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Despite New Guidelines, Bulls Build On Success
By BRETT McMURPHY, The Tampa Tribune
Published: February 7, 2008
TAMPA - Toward the end of University of South Florida coach Jim Leavitt's National Signing Day news conference Wednesday, he remarked on all the factors contributing to this year's recruiting class, which ranked anywhere from third to sixth in the Big East.
Leavitt also said that because of last year's 9-4 season, including reaching No. 2 in the polls, things will be different in the future on Fowler Avenue.
"The University of South Florida will never be the same after this year," Leavitt said. "It's going to get looked at a lot differently than before."
While Leavitt was referring to USF's on-field success, including upsets of nationally ranked Auburn and West Virginia, the school also will be seen differently by recruits and their parents. That's because this year, USF implemented an academic committee that must approve a recruit's academic standing before he can sign, to ensure the future Bulls are just as strong in the classroom as on the field.
Leavitt declined to comment on the new committee until next week, but CSTV national recruiting analyst Tom Lemming said this put the Bulls in pretty lofty academic company.
"Stanford has had to do it for years," Lemming said.
Even with the new academic guidelines, Lemming still ranked USF's 21-player class third-best in the Big East. USF's class was ranked fourth in the conference by Scout.com and sixth by Rivals.com.
"We got some guys that don't have maybe a million stars by their name, but I think that can play and can help us win a bunch of games," Leavitt said. "We got some other guys that have a few more stars by their names, they might be real good, they might ... you don't know."
Perhaps the biggest star was Tallahassee Lincoln quarterback B.J. Daniels, who chose the Bulls over Memphis. Daniels also has been promised he can play basketball at USF and is only the second football recruit - along with Hawthorne's Cornelius Ingram, who signed with Florida in 2004 - that Leavitt has offered the opportunity to play both sports.
"B.J. Daniels is a top guy we've been after from the beginning," Leavitt said. "He's a No. 2 guard - does that sound right? - I don't know anything about basketball, but he dribbles well, shoots well. I figure USF basketball coach Stan Heath can figure that out, but I do know one thing, he plays quarterback and we're excited about it."
Daniels, ranked the state's 29th-best recruit by the Orlando Sentinel, threw for 2,500 yards, rushed for 972 and accounted for 46 TDs.
"He was the No. 1 quarterback we went after," Leavitt said. "He fits our style of offense. He does what we do. It makes sense."
Other highly rated recruits USF signed included Independence (Kan.) C.C. defensive end David Bedford, Buford (Ga.) running back Demetris Murray and Miami Northwestern linebacker Quavon Taylor.
"We've never been with some of the top players in America down to their final two choices, so to me, we're definitely making some inroads," Leavitt said. "We're not there yet, but we're getting close, we're really getting close. We're making it more interesting."
USF picked up a couple of surprises in landing Miami Archbishop Carroll cornerback
George Baker, who had verbally committed to Auburn; and Belle Glade Glades Central two-way lineman Jatavious Jackson, who signed with Florida State last year but never enrolled.
USF also was among the finalists for Hialeah American defensive lineman Cory Liuget and Miami Northwestern receiver Tommy Streeter, but they signed with Illinois and Miami, respectively.
Among the Bulls' signings were six Tampa Bay area recruits, including Plant City offensive lineman Mark Popek and Wharton tight end Andreas Shields.
"You really don't know how good a recruiting class is until maybe a year, or two years, from now," Leavitt said. "But we got a number of guys that I think are outstanding players and have a chance to help us.
"It shows that we're at least building a pretty good foundation. We're building a program that's being respected. We're showing we can compete with a lot of people."
Pearl River (Miss.) C.C. coach Tim Hatten said Wednesday receiver Theo Wilson would sign with the Bulls, but USF did not announce his signing.
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USF SIGNINGS
Name Pos. Ht./Wt. School Comment
George Baker DB 5-11/168 Miami Archbishop Carroll Chose USF over Auburn, UM, Rutgers
David Bedford DE 6-5/2405 Independence (Kan.) CC Rivals.com's fifth-best JuCo DE
Maikon Bonani K 5-9/170 Lake Wales Career-long 55 FG, first-team all-state
Justin Brockhaus-Kann P 6-3/235 Winter Springs Dad was college teammate of Jim Leavitt
Daniel Bryant WR 6-2/185 Tallahassee Chiles Had 28 receptions for 500 yards, four TDs
B.J. Daniels QB 6-1/195 Tallahassee Lincoln Tallahassee Democrat's Offensive Player of Year
Donnel Engram DE 6-2/255 Tarpon Springs Had 12 sacks, 78 tackles and forced six fumbles as senior
Danous Estenar OL/DL 6-3/305 Palm Beach Central Third-team all-state, three-year starter
Josh Garvin OL 6-4/276 Lakeland Lake Gibson Chose USF over Baylor, North Carolina
Cory Grissom DT 6-2/275 LaGrange (Ga.) Troup County Had 13 sacks, forced five fumbles as senior
Jeff Hawkins TE 6-4/232 Ocala Vanguard Ranked among nation's top 50 TEs by Scout.com and ESPN.com
Jatavious Jackson OL 6-4/275 Belle Glade Glades Central Three-time all-state selction
Mike Lanaris LB 6-0/217 Lake Mary Had 223 tackles as a senior
Evan Landi QB/DB 6-3/193 Coral Springs Charter Chose USF over Wisconsin, South Carolina
John Lejiste CB 6-0/176 Delray Beach Atlantic Could be used at either cornerback or safety
Craig Marshall DE 6-5/260 Pearl River (Miss.) CC Will have three years eligibility at USF
Demetris Murray RB 5-10/207 Buford (Ga.) Georgia 2A state player of year, averaged 7.6 ypc
Mark Popek OT 6-7/310 Plant City Rated nation's 83rd-best OT by Scout.com
Armando Sanchez LB 5-11/215 St. Petersburg Northeast Ranked the nation's 57th-best weakside LB by Scout.com
Andreas Shields TE 6-6/200 Wharton One of two Hillsborough County products to sign
Quavon Taylor LB/S 6-0/190 Miami Northwestern Rated state's 78th-best player by Orlando Sentinel
x-Kion Wilson LB 6-2/235 Pearl River (Miss.) CC Expected to replace Ben Moffitt at LB
y-Theo Wilson DB/WR 6-0/200 Dunedin/Pearl River (Miss.) CC Can play WR, DB or RB
x-enrolled in January
y-verbally committed, USF has not announced signing
Reporter Brett McMurphy can be reached at (813) 259-7928 or bmcmurphy@tampatrib.com
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Despite New Guidelines, USF Bulls Build On Success
