USF Release: USF Welcomes Woulard & Valdes-Scantling To Football Program

[Brad]

USF ATHLETICS GoUSFBulls.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

DATE: JULY 2, 2015

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USF Welcomes Woulard & Valdes-Scantling To Football Program

Former UCLA quarterback and N.C. State receiver are latest talented transfers to join Bulls under Head Coach Willie Taggart

TAMPA, JULY 2, 2015 – University of South Florida Head Coach Willie Taggart today announced the additions of transfer quarterback Asiantii Woulard (Winter Park) and wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (St. Petersburg) to the Bulls program.

Woulard and Valdes-Scantling are both Florida natives and will sit out the 2015 season under NCAA transfer rules. They join previously announced Wisconsin transfer safety Austin Hudson (Tampa) and Stanford transfer offensive lineman Reilly Gibbons (St. Petersburg), as talented additions alongside Taggart’s 19-member 2015 recruiting class ranked the best in the American Athletic Conference for the second-straight season.

Woulard will have two years of eligibility remaining after spending two seasons at UCLA, one a redshirt season. Valdes-Scantling will also have two years of eligibility remaining after playing two seasons at N.C. State.

Woulard is enrolled in summer session classes at USF and will join Hudson, Gibbons, the incoming 2015 recruiting class and the rest of the 2015 team in workouts this month prior to the opening of preseason camp on Aug. 6. Scantling is expected to enroll for the fall semester and join the team at the beginning of preseason camp.

Taggart continues to add to an impressive list of talented transfers that the Bulls established strong relationships with before they signed with other Division I programs. Among the players that have returned to Florida and the Bay Area to join the Bulls under the third-year coach are Gibbons (Stanford), Hudson (Wisconsin), Valdes-Scantling (N.C. State) and Woulard (UCLA) who join current Bulls Rodney Adams (Toledo), Jamie Byrd (TCU/Iowa), A.J. Legree (Kentucky) and Austin Aikens (Western Kentucky) as well as Georgia native Steven Bench (Penn State) to give USF nine such players on the 2015 team.

“Nearly all of the transfers we’ve asked to join our program are guys we knew very well,” Taggart said. “We built very strong relationships with them and their families during their high school recruiting process and are confident how they will benefit our program.”

The 6-3, 210-pound Woulard was a four-star recruit who was named the nation’s No. 1 rated dual-threat quarterback by ESPN.com coming out of Winter Park High School. The strong-armed athlete originally verbally committed to USF before electing to go to UCLA following the 2012 season.

He did not see action in two seasons, redshirting his first, while playing behind Heisman candidate Brett Hundley with the Bruins.

Woulard threw for 27 touchdowns and ran for 20 more in two seasons as a starter at Winter Park High School and was named MVP at the 2012 Elite 11 quarterback camp. He was Rivals.com’s No. 5-ranked dual-threat quarterback in the nation and the No. 23-ranked recruit overall in the state of Florida. Woulard was selected to play in the 2013 U.S. Army All-American Bowl all-star game and was Scout.com’s No. 2-ranked prospect at quarterback in Florida.

He passed for 1,400 yards and 13 touchdowns and ran for 11 touchdowns as a senior (2013) at Winter Park. As a junior, Woulard passed for 1,334 yards with 14 touchdowns and ran for 600 yards and nine touchdowns. He had offers from UCLA, N.C. State, Cincinnati, Ole Miss, UCF, Syracuse, Pittsburgh and USF among many coming out of high school.

The 6-3, 208-pound Valdes-Scantling played at Lakewood High School where he posted 50 receptions for 800 yards and 14 touchdowns as a senior and 28 receptions for 600 yards and six touchdowns as a junior. He went on to log 44 receptions for 538 yards in his two seasons with the Wolfpack.

He caught 22 passes for 257 yards and one touchdown for the N.C. State in 2014 while starting the first eight games of the season. He was one of six N.C. State receivers to post 20 or more receptions on the year. Valdes-Scantling posted three catches for 33 yards in N.C. State’s victory over USF in Raymond James Stadium and followed that game with a season-best four catches for 55 yards and a touchdown in a win over Presbyterian, one of two games in which he led the team in receiving. He posted at least one reception in nine games for the Wolfpack, and two or more in seven games. He had one catch for 13 yards in N.C. State’s 34-27 victory over UCF in the Bitcoin-St. Petersburg Bowl.

In 2013, Valdes-Scantling was one of four true freshmen to start a game for the Wolfpack and at one point led the team in receiving early in the year before missing a pair of games with injury. He started three games on the year, logged 22 receptions for 281 yards and posted a reception in seven games. Valdes-Scantling led the team with a season-best, eight receptions for 87 yards in the Wolfpack’s victory over Richmond and had four catches for 87 yards in his collegiate debut vs. Louisiana Tech.

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 -

[smazza]

they will not play for coach t

[Joe]

There is Tags 4th year after we go 4-8 this year.

[NewEnglandBull]

Who cares who they plays for, the future just got a lot brighter.

[JupiterBull]

Wonder why Valdes decided to come home.  I was on the fence with him, after reading some disrespectful texts during his OV...but Taggart can't have an ego issue with that, as he needs any talent upgrade he can get.

 

I think he is fluid, and experienced, and should be a good add to the 2016 team.

[raptorcj]

All sounds great on paper, and I like the fact that the talent is choosing USF when they return. It could mean more than one thing, of course, but I'd like to think they see some potential to make a winner here.

[Brad]

@MVS__1: Thankful for all my opportunities I had. But continuing my education and athletic career as a Bull at the University of South Florida #AllIN

[Rocky Style]

I love some good news. Being excited about the future is pretty fun.

[Brad]

@Asiantii2_: Too excited... Retiring #2, gonna be wearing #4 from now on!

[Leviathan]

USF retired #2 after the 2007 season