Ray Woodie might have bigger recruiting role with USF

Ray Woodie has been Willie Taggart’s right hand man ever since Taggart hired him as an assistant coach at Western Kentucky.

The Manatee County products have formed quite a tandem with Woodie named the top recruiter in his first year at Western Kentucky and just recently cited to be among the best recruiters in the Big East Conference despite only a few months on the job at USF.

Ray Woodie top recruiter

But Taggart might need more out of Woodie following the recent resignation of Larry Scott, who left USF to become an assistant with Miami this week.

Scott had been with USF since the Jim Leavitt days and had a solid beat on the Miami area. He agreed to take the Miami position after Hurricanes assistant Mario Cristobal (the fired FIU coach) left for Alabama.

 The only holdover from the Skip Holtz era, Scott was noted for recruiting some of the top players out of the Miami area, including this year’s four star signee, defensive back Lamar Robbins.

Now Scott is gone and it might mean more work for Woodie. The Palmetto native is solid on recruiting the Manatee-Sarasota-Charlotte County corridor and Tampa Bay area and is not adverse to increasing his territory.

 

 

 

USF men's basketball has attractive Big East home schedule

Coming off its best season in school history, things won't get any easier for the USF men's basketball team in 2012-13.

The Big East Conference released its scheduled and it has the Bulls playing host to NCAA Final Four Louisville along with five other teams that made the tournament last year: Syracuse, Marquette, Georgetown, Notre Dame and Connecticut.

 Each Big East team will play 18 conference games featuring 10 opponents once and four teams twice. USF will face Louisville, Marquette, UConn and Villanova in home and away games.

The Bulls willl face a tough schedule away from the Sun Dome facing Marquette, Louisville, Cincinnati, UConn, Rutgers, St. Johns and Villanova on the road.

The Big East schedule with game dates will be announced at a later date.

Highly touted QB recommits to USF

First you do then you don’t then you. College football recruitingcan often be fickle, but suitors are never swayed by a potential rejection or change of  heart.

And so as of now heralded quarterback Asiantii Woulard from Winter Park High is committed to the USF football program for the second time in four months.

 Woulard committed back in April and then changed his mind. He announced on AM 1010 radio Friday that he has recommitted to USF giving the Bulls their first four star prospect of the 2013 class (Scout.com).

 The 6-3, 205 pounder is rated the 13^th best dual threat quarterback in the country in the Class of 2013 by Rivals.com and the 24^th best by Scout.com.  Rivals.com has him rated at three stars.

 After transferring from Freedom High last season, Woulard threw for more than 1,600 yards and rushed for another 600 plus yards while throwing 15 touchdown passes. He led the Wildcats to a 6-5 record and runner-up spot in Class 8A-District 3.

 Woulard reportedly has offers from nearly 20 major college programs including USF Big East Conference rivals Pittsburgh, Syracuse, Connecticut, Cincinnati and Connecticut and UCF, which is scheduled to join the conference for the 2013-14 school year.

 With B.J. Daniels heading into this senor season, the quarterback position could be wide open by the time the spring of 2013 rolls around.

USF will break in "new" Sun Dome against arch rival UCF

The University of South Florida men's basketball team will break in its glittering rennovated Sun Dome next season taking on I-4 Rival Central Florida.

Coming off its best season in history, the Bulls will take on UCF November 10th returning to its campus after a year of being a basketball vagabond as the Sun Dome underwent a rennovation.

"What an exciting way to open a brand new building with a future Big East opponent in UCF," said Bulls head coach Stan Heath. "This should be an exciting game that will feature great talent. We expect our fans to fill the seats and give us the energy to provide an electric memorable season opener."

Despite playing its home games in three different arenas last season, USF went 22-14 matching its school record for victories in a season and made it to the NCAA Tournament for the first time in 20 years reaching the third round. Heath was also named Big East Conference Coach of The Year.

UCF went to the NIT and finished with a 22-11 record. The Knights are slated to join the Big East Conference for the 2013-14 season. The teams will face each other a second time on January 2nd in Orlando.

Vitale praises Rudd's decision to return to USF

Victor Rudd's decision to remove his name from the 2012 NBA draft and return to USF is one of the best off seasons moves, according to ESPN college basketball super analyst Dick Vitale.

"He would not have been a first round pick and needs a lot more seasoning. He has talent, but needs to show more consistency in his game," Vitale said.

The 6-8 sophomore wing man played his first season for USF after transferring from Arizona State and was an integral part of the Bulls magical run to the NCAA tournament.

Rudd was USF's second leading scorer at 9.3 points per game and averaged 4.8 rebounds. He played his best basketball in the post season helping the Bulls reach the third round of the NCAA Tournament and the Big East Conference tournament quarterfinals averaging 14 points and 7 rebounds.

"Based on this process and the feedback that I received after putting my name in the NBA draft pool, I've decided that it's in my best interests to return to USF," Rudd said.

Vitale called it a wise decision, noting if you are not a first round pick you don't receive a guaranteed contract. But he was adamant that Rudd needs to play an entire season at high level and develop his game where he is consistently among the top players.

"Victor has to show he can play at a high level for an entire season. He showed promise during the end of the season, but he needs to do it for a longer period of time," Vitale said.

Needless to say, USF head coach Stan Heath is pleased to have Rudd back. His return means the Bulls will have four of their top five leading scorers and three of their top six rebounds for next season.

USF gets chance to make statement tonight at Syracuse

Sitting on the bubble, the USF men’s basketball team gets a chance tonight to make its best case to get an invite to the NCAA Tournament when it travels to Syracuse.

Everyone keeps talking about the RPI rankings, which the NCAA selection committee often uses to get its last teams into the field.

USF is ranked a not too good 56^th in the latest RPI standings, but the Bulls can jump a whole of teams with a victory against Syracuse (26-1, 13-1 Big East), which is the RPI’s top ranked team and #2 team in the USA Today Coaches and AP Polls.

Expecting a USF victory tonight at the Carrier Dome is granted wishful thinking. But if the Bulls can make the game competitive it would help their chances. On the flip side, a blow out loss would give their critics more ammunition.

USF (17-10, 10-4) doesn’t have what you would call a glimmering record, but part of that is due to injuries. When healthy the Bulls are 11-5 overall.

They struggled in the early part of the season because Jawanza Poland missed 11 games, freshman point guard Anthony Collins, who leads Big East freshmen in assists, missed five games and leading scorer Augustus Gilchrist missed three.

Here is a good note that could help: USF along with #1 Kentucky, #2 Syracuse and #7 North Carolina is one of just four teams that have not lost to an unranked team since December 28^th. The Bulls most impressive victory is over Seton Hall, currently 36^th in the RPI rankings.

Holtz building a troublesome football resume at USF

The second year of the Skip Holtz era ended with one of the worst seasons in the history of the program following the Bulls gut-wrenching 30-27 loss to West Virginia Thursday night.

Perhaps more disturbing is how the defense collapsed on the late stages of four heartbreaking losses.

Cincinnati, Miami and West Virginia scored on their final possessions to come from behind to beat the Bulls. Rutgers scored on its next to last possession of regulation to tie the game and then defeated USF in overtime.

The combined stats from those four drives are most troubling. USF opponents completed 20 of 26 passes for 244 yards without an interception on those drives.

The final game typified this season with USF unable to stop West Virginia on its game winning drive. The killer came when the Mountaineers had a fourth and 10 from the USF 42 yard line with 13 seconds left and quarterback Geno Smith completed a 26 yard pass to set up the game wining 28 yard field goal as time expired.

Miami’s Jacory Harris completed seven straight passes without an incompletion on the Hurricanes final drive. Rutgers had five straight completions and then after two misfires quarterback Chas Dodd threw a 34-yard TD strike with 1:08 left that eventually sent the game into overtime.

Cincinnati’s Zach Collaros completed four of his first five passes in the Bearcats winning drive, including a 21 yarder that gave his team a first down at the USF six that led to his two-yard TD run.

Holtz now owns an indistinguishable list of non-accomplishments and failures.
The loss ends the Bulls string of going to six straight bowl games, gives the program (5-7) its first losing season since 2004 and only third since the program first started playing in 1997.

The 1-6 Big East Conference record is the program’s worst since joining the league in 2004 surpassing the previous worst in ’08 when the Bulls had a 2-5 league record. Its worst record in Conference USA was 3-5 in ’04.

As pointed out earlier this week, this is all from a man who is the reported third highest paid coach in the Big East Conference at $1.7 million per season.

USF's Sterling Griffin lost for the year; Bulls hope A.J. Love can step in

Just when you thought things couldn't get any worse for the USF football team they just did.

Receiver Sterling Griffin, the one shining light for an inconsistent offense, will miss the rest of the season after fracturing his right ankle in Saturday's game against Cincinnati.

Unfortunately, it is the same ankle that caused Griffin to miss all of last season when he dislocated it and fractured the bottom of his fibula.

The sophomore was the Bulls leading receiver and favorite target for quarterback B.J. Daniels showing a knack for getting open and holding onto everything thrown his way. He leads the Bulls with 40 catches for 493 yards.

The Bulls are hoping sixth year senior A.J. Love can return to full health and help out. The Southeast High product missed all of last season with a torn ACL and has seen limited action since injuring his ankle against Pittsburgh.

The one bright spot is the emergence of some new receivers in the Bulls lost to Cincinnati. Redshirt freshman Deonte Welch had a career game with five catches for a team leading 130 yards and showed great promise.

Andre Davis also shined catching four passes for 60 yards, including a 10 yard TD pass with a defender draped all over him and 1:27 left in the game that gave USF a temporary lead.

USF head coach Skip Holtz said reserve cornerback Ricardo Dixon tore his ACL against Cincinnati and is lost for the season.

All the injuries happened in the same end zone where Cincinnati scored the game winning touchdown with 12 seconds left.

Ryne Giddins ready to make his move at USF

TAMPA- When Ryne Giddins signed with USF out of high school in 2009 it was considered a coup for the Bulls football program.

A first team USA Today All-American and Rivals.Com’s Florida defensive player of the year, he became the most ballyhooed and decorated recruit to join the program.

Then head coach Jim Leavitt was been hailed as recruiting guru for landing the Seffner Armwood High product. Giddins was the type of kid who normally went to Florida or FSU.

He was a big, strong defensive end who had great speed and could jettison an already strong defense to another height.

Fast forward to 2011. Everyone is still waiting for the now redshirt sophomore. He hasn’t been bad, but he also hasn’t lived up to expectations, though perhaps all the hype was a bit unfair.

Giddins freshman year ended after three games because of an injury. Last year he started two games on a veteran defensive line and had what you might call modest numbers with 3.5 sacks.

With three starters gone from the defensive line, this was supposed to be the year the “real” Giddins to emerge. He was called a speed rusher, who could bring back memories of former USF All-American defensive end George Selvie.

Giddins was labeled “potential superstar.”

The 6-4, 261 pounder has yet to remove the “potential” from his bio.

A lot of it might not be his fault. The Bulls defensive line had to be rebuilt and is still a work in progress. The debacle at Pittsburgh two weeks ago that resulted in 44-17 loss where the Bulls allowed 523 yards didn’t help.

“I still have a big chip on my shoulder from the game and when I watch the film I get sick to my stomach,” Giddins said. “We broke down as a team and just didn’t trust in each other. When one person missed his assignment the other said let me try and make up for that and then I miss my assignment. We had a bunch of those and missed tackles. It was a snowball effect.”

Giddins doesn’t have the numbers he wants and at least statistically has been outshone by true freshman defensive tackle Elkino Watson, who leads the Bulls with 6.5 tackles for loss.

But Giddins could never be accused of lack of effort. He believes a lot of the problems at Pittsburgh were mental and the result of young teammates not believing in themselves.

The criticism on Giddens was that had the speed to be an effective pass rusher, but lacked fluidity to get around offensive linemen. He worked hard during the off season to improve his technique and feels things will be better this weekend at Connecticut. He is also not afraid of competition and is among the first to praise Watson.

“We had a great week of practice and made some minor adjustments which will help along with trusting our teammates to do what they are supposed to do,” Giddins said. “Pitt kicked our butt, but we feel we fixed what need to be fixed. Elkino is a playmaker above everything else. He is very committed and doesn’t take anything for granted.”

USF defensive coordinator Mark Snyder agrees with Giddens that the Bulls didn’t take care of their own assignments and showed a lack of trust in each other.

He is concerned that Giddins has only one sack this season and the other starter at defensive end, Patrick Hampton, doesn’t have any. Backup defensive ends Claude Davis and Julius Forte have combined for six, but that could be more the result of being in the game at a more opportune time.

“We would like to see more production (from Giddins and Hampton),” Snyder said. “Those guys need to start coming and providing us with some pass rush. Then again, it’s hard. Pittsburgh was a little bit of an option football team.”

Giddens is ready to amp up his game and take advantage of how he improved his technique over the summer. He and his teammates will trust each other this time, he believes.

Most NFL scouting reports list Giddins as USF’s most promising pro prospect and some publications are predicting a double digit number of sacks.

So far the production hasn’t met the expectations, but no one is giving up on Giddins, especially himself.

Boise State and Big East is a marriage made in heaven

Boise State and the Big East Conference!

It's a match made in heaven. What are you waiting for. This is the perfect marriage!

Boise State's record over recent years and BCS ranking will save the Big East and allow it to hold onto its Automatic Qualifying status.

In return Boise State won't have to beat teams by 50 points and go undefeated to get into a BCS bowl and have virtually no chance for the BCS title game.

Why would either side turn this down. The Big East only needs Boise State as a football school. This is perfect unless there is something we don't know.

Are the Broncos afraid of playing West Virginia, Cincinnati, South Florida, Rutgers, Louisville and Connecticut every year. No offense to the Mountain West, but overall these are better teams than what the league has now.

Get this done. It's a no brainer. The only thing that would ruin this deal is if the BCS changed its qualification rules to be an AQ and that is unlikely. Lawsuits would be flying all over the country and those guys don't want that. They make too much money.

Even if Louisville bolts for another conference as reported there are enough BCS points among Boise State, West Virginia and Cincinnati for the Big East to remain ahead of the current non AQ conferences.

So get it done. Boise State-Big East. It's the perfect marriage!

Boise State could save Big East and USF football

It looks as if the presidents of the remaining Big East Conference football schools are improving their math skills.

The announcement today that the Big East would go after Boise State in its search for more football teams is sure to get the adrenalin going for the University of South Florida and the other five remaining football members.

Unless the BCS changes its evaluation rules, Boise State could just about guarantee the Big East would remain a BCS conference___And that's what everybody wants.

The Big East should go after Boise State with every carrot it can dangle. There are reports that Colorado based Air Force would be invited, which gives the Broncos at least one team in close proximity.

The Big East needs to make this deal and use its best selling point,which is a ticket to the BCS championship.

Boise State, the little engine that could, wants to be in a BCS conference and if the Broncos joined the Big East and the current football schools (minus Pittsburgh and Syracuse) remain this could happen.

Sources in the Big East say the conference is going hard after Boise State, Air Force and Navy along with UCF and Temple. If Louisville stays and one more is added it would give the conference 12 teams and a conference championship game, which means more money.

The Big East needs to make Boise State an offer it can't refuse and it's all there. There is the New York TV market provided by Rutgers, the Philadelphia market that Temple, which is also being considered, could bring___not to mention Florida. There is a Big East championship game.

If Louisville bolts to the Big 12 get another team; there are plenty of them around including East Carolina, undefeated Houston and up and coming SMU knocking on the door. If you get desperate there is always Villanova, already in Big East basketball juggernaut, but a woeful 1-5 FCS (I-AA) team this season.

Boise State is the key. Get the Broncos and the Big East should remain a BCS automatic qualifier. If the Broncos join the rest should be easy. Arguably the football conference will be stronger with Boise State, Air Force, Navy, Temple and UCF.

Big East officials need to be aggressive and go after what they want instead of sitting back and waiting for things to happen.

Boise State can make it happen. Heck pay their plane fare to come east and play if you have to. We are talking life or death.

What's wrong with Genshaft blocking UCF entry into Big East?

USF president Judy Genshaft has denied reports that she is spearheading a movement to block Central Florida’s entry into the Big East Conference.

Before anyone gets into whether it’s true or not a better question is whether she should be praised or maligned.

It’s no secret USF cannot get into the ACC because FSU and Miami are adamantly opposed and Florida would never push for the Bulls to become a member of the SEC.

To make matters worse, with the demise of the Big East a possibility, USF is not being talked about an addition to any other BCS conference though the ACC and SEC would seem the most logical because of the geography.

So is Genshaft just protecting her school? It seems you can make a good argument for that especially with college presidents just looking after me, me and not considering the collateral damage they are causing in the conference realignment frenzy.

Several newspapers, including New Jersey’s largest newspaper, the Newark Star-Ledger and the Boston Globe have accused Genshaft of blocking the University of Central Florida’s entry into the Big East Conference.

Genshaft called the allegations false and said she is not stopping any university from coming into the Big East. She said when a school from the same state as a current Big East member wants to join those schools are usually silent.

The Big East football membership is in trouble with recent announcements by Syracuse and Pittsburgh they are leaving the conference for the ACC. Due to contractual obligations they might not be able to leave until after the 2013 football season.

In the meantime, Big East officials are looking at inviting other schools. Navy and the Air Force Academy at the top of their list.

Those statements that are out in the press are not true. That is not the case,” Genshaft said.

“I am not stopping any university from coming in. What is happening is the league, or the conference, now is looking at schools and they have looked very much at schools that are not in any of the states that are represented by the Big East schools right now. The ones that they’re looking at right now, they do not sit in any state that the Big East schools currently are inn,” she said.

The presidents of the Big East member schools will discuss the future of the conference at a meeting this weekend, UConn President Susan Herbst said Wednesday.

"Big East presidents have been engaged in frequent communication by phone or in person," she said. "We're committed together to make the Big East work, to make it stronger in spite of the announcement that Syracuse and Pittsburgh will leave to go to the ACC.”

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USF hoping to keep BCS status as Big East goes through shakeup-

It’s hard to tell who to believe these days in regards to conference re-alignment.

It makes one wonder about a statement released by the Big East Conference Tuesday night after holding an emergency session in New York City.

In a one paragraph statement, Big East Officials said they were committed to recruiting top level teams for their conference and the remaining football members have committed to stay.

Soon after the meeting, the statement on commitments was refuted by several reports. Most notably that Connecticut did not make a commitment and is pursuing entry into the ACC.

Big East Commissioner John Marinatto said there is not an urgent timetable to add other teams because Syracuse and Pittsburgh, which announced they are going to the ACC, are contractually obligated to the Big East through the 2013 football season.

It makes you wonder if Marinatto is naive or just trying to keep the wolves off his back and save his job. Contracts are broken all the time. It's one reason the ACC recently upped its exit fee to $20 million.

It has been reported that the Big East is pursuing the services academics, mainly Navy and Air Force along with Army. The reports say the conference has the University of Central Florida and East Carolina on the next tier of teams it is thinking of inviting to its football conference.

If the BCS remains intact with all that is going on it’s uncertain if those schools would help the Big East remain a BCS football conference. Read more: