Bulls247 Board

The tweet in question came from Jordan Sherit.....

"What if #TeamTampa all committed to the same college?"

I'm around the team at every practice and every event. I can tell you these guys all love each other and have a bond. The same thing happen last year, and the year before. This is the third year of Team Tampa.

So the question is, why does this mentality not carry over to Signing Day? I think you guys are just picking up on this because of twitter and it's growing popularity. But last year after the IMG tournament, it was Nelson Agholor trying to get everyone to stay together, the year before that it was Grady and Andre Davis...

So what gives, why aren't they following through?

I think it's on USF's end, they just need to give these kids something to be proud of and a team they want to play for. USF shot themselves in the foot last year with a losing record and not making a bowl. That's my feeling.

I've been saying for what, 7 years now, to take the next step in recruiting USF must win the Big East.

Do you guys disagree, agree? What do you think about the Team Tampa dynamic?

I agree it's on USF, if they are hinting at that, sell them on that. A group of elite athletes all from Tampa like that all commiting could really change the view point of USF to other current and future recruits. I hope the coaching staff is already in their ears about playing on the same team next year.

I don't think it's necessarily the chicken/egg debate. The BE is VERY winnable every year. You can't tell me USF is not better than the some of the BE champions over the last 5 years. USF has choked away a few golden opportunities to get over the hump.

This year is lining up to be another very winnable year for USF, especially with WVU leaving. USF has seniors at every core position RB, QB, DT, LB, S...the most important positions on the field.

Ok, my bad...lets stay on topic here and talk about the kids. I agree VH3 is an important piece, but I'll maintain that winning is still more important than anyone recruit committing. If VH3 commits and USF sh-ts the bed again late in the season, you think everyone will follow? I don't. T

that's why I continue to harp on "win and everything will follow".

Josh, does Usf have a legitimate chance with VH3 or are they being mentioned only because of the obvious connection? Seems like the past couple of top 3's he has given do not include the bulls.

Seems easy, but this is a very complex question.

I've written and talked about VH3 so much over the past year and my thoughts haven't changed.

VH3 is a winner. He's a great player and wants to be surrounded by other great players, but most importantly he wants to win. I think with his dad coaching at USF it gives them a distinct advantage. If VH3's dad didn't coach at USF would they be in the conversation?

Talking with him throughout the past two years, I get the sense that he has been somewhat let down by the Bulls on field performances. He expects a lot out of them and when they lose games to Syracuse, Rutgers, UConn, teams like that...he gets disappointed.

I can tell you we've talked about the 2012 Bulls team and he genuinely feels that USF has a great shot to break through this year and win the BE. So the ball is in USF's court now. Have a big year and I think they have a great shot at landing VH3....also watch to see if his dad is still on staff.

They're much improved, made the playoffs last year. But yeah, I see the frustration in him at times.

Agreed....this is the issue when fans discuss 'winning' and roll it into recruiting. It's not fair to these kids to sell them as being the 'missing link'. This is where people have a disconnect with recruiting, most kids aren't looking or appreciating that kind of sell. You're the 'missing link' to this championship...it sounds good initially but after it's had a chance to resonate with the recruit, his HS Coaches, and family it usually starts to sound tacky. So are you saying that all you need is "ME" and we win a BE Championship? What if we don't? What would you say then? Would you say that to the recruits next year?

No, the key is for USF to win big, and show it can be done here, and that allows them to easily sell a story that makes sense. Come to USF, you can start some history AND you can accomplish the same things you could accomplish elsewhere. You always stay away from 'all we need is you' sale to the kids...it sounds desperate, and never works. Win is the key, and last year's set-back hurt a lot. So did Skip's last two recruiting classes. A few quality headliners but top to bottom there's concerns. Is winning sustainable with these classes? Time will tell.

A little off-topic, but how come Hargreaves didn't go to Plant or Armwood? It's not like they wouldn't have been able to find a house that was zoned for the schools.