USF uses win at FSU on recruiting trail

The loss was devastating for Florida State, on and off the field. Coming off a convincing win at BYU, the last team the Seminoles wanted to see waiting for them back home was South Florida.

We all know what happened that hot and humid late September afternoon at Doak Campbell Stadium. In the immediate aftermath, FSU coach-in-waiting Jimbo Fisher admitted his job probably just got tougher following USF's 17-7 victory.

"I've said this before: South Florida has been a weapon against us and has done a great job in recruiting against us since I've been here," Fisher said that day. "This gives them more ammunition and makes it a tougher fight to get the players. There are a lot of good players in the state, and they have established themselves as a good program."

In the seven weeks since USF's victory against the Seminoles, Bulls coach Jim Leavitt and his staff have hit the recruiting trail when they could, spending extra time in the off week after beating West Virginia on Oct.30.

Has he noticed a different perception of the USF program since that historic win?

"I think over the years guys have had great respect for this program," Leavitt said Monday. "Our recruiting is going extremely well right now. We've got a number of guys that it's us or Florida, us or Florida State, us or Miami. That's why you don't hear a lot of commitments right now, because we're on top of guys and we're waiting for them to see what they want to do."

One of those players is Tampa Catholic quarterback/receiver Christian Green, considered one of the state's top prospects. In years past, a player of Green's caliber almost certainly would have ended up at Florida, FSU or Miami if he stayed in-state. Nowadays, USF is clearly in the picture the same way it was last year with Ryne Giddins, a highly touted defensive lineman coveted by the Gators, Seminoles and Hurricanes.

Giddins signed with USF.

"Even last year - before we beat Florida State - we beat some pretty good people," Leavitt said. "We beat Miami on some guys, we beat Florida on the Giddins kid, we beat Florida State on a couple of guys.

"So it's happening. Is it happening again? Yeah, it is."

Leavitt said the Bulls hope to have as many as 25 scholarships to offer.

"We are pretty selective," he added. "We don't always make the right decisions."

BANNER RAISING POSTPONED: With Coach Jose Fernandez still out of work sick as of Wednesday afternoon, USF postponed Friday's raising of the WNIT championship banner at Friday's season opener against Florida A&M.

Fernandez left work Monday and went to the hospital to undergo emergency tests on his abdomen. He was released that afternoon but has not felt well enough to return to work. It remains uncertain when he'll return.

BULL BITS: The men's soccer team is expected to receive a top-16 seed and first-round bye when the NCAA announces its 48-team bracket Monday. The Bulls lost to Notre Dame in penalty kicks in the Big East quarterfinals. ... The football team held its final meeting for tonight's game at Rutgers at Giants Stadium, home of the Giants and Jets.