New USF head football coach Brian Hartline wrapped up his first spring with the Bulls on Sunday with the annual spring game at Corbett Stadium.
It was the Bulls' offense against their defense all afternoon, and Hartline had promised he would keep things mostly vanilla in case other programs -- particuarly opening opponent FIU -- had scouts in attendance.
Hartline also stressed that no jobs would be won or lost based on the game, but it was a last chance for players to show their wares before summer camp begins. The opening game is 139 days away.
There has been some chatter in college football about the value of spring games and practice. Some coaches advocate doing away with spring games in favor of joint practices and scrimmages with another program.
On the pregame radio show, Hartline had an answer for that line of thought.
"Anyone that thought that spring wasn't important shouldn't be in sports," he said. "So, yeah, I think it's always important. I'm not sure if it's ever less important."
After the action ended, Hartline took pains to note the enthusiastic turnout to watch.
"(The fans) showed out. 
They showed up. It was awesome. And they made it a special day. 
I mean, they were rushing the field afterwards. It was a lot of fun. The guys really appreciate it, I'm sure," he said,
With that in mind, here are some of the early impressions about the Bulls:
Top two quarerbacks were effective
Hartline promised all along that fans shouldn't expect to end the spring with clear idea about a starting quarterback, and that's what happened.
The top two quarterbacks on the roster -- junior Michael Van Buren and redshirt sophomore Luke Kromenhoek -- had touchdown passes and moved the offense effectively.
Hartline has said it could go late into summer camp before he chooses a starter, but it seems apparent that USF has more depth at that position than in recent years. Having Byrum Brown helped alleviate that situation, but he's gone now and teams at this level need more than one quarterback in case of emergency.
Spring Game ready 🫡 pic.twitter.com/5LLsSJ0HVM
— USF Football (@USFFootball) April 19, 2026
These guys are big!
The Bulls have 13 offensive linemen weighing over 300 pounds, led by 6-foot-5, 355 pound Terian Morman. He's a redshirt sophmore from Ocala.
One of the complaints about USF's roster in the past was the Bulls could be pushed around by bigger defensive linemen. That began to correct itself last season and the new staff continued to build on that. A big, mobile offensive line can also trigger an effective running game.
Running back by committee
The. Bulls expected to have a deep running back room and looks like it could happen. Redshirt junior Jason Collins, a transfer from Morgan State, had a 44-yard touchdown run.
Chase Garnett, a holdover from last year, had a 7-yard scoring run. Connor Matthews ripped off a 45-yard run. Dartmouth transfer D.J. Crowther made a good impression.
"We feel deep there. again, they're encouraging each other. We got some guys that can carry the football. 
My most impressed through spring has been their pass (protection). I feel like I've asked these guys and I tell them, I'm like, you want to play football for a long time? There are two main things you gotta do as a running back," Hartline said.
"First, make the first guy miss. You know, we're going to do the best we can. We're going to do a darn good job trying to block everyone. 
There's going to be tha first guy that shows up. That's your guy. So did the first guy miss?"
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