Bulls open fall camp with renewed optimism
TAMPA, Fla. - Hope springs eternal for the USF football team with the Bulls hitting the practice field for the first time of the 2022 season this morning.
"Everyone is happy to be out here. No one is dragging their head. Everyone is excited and ready to get to work," said Donovan Jennings, a graduate student offensive lineman.
Following a disappointing 2021 season which saw the Bulls finish (2-10) overall, third-year head coach Jeff Scott says his Bulls are turning the page and expecting better results for 2022 after providing them with a little pre-camp motivation.
"I did present our guys with a blank sheet last night and said, 'Here's the depth chart for the BYU game,’" stated Scott. "We have 25 practices to see what that's going to look like."
Kelly's players agree with their head coach knowing 2022 has to and will be, better.
"Every year we expect to be good and at our highest level," said Jennings.
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"But this year we feel something different, and we feel like we're really going to make a statement this year."
However, it’s one thing to know expectations have been raised and another to meet those expectations. But the Bulls aren’t shying away from climbing their hill.
"Doing the hard things hard, so they become easy," said Antonio Grier Jr., a graduated student linebacker.
"That's probably the biggest thing I'm taking into camp is when things get hard, go harder. Go harder."
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The Bulls might be doing things the hard way, but they’re also doing it their way.
"Coach Scott always tells us to put one foot in front of the other and to walk by faith, not by sight," said Grier.
"We're just taking it day by day. So I can't wait to see what this 2022 season is going to look like," he shared.