By TOM ZEBOLD
USF Senior Writer
TAMPA, MARCH 8, 2017 – Under new head coach Charlie Strong, USF wants to make sure it takes care of business on the defensive side of the ball and business has been brisk so far this spring.
Day 2 of spring practice at the Morsani Complex saw USF's veteran defense make game-changing plays during 7-on-7 drills. Senior strong safety Devin Abraham (Tarpon Springs) got things rolling with a pick-6 before senior cornerback Deatrick Nichols got in front of a receiver on a slant pattern for an easy interception.
Abraham and Nichols are two of nine returning starters on defense from last year's 11-2 team and they're part of a secondary that's combined for 99 total starts. As a whole, USF's defense returns seven of its top nine tacklers from last season, six players that accounted for 11 of the Bull's 15 interceptions, and 23 lettermen.
All of that is music to the ears of new coordinator Brian Jean-Mary, an 18-year coaching veteran.
“I think it's unbelievable,” Jean-Mary said. “Usually when you come in and it's a new coaching staff, that's one of the things you don't have. I always look at it like there's no substitute for playing experience.”
Another thing the USF defense will have plenty of in 2017 is passion, which stems from the new Bull in charge. Strong, a defensive mastermind, has given the defensive group a jolt of enthusiasm since appointing Jean-Mary as coordinator. Strong has had Jean-Mary on his staff the past seven seasons at Texas and Louisville, which led the nation in total defense during the 2013 season.
“He has very high energy and he tries to push us with emphasis,” said senior safety Tajee Fullwood (Tampa).
Similar to Tom Allen two years ago, USF's new defensive coordinator makes players want to run through a wall by sprinting up the sideline with a tireless pump-you-up approach to the game.
As a linebacker coach, Jean-Mary's intense style helped Texas' defense rank in the top 25 nationally in 2014 after he coached two conference title teams at Louisville.
“He's very passionate,” said senior tackle Bruce Hector (Tampa). “He makes sure we get everything right down to the T.”
'Aggressive' Bulls Will Be Multiple on Defense
Bulls fans should expect to see more movement and blitzes from a swarming USF defense that will attack opponents in a number of ways.
“We always want to be aggressive, that's not going to change,” Jean-Mary said.
Jean-Mary will continue to accentuate USF's strong secondary utilizing a 4-2-5 scheme, along with 3-3-5 looks and a free safety primarily guarding against the deep ball. That will give cornerbacks a chance to play tighter coverage and move some Bulls closer to the line, including the strong safety.
“It's going to be a defense that fits their personality and fits what they do best,” Jean-Mary said. “When people ask me (what our scheme is), we're going to be multiple.”
S.J. Green Attends Practice
USF is continuing its tradition of keeping former players involved with the program and S.J. Green is the latest example.
Green, who played receiver for USF from 2003-05, was impressed with what he saw from the Bulls at practice Wednesday.
“The vibe that I get is it's a positive environment to learn and grow here,” he said. 'I'm excited about what the future has to hold.”
Green is happy to be around the Bulls up to four days a week this offseason. The veteran Canadian Football League standout and Wesley Chapel resident has made campus his home base in preparation for his 11th season with the Montreal Alouettes.
“This is how I got my opportunity, so this is where I like to come back and put my work in,” he said. “I train here in the offseason. I've been doing it for last two years consistently.”
Now healthy from knee surgery, Green said it's been nice to be embraced by Strong's staff and he's had a great time getting to know USF's players.
“It's cool to be in the weight room and see the young guys,” he said. “We talk and I just give encouraging words to them.”
Notables
- Another key returner on defense is linebacker Auggie Sanchez, who is steadily progressing from labrum surgery and will sit out this spring. The senior from St. Petersburg ranks second nationally among returners with 303 career tackles and he's 64 more stops away from matching the program record set by Kawika Mitchell.
- Sophomore Malik Dixon (Port Charlotte, Fla.) is using the spring to make the transition from safety to linebacker after missing most of last season with a shoulder injury. “He was a kid we challenged to start putting some weight on, as his shoulder started getting healthy,” Jean-Mary said. “He's done everything we've asked him to do. Obviously, he's a very athletic kid that we wanted to find a role for, where we can get him on the field."
- Another Bull steadily gaining weight is redshirt freshman Mi'Cario Stanley (Cape Coral, Fla.), who has moved from linebacker to the defensive line. Standing at 6-2, Stanley has put on more than 25 pounds this offseason to get up to 274. "Body-type-wise, we knew he would eventually be a defensive lineman, so we went ahead and made that move,” Jean-Mary said. “It's his first time actually playing with his hand in the dirt because he was recruited here as a linebacker. But we think from the first two days, he's going to have a chance and we're going to be patient with him.”
USF finished the 2016 season with a school record 11 wins following the program's fifth-ever bowl victory in the Birmingham Bowl. The Bulls' 11-2 record marked the fifth-best winning percentage in FBS football in 2016 and one of just 11 teams to reach 11 wins. USF set nearly 40 team and individual records in 2016, including team records for total yards (6,650), rushing yards (3,714), touchdowns (77) and scoring (569). Junior quarterback Quinton Flowers was named the American Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led a school-record 10 players named to the all-conference team, six of which, including Flowers, will return in 2017.
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