Football New USF DBs Coach Ellis Bringing 'Unbelievable' Energy in 'Dream' Job

[Triple B]

 

TAMPA, AUG. 12, 2019 – Focused, funny and full of juice, Steve Ellis is bringing it all to the field in his first fall camp run with the Bulls as the program's new defensive backs coach.

"He comes to practice every day with unbelievable energy," said sophomore defensive back Bentlee Sanders. "That man doesn't stop talking, but it's all positive, it's all uplifting. It just makes us go after it every day."

USF's secondary definitely got it during the first scrimmage of the fall Saturday, hauling in five interceptions and hearing Ellis' loud voice of approval as he jumped with excitement.

One day later, Ellis was singing and dancing with his group to get them feeling good following the intense scrimmage action.
 

By Monday morning, USF's secondary was swarming once again, especially after Zion Roland (St. Petersburg, Fla.) picked off a pass that caused Ellis to yell his name from across the field. That was before Ellis really amped things up by running up to the defensive line and encouraging each player right before a snap against the offense.

A few stops later, Ellis made sure other defensive players on the sideline were hyped up by barking and later shouting, "Throw 'em up!" as he raised his left arm with the "Horns Up" hand symbol.

"You never know, he just surprises you," Sanders added.

All-out enthusiasm is something Bulls fans will be seeing all season from a coach whose wish has truly been granted. After doing a little bit of everything in 10 seasons at Middle Tennessee State (CB coach, 2009-18/defensive coordinator, 2011-14/recruiting coordinator, 2015-18), Ellis was given an unbelievable opportunity when he joined the USF staff in February.

"I always had a dream to work for Charlie Strong," Ellis said. "… I've got to pinch myself every day. Now, it's my job to come to work every day, so he can say, 'I'm glad I hired Steve Ellis.'"

Coach Strong has sung Ellis' praises already this fall and it's not surprising. On top of their strong scrimmage showing Saturday, USF's defensive backs have been consistently producing all camp as a collective unit.

"The guys are making plays. They're playing instinctively," Ellis said. "The biggest thing for those guys is to play with a mentality and brotherhood that they're showing right now."

The secondary's strong, supportive bond is apparent off the field as well, which is exactly what Ellis wants to see.

"We spend more time together," said junior cornerback Mike Hampton (Tampa). "On the weekends, we'll go bowling and to movies."
 

 

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[El_Toro_86]

Sounds like Ellis is a real upgrade over Blue.  Doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that will be fighting with his players on the sideline.

Looks like Zion Roland is now a DB.  Interesting....

[E.T.]

12 minutes ago, El_Toro_86 said:

...

Looks like Zion Roland is now a DB.  Interesting....

Surprising 

[Bulls On Parade]

Really can't wait to see how this defense looks like. 

I think our offense is the real deal...and playing vs an offense like ours can only help make the defense better. 

 

[El_Toro_86]

5 minutes ago, E.T. said:

Surprising 

I’m guessing he’s not what Bell is looking for in a wideout

[E.T.]

Don't know in this specific, but Bell NEEDS precise routes run!

Height means nothing to him.

[206BULL]

Well, I guess I'm out in the Season prediction contest. That's what I get for trying to be cute and picking a long shot WR...

[JTrue]

3 hours ago, El_Toro_86 said:

Looks like Zion Roland is now a DB.  Interesting....

I'd like to know if he's going to be playing baseball in the Spring.

[Calibull]

3 hours ago, El_Toro_86 said:

Sounds like Ellis is a real upgrade over Blue.  Doesn’t seem like the kind of guy that will be fighting with his players on the sideline.

Looks like Zion Roland is now a DB.  Interesting....

I had completely forgotten about that.  Definitely one of the lower points last season... but there were many.

He played some DB in high school.  He seems to have caught on, he had a int.  I was surprised too though, but it makes sense.  Kid is an tremendous athlete. 

[IBulleve]

I’ll go on record saying I’m a huge fan of moving Zion to DB. Even going back to his HS days, Zion was never a polished route runner. He won with his size and athletic ability. 

That lends itself great to the defensive side of the ball where you can learn your assignments relatively quickly and let that athletic ability play up.