Sports

Highlights

By Tom Zebold | USF Athletics

Busy Offseason

Willie Taggart has been a busy man since taking over as USF’s new head football coach.

Taggart assembled a new staff and welcomed 23 new players who committed to the Bulls on National Signing Day, all in less than a two-month period.

“The best thing about it is all these guys wanted to be at USF,” Taggart says. “These coaches wanted to be here and these players wanted to be here. That’s what it’s going to take to build this program — a bunch of guys that want to chase greatness.”

Taggart knows quite a bit about what it takes to win and he produced impressive results at his last stop. Under Taggart’s leadership, Western Kentucky posted 14 wins in 2011 and 2012 after the program won just four games the previous three seasons combined.

USF’s new coaching staff believes Taggart can work similar magic as a Bull sooner rather than later.

“I didn’t want to get into something that takes five years to build,” defensive coordinator Chuck Bresnahan says. “I wanted to come into something that I consider a sleeping giant and that’s exactly what we have here.”

Fans can catch Taggart on the sideline during USF’s spring game at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 13. Two weeks later, USF stars of the past wait to hear their names called during the NFL Draft. Linebacker Sam Barrington, cornerback Kayvon Webster and defensive tackle Cory Grissom got off to a great start by receiving invitations to participate in the NFL Combine Feb. 23-26 in Indianapolis.

“From a perspective of being in school and playing at USF for four years, it’s definitely a testament of hard work,” Barrington says. “When I got the combine invite, I couldn’t believe it. I was just so grateful to be able to attend an event with Kayvon and Cory.”

200th Win

USF’s winningest basketball coach celebrated a memorable milestone on New Year’s Eve.

Jose Fernandez earned his 200th victory as a Bull when the USF women’s basketball team defeated Detroit Mercy, 74-60, at the Sun Dome.

Fernandez has guided the Bulls to the postseason in eight of the past nine seasons and helped USF win the WNIT title in 2009. Fernandez is closing in on his fourth 20-win season since taking over at USF in 2000.

“There are a lot of great memories and still a lot of nice memories to come as well,” he says.

Softball Opens

The USF softball team started its 2013 season in style.

More than 5,000 fans watched the No. 10 Bulls go 3-1 on opening weekend Feb. 8-10 at USF’s softball stadium. The team’s successful weekend started with a five-inning no-hitter from Lindsey Richardson in an 8-0 win over Marshall.

The Bulls also handed No. 13 Michigan a 3-2 loss hours after USF Athletics held a special ceremony for USF’s 2012 team that booked the program’s first-ever trip to the Women’s College World Series. Tampa Mayor Bob Buckhorn and Hillsborough County Commissioner Ken Hagan were on hand for the pregame festivities.

“I wasn’t really shocked that we all came out fired up and ready to get going,” Richardson says. “We’ve been counting down to the first game for months now once we got back from the World Series.”

National and conference recognition has followed the Bulls back to Tampa. USF took the top spot in the Big East Preseason Coaches’ Poll and left-hander Sara Nevins was one of 50 players named to the USA Softball Collegiate Player of the Year Watch List. Nevins, a junior, threw three no-hitters, a perfect game and finished third in the nation with a 1.12 earned run average during last season’s memorable run.