4. College Football News Preview 2020: USF Bulls Defense 3 Things To Know
– Glenn Spencer went from being the Florida Atlantic defensive coordinator for a year – he spent years as the Oklahoma State coordinator – to being Jeff Scott’s DC. He takes over a defense that wasn’t anything special last year, but it did a nice job of taking the ball away and could’ve looked better if the offense provided any support.
Three of the top five tacklers are gone, but the pass rush should be strong again, even without main man Greg Reaves on the end.
– The linebackers did most of the heavy lifting when it came to getting behind the line, starting with leading pass rusher Dwayne Boyles, who also led the way with 12.5 tackles for loss. He’s not that big, but the 6-3, 227-pounder can move.
Antonio Greer is a 222-pound junior at the other outside spot, but he could end up moving to the middle to take over for third-leading tackler Patrick Macon if Michigan transfer Devin Gil is ready to roll outside.
– Top defensive end Greg Reaves has to be replaced, but the tackle combination of Rashawn Yates and Blake Green are veterans who should be okay with a good group behind them, helped by Stanford transfer Bo Peek.
Losing Tyrik Jones to the transfer portal is a problem for the end rotation. 6-5, 233-pound Jason Vaughn is one of the key players to the season – he’s coming off a 14-tackle season with three tackles for loss.
The pass rush has to be there to help out a promising secondary. Second-leading tacklers Devin Studstill is gone, but junior Nick Roberts is back after finishing fourth on the team with 63 tackles. The corner combination of KJ Sails and Mike Hampton is fine.