Now-former USF basketball players Kobe Knox and Jayden Reid have found new homes

A look at the USF men’s basketball roster now is a little eerie. It shows only two players: forward De'Ante Green and guard CJ Brown.

You may have seen where new coach Bryan Hodgson is bringing two transfers from his Arkansas State team, along with flipping the commitments of some highly touted prep players who were originally planned to join the Red Wolves.

However, those are just commitments, and they aren’t officially on the USF roster yet. Hence, the two-name team.

We know why that is, of course. USF’s search for a new coach, coupled with a horribly difficult season, prompted five Bulls to head for the transfer portal. Brown changed his mind after speaking with Hodgson.

But Kobe Knox and Jayden Reid already found new homes. Knox committed to South Carolina, and Reid is going to Northwestern.

Guards Kasen Jennings and Jimmie Williams are also portal residents but haven’t found landing spots yet.

Couple all that with Brandon Stroud, Jamelle Reynolds, and Quincy Ademokoya using up their eligibility, and you’ve got an extreme makeover for next season – at least for the fans.

Those names have already been scrubbed from the team website.

Hodgson is reputed to be one of the best recruiters in college basketball, and his work since taking over at USF seems to confirm that.

Incoming freshmen Adriel Nyorha and Tristan Beckford flipped their commitments from Arkansas State to USF. They were part of a highly regarded recruiting class at Arkansas State.

The Bulls are also in the mix for a pair of four-star players – Treyvon Maddox from Orlando and Tampa Blake High standout 6-foot-7 wing player Joshua Lewis. His father, Fred Lewis, was a key player on the 1991-92 USF NCAA tournament team.

Joshua originally committed to USF but reopened his recruitment after the death of head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim. He then committed to Iowa over Auburn, Marquette, Michigan State, and N.C. State, but changed his mind when the Hawkeyes fired longtime coach Fran McCaffery.

So, we wait for the inevitable tweet or Instagram post announcing the decisions. However, while we do that, we should offer a kind word to those who have chosen to depart.

Knox started all 33 games in the 2023-24 season, when the Bulls won 25 games and claimed the regular-season American Athletic Conference title.

He was a starter for the first part of this season as well until interim coach Ben Fletcher asked him to come off the bench. Knox didn’t sulk or complain. Instead, he quickly adapted to his new role and continued to make valuable contributions.

If he believes he needs a fresh start, he has earned that.

While we bid them farewell, however, there is undeniable excitement about what Hodgson is doing to rebuild the USF program.

The players he is bringing from Arkansas State were part of a program that beat AAC champion Memphis on the road and took home-and-home wins this season over AAC runner-up UAB.

We’ll get to know them soon enough.

And I’m also getting the vibe that Hodgson will make more headlines in the coming days and weeks.