TAMPA, FLA - USF Football is ready. They're ready to compete in practice; challenge every team on their schedule; but most important, they are ready to be a team.

"This year we are going to have fun," said USF linebacker Nico Sawtelle, who missed the final seven games of last season with a neck and shoulder injury. "We won’t let a coach, not other players, no weather, no negativity to interfere with our practices. We are going to come out here every day with enthusiasm and just try to get better."

Bulls head coach Charlie Strong (17-8 in two seasons at USF) has been working on changing THE culture at USF since it’s embarrassing loss in the Gasparilla Bowl (38-20 loss to Marshall) last December. Following the game Strong put his program throguh a thorough examination that resulted in 11 player dismissals and four coaches being let go.
Strong also changed his strength and conditioning approach - leading to almost every single player adding significant weight.

Fastforward Eight months later to August 2nd and USF has pulled a 180 - positivity now guides the program.

"Any time you want to win you (have to) change how we go about everything," said Strong, who admitted in the spring that his look at the program start with himself."(Our veterans said)‘hey coach whatever we have to do, whatever we need to do, we are going to do it (in order to be successful)'."

The main reason for optismism is the new offense under Kerwin Bell. Who is breathing new life into the Bulls’ skills players.

"Sky is the limit for the offense," said running back Jordan Cronkrite, who is fully healthy after missing spring ball due to offseason surgery. "A lot of new stuff. Guys are very much into it and excited every day to see what they’ll install next and I’m just excited to see what everybody is going to do.”

Cronkrite ran for 1,121 yards last season, marking the ninth 1,000-yard season in USF program history.

As eager as everyone was on day one, the team knows the goal is to build up their ability for August 30th when Wisconsin comes to Ray Jay.

"We can’t get it all done in one day, but we just gotta slowly build each and every day where there is a standard, a level of expectation," said Strong. "And then when we compete against one another there is a level of competition and just get better."