USF Announces Staff Additions, Roster & Depth Chart

By on July 28, 2015

 

 

TAMPA, FLA. — As the opening of preseason fall camp approaches on Thursday, Aug. 6, the USF Football program announced additions to the 2015 coaching staff and released its 2015 roster and depth chart going into the fall.

 

The Bulls will welcome former NFL and USF All-Big East linebacker Stephen Nicholas back to Fowler Avenue. Nicholas will join the Bulls’ coaching staff as a football analyst for the defense after completing a seven-year NFL career as a linebacker for the Atlanta Falcons.

USF Athletics photo

USF Athletics photo

Nicholas played in 101 career games for the Falcons and logged 378 career tackles, posting 70 or more in three seasons. He ranks fourth on the USF career tackles chart with 326 stops posted between 2002-06 and finished his career with then USF records of 20 sacks and 53.5 tackles for loss (he currently ranks second in both categories). He played in two bowl games during his career, including USF’s first in the 2005 Meineke Car Care Bowl.

 

Also joining the Bulls coaching staff will be Jared Clark who will serve as a football analyst for the offense. A 2004 Notre Dame graduate who earned three letters at quarterback and tight end for the Irish, Clark most recently served as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks and receivers coach at his alma mater Cardinal Mooney High School (2005-14) in Sarasota where he installed the spread offense.

 

While a player at Cardinal Mooney, Clark was a dual-threat quarterback that earned first-team all-state honors after accounting for 2,113 yards and 27 touchdowns in 1999.  He set school records for total offense yards in season and career.

 

USF also added special teams coaching duties to Assistant Head Coach/Linebackers Coach Raymond Woodie’s assignments and elevated Joe Kinnan’s role as senior offensive consultant to a full-time staff position.

 

The Bulls’ roster entering fall camp contains 107 players, 105 of which will report for fall camp. Of the 107 players on the roster, 95 are from Florida and 41 are from the Bay Area. The Bulls have 47 freshmen on the roster, including 28 true freshmen and 19 redshirt freshmen. More than 60 percent of the Bulls’ roster (68 players) is made up of underclassmen. USF will be led by 18 seniors in 2015, including six players that have already earned their USF degree. Among the graduates is All-American Athletic Conference punter Mattias Ciabatti, who graduated with a 3.5 grade-point average in civil engineering, quarterback Steven Bench, linebacker C.J. Garye, fullback Corian Hamilton, linebacker Zack Bullock and offensive linemen Thor Jozwiak and Brynjar Gudmundsson.

 

Head Coach Willie Taggart, entering his third season, and Bulls Marlon Mack, Sean Price, Jamie Byrd and Ciabatti will head to American Conference Media Days next Monday, Aug. 3 in Newport, R.I. The Bulls open fall camp on Thursday, Aug. 6 at the Morsani Practice Complex.

 

USF returns 13 starters (5 offense, 7 defense and 1 specialist) for Taggart’s third season at the helm. The Bulls will return their top five tacklers (9 the top 12 overall) and players that accounted for 73 percent of the team’s tackles in 2014. USF returns 100 percent of its rushing yardage from 2014, including 1,000-yard rusher Marlon Mack, and 50 percent of its receptions and receiving yards.

 

The USF Football program completed its 18th season and 15th at the FBS level. The Bulls have made six bowl appearances, including every season between 2005-10, and have four bowl game victories. USF has produced 14 All-America selections, 23 NFL Draft picks and reached the No. 2 ranking in the Associated Press Poll in 2007.

Follow  @USFFootball on twitter for all the latest information concerning the USF Football program.

– #GoBulls –

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