glaring football weakness in the fall — finishing — has become an attribute in February.

Notorious for sputtering in the second half (see Maryland, Wisconsin, East Carolina), the Bulls suddenly have found a second wind. Barring any signing day zaniness, coach Willie Taggart is expected to secure a glistening 2015 class — by American Athletic Conference standards — for the second consecutive winter today.

"I think USF is doing a real heck of a job, and I think they're bringing in a lot of talent," said CBS Sports Network's Tom Lemming, a veritable pioneer of recruiting analysis.

"I know it's a little bit more difficult for USF to recruit obviously with Miami, Florida and Florida State, but I think all things being equal you give Willie a couple more years, you're going to see some great benefits out of it."

As of Tuesday afternoon, Taggart's class — which featured 20 oral commitments — was ranked first in the league by 247Sports (which operates in conjunction with CBS) and second by Rivals.com and Scout.com. A trio of three-star recruits — Jacksonville Trinity Christian CB Chris Barr, Port Charlotte WR Malik Vaccaro-Dixon and Sickles CB Nate Ferguson — committed in the past 10 days.

On Tuesday afternoon, Josh Newberg of 247Sports reported that Fort Lauderdale Stranahan DE Kirk Livingstone flipped his commitment from UConn to USF.

"I spent a few hours (at Trinity), and Barr I thought was very good," Lemming said. "Alabama was looking at him the day I was there. (Tide coach) Nick Saban and (defensive coordinator) Kirby Smart were there with me; they liked him a lot, too. So he's a real steal for them."

Some more three- or four-star larceny could occur in the 11th hour.

Armwood MLB Jordan Griffin — deciding among USF, Vanderbilt and Wisconsin — remains on the board.

Similarly, the Bulls haven't relented in their pursuit of all-time Hillsborough County rushing king Ray Ray McCloud of Sickles, who would represent one of the greatest recruiting coups in program history if Taggart and Co. somehow convinced him to renege on his Clemson commitment.

"I think that … they'll land a couple of athletes" today, said Lemming, in Tampa courting local talent only two weekends ago.

"Maybe not the big national names, but pretty good ballplayers. I do like the fact they're in on these guys earlier than everyone else. I think that's the key to why they're going to be successful."

FIRST PITCH: The softball team's post-Sara Nevins era formally begins Thursday with no cut-and-dried ace set to supplant the program's career leader in victories (101) and strikeouts (1,103).

Look for either junior lefty Erica Nunn (11-7, 2.84 ERA in '14) or senior righty Sam Greiner (3-0, 3.84) — or both — to occupy the circle Thursday against Hampton. Veteran coach Ken Eriksen suggests this year's team could feature a committee of aces.

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"I think if you understand the rules of our game, I'm starting every game with five pitchers," said Eriksen, who embarks on his 19th season at USF with 782 career victories.

"I've got a bullpen of five, and because of the rules where a starting pitcher's allowed to come back at the end of a game, we have an opportunity to start one, bring one in, bring another one in, bring another one in and bring the first one back in. So that's the creative part of what we try to do."

ODDS AND ENDS: As part of the Coaches Powering Forward for Autism campaign, men's basketball coach Orlando Antigua and his staff will wear blue ties and puzzle-piece lapel pins at tonight's game against Temple. Fans are encouraged to wear blue. … Women's hoops standout Courtney Williams, who entered Tuesday night's game against UCF with six consecutive 20-point efforts, recently was named to the Dawn Staley Award watch list. The award is presented annually to the nation's outstanding guard.

Contact Joey Knight at jknight@tampabay.com. Follow @TBTimes_Bulls.