Willie Taggart, USF tout haul on signing day

The University of South Florida's recruiting efforts were good enough for second in the American Athletic Conference, according to 247 Sports.

But to coach Willie Taggart, his latest recruiting haul is top notch.

Taggart received National Letters of Intent from 15 student-athletes Wednesday as he welcomed a new crop of Bulls on National Signing Day.

They joined three 2016 signees who enrolled at USF in January and are currently on campus participating in the team’s winter conditioning program. Two members of the 2016 class originally signed with the Bulls in February of 2015.

Taggart’s fourth USF recruiting class was once again rated among the best in The American. As of 5:00 p.m. Wednesday 247Sports and had the USF class ranked No. 2 in The American, giving the Bulls three-straight classes rated No. 1 or No. 2 in the conference. The Bulls class was ranked No. 61 nationally by 247Sports, ahead of eight “Power 5” conference programs and with more four-star rated players than 24 “Power 5” programs. Thirteen Bulls earned a three-star rating.

Wide receiver Darnell Salomon (Miami), one of the five Bulls recruits rated four-star by at least one recruiting service, was ranked in the ESPN 300 as the No. 28 player at his position nationally. Defensive end Tramal Ivy (Muskogee, Okla.), also an ESPN four-star, was ranked in the ESPN JC50 as the No. 4 junior college defensive end in the nation.

The Bulls welcomed five players to the roster that hail from the Bay Area, bringing Taggart’s total of Bay Area recruits to 22 in the last three seasons. The Bulls added 15 players from the state of Florida as well as players from Alabama (1), Oklahoma (1) and Mississippi (1).

USF added nine players on the defensive side of the ball and nine on offense to its roster.

"(We got) some really talented kids that can come in and help this football team," Taggart said. "We're really excited."

Class of 2016 signee roster