USF’s roster replenishment not likely to end Wednesday

Now that the NCAA has instituted an early signing period for football, one of recruiting's most anticipated days — the first Wednesday in February — is one of its most anticlimactic.

Case in point: USF. The Bulls did their heavy lifting in December, signing 19 players including four early enrollees. Just how many more they sign on Wednesday — the conventional national signing day — is unclear.

Schools are permitted to sign a maximum 25 players annually, but even that number can be a tad misleading. We anticipate USF potentially adding a couple more names to its Class of 2019; most of the coaches' recruiting efforts in recent weeks have been focused on 2020.

The most intriguing name still on the Bulls' board is Dublin (Ga.) DE Steven Linton, a lanky (6-foot-5, 215 pounds) three-star edge rusher. Considering his frame and senior-year totals (67 tackles, nine sacks) Linton appears to possess significant physical upside.

He tweeted recently he has narrowed his list of schools to Missouri, Syracuse, Arizona State and the Bulls. He visited Tampa on Dec. 7, and Bulls coaches visited Dublin last week.

Another possibility is St. Augustine Menendez ATH Kenny Logan, a three-star recruit (6-1, 183) who projects as a defensive back. Logan (56 tackles, two interceptions in '18) was set to visit Kansas this past weekend. He has tweeted that he'll sign at 10 a.m. Wednesday.

While the February signees are worth monitoring, the Bulls' upcoming rosters could be impacted far more significantly by the transfer market, where the Bulls have done well in the Charlie Strong era (see QB Blake Barnett, RB Jordan Cronkrite, WR Eddie McDoom, TE Jacob Mathis).

Look for that trend to continue in upcoming months, especially since the Bulls have scholarship space following the pre-Gasparilla Bowl departures of several players.