Love on target to play for USF next season

A.J. Love did not play in USF’s spring game and won’t be participating in any contact drills until fall practice, but Bulls head coach Skip Holtz said the wide receiver has fully recovered from his ACL surgery.

Holtz said the big thing now is for the receiver is to get his confidence back following nine months of rehabilitation after his surgery. The coach believes the Southeast High product, who will be going into his sixth year at USF, will be ready in the fall.

“It doesn’t do us any good to turn (to him) and say go. I am not trying to put him out there on leg,” Holtz said. “It’s a matter of that he has to get there mentally. He is there physically. He is pretty much cleared to say his knee is stable, and strength and stability are good. It is not an injury deal. Anytime you have to overcome an ACL it’s a mental thing.”

Bulls offensive coordinator Todd Fitch echoed similar thoughts and thinks this could be a special season for Love.

“A.J. is going pretty good. It’s the full speed and tackling that they are leery of right now,” Fitch said. “He has been in practice doing everything except contact tackling. He is a guy we certainly want to have. He is a senior who has played a lot of football. We lost him last season obviously and he has good physical presence with his body type so if he is back healthy and ready to go I would certainly think it would be a big help.

“A guy who is coming back from an injury like that generally speaking they can have a special year because it means so much to them and we are hoping that is what is going to happen with him.”