USF football success vs. talent on the team

[ScherdinNine18]

Coaches...we have had a lot of good players.  Just look at some of the NFL/CFL rosters as a small gauge.  Remember when Bowden said they were better than we thought...the players always seemed to step up in those big games.  And I also think that the coaches could have done better with the recruiting too as we were up and coming.  

 

I just think the program got comlacent with our success and conservative after. 

[WoolyBully]

...I just think the program got complacent with our success and conservative after. 

 

Which is an interesting - and probably kind - observation, given that we have a historical winning percentage of 59%;

with an overall 50% ratio when in CUSA and an overall 55% when in the BE.

 

We had, in CUSA,  a 50% in-conference winning percentage but only a 39% in-conference winning percentage in the Big East.

 

Unless you measure success as being one of seventy, out of around ~120 or so,  schools selected for a bowl game, no reason for

us to be complacent.        

[usfgrad84]

Not really sure where you guys think we had enough talent across the board to compete. I think a lot of people still fall in to the "because we are in Florida we should have talent" crock.

I also find it funny how you guys are saying we didn't have the coaching, but we had guys like Magee, Lane, Snyder, McCarney, Dawsey, etc that didn't get us over the hump, but as soon as they get to schools with across the board talent their units are near tops in the nation.

The first four or five years in the BE we were playing over our overall talent level. We could sustain it for a few big games a year, but once we our 1s got hurt or worn down by the wear and tear of the season there was little experienced depth behind most of the first units.

We had talent with the first units to compete, but not enough to plug in the close to the same level like the other teams were able to do.

When your #1 RB graduates and there is only freshman to replace him with or your starting QB is injured and only a freshman is available to step in or your WR corp is pieced together by moving people from other positions or taking a true freshman DB and making him your go to receiver you are not a deeply talented team and thinking you have a realistic shot to compete week in and week out to challenge teams that are legit Top ten teams is wishful thinking.

[WoolyBully]

Excellent summary and a lot of good observation. 

I think that a lot of times we let our fan-emotions take over the rational, objective assessment of where we are. It doesn't make you any less of a fan if you recognize real shortcomings for what they are. 

[Triple B]

 

 

I think that a lot of times we let our fan-emotions take over the rational, objective assessment of where we are. 

 

[Bulls1181]

Not enough great players at the skilled positions.

No true pro style QBs... only great athletes

Andre Hall might be our only true NFL type RB and he was not good enough to stay in the NFL

Not 1 great WR

Not 1 great TE

 

Its very hard to compete without having great players at these positions

[Who'sYourData?]

Some of you are truly delusional.  We were ranked #2 very early in a season at which point we had only played one real game.  Anyone that believes we had Top 10 or Top 20 or even Top 40 talent is seriously drinking the kool aid.

 

What we have had for years is enough players to put together a starting 22 that could compete against top teams on a good way with a few breaks.  The team has NEVER had the kind of depth that Alabama, Florida, etc have.  Their third string players could beat our first team players.  

 

Leavitt managed to get some early season wins which created false hope and false expectations.  By the end of each season, we were where we were supposed to be.  You can fool people one game, not 12.  In the end, you are what your record says you are.  

 

The reality is that Leavitt always took a high risk/high reward strategy towards recruiting.  We took troubled kids, kids with grade issues, kids that weren't quite big enough, and kids that played one position in high school that we moved to another position.  Enough of those risks paid off that we had a reasonable starting unit.  But the depth wasn't there because there were too many misses.

 

We perhaps slightly overachieved with Leavitt, and underachieved with Holtz.  Hopefully CWT can get us to overachieve on the field, and push up the recruiting to a level where we can actually have depth once in a while.

[DELdaBull]

USF has never had depth on football teams. If there is a major drop between your 1st team and 2nd team you are in trouble.

[Rizman]

Depth has been our problem, and it will take a long time to resolve and lots of money flowing into the program.   Starting to slowly happen.

[dabull80]

I agree that depth has been an issue at USF but Asst Coaching has also been a problem.  When Coach Leavitt was there and had e USF Wally Burman(sp ?) I would say that USF had the best defensive coaching they ever had in their whole history.  I don't know that we have ever had good/great offensive coaching.  That being said we also have never had(as someone already said) an elite QB,RB or WR/TE.  We have had some very good QBs and a couple of very good WRs but aside from Andre Hall we have not had the guys we have had to face - ie Ray Rice, Shady McCoy, Jonathan Stewart etc.  The BE had a lot of very good star RBs.