Fall sports are cranking up soon at USF.
Women’s soccer has a home exhibition game on Saturday, August 9, at 5 p.m. against Florida. After that, the team will open the regular season on August 14 with a three-game road swing before their official home-opener on August 24 against Colorado State.
Men’s soccer has three exhibition games starting August 11 before opening the regular season on August 21 at St. Louis.
And, of course, the football team opens its season at home on August 28 against Boise State.
Here’s a roundup of some other news out of USF athletics.
Former USF running back gets a shot with the Ravens
ESPN reports that Baltimore is signing former Browns and Jaguars running back D’Ernest Johnson.
Ravens are signing free-agent running back D’Ernest Johnson, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 2, 2025
Johnson also worked out for the San Francisco, but the 49ers opted to sign Ameer Abdullah.
After going undrafted out of USF in 2018, Johnson eventually signed with the Cleveland Browns and made the 53-man roster as RB3 behind Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. After Hunt was injured in 2021, allowed for Johnson got a heavier workload and rushed for 534 yards and three touchdowns.
He later played for Jacksonville.
Johnson played with USF from 2014-18, appearing in 50 games and rushing for 1,796 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 12 touchdown passes.
Bulls populate football watch lists
Cornerback De'Shawn Rucker is one of 35 defensive backs nationally named to the Paycom Jim Thorpe Award Preseason Watch List.
This award has been given to the top defensive back in college football since 1986. It is voted on by the Oklahoma Sports Hall of Fame.
Last season was Rucker’s first with the Bulls after transferring from Tennessee. He had a memorable game at Alabama.
Wide receiver Christian Helms has been named to the Allstate Wuerffel Trophy Preseason Watch List. That award goes to the FBS player who best combines exemplary community service with leadership achievement on and off the field.
Helms has been active in the community, with a special emphasis on organ donations through LifeLink.
He has also supported the Special Olympics, Habitat for Humanity, Parkinson's Moving Day, Children's Cancer Center, and Pasco County Animal Services. He has also volunteered as a youth football coach.
He and USF head coach Alex Golesh are also on the watch list for the All-State AFCA Good Works Team.
Softball travels to Puerto Rico
The USF softball team left on July 31 for a 10-day trip to Puerto Rico.
The Bulls will play five games against the Puerto Rican National Team.
"We are excited as a program to represent USF and the Tampa Bay Area on our summer tour to the island of Puerto Rico," USF coach Ken Eriksen said.
"This trip will provide us with the opportunities to bond together as a team while competing against the Puerto Rican National Team as they prepare for a championship in China.”
The Bulls will also provide softball clinics for young women between games.
“We are fortunate to be able to take advantage of this cultural experience thanks to the generous donors who support our program,” Eriksen said.
“Thank you to all who have provided for USF Softball."
Women’s basketball to participate in WBCA Challenge
USF will face 2025 NCAA Tournament Final Four participant UCLA on November 15, when the Bulls travel to Las Vegas for the WCBA Challenge.
Before that game, the Bulls face Fairfield, another NCAA Tournament team, on November 13.
The games will be played at the Michelob Ultra Arena.
Adding UCLA to the schedule gives the Bulls a third non-conference game against 2025 Final Four participants. USF also faces defending national champion UConn and runner-up South Carolina in the Yuengling Center.
Volleyball sets ambitious schedule
Coming off a regular-season championship in the American Conference, USF’s 28-game schedule includes matchups with at least one member from each of the Power Four conferences.
"There is so much to look forward to this season", head coach Jolene Shepardson said. "We are going into an intentionally competitive non-conference preseason schedule.
“We aim to continue increasing our RPI and elevate our game to the next level. We plan to enter our conference season prepared to play with a lot of intensity and precision, and I believe that the teams on our schedule will help us achieve just that.”
The Bulls have non-conference games against teams from the SEC, Big Ten, Big 12, and ACC, as well as 16 conference matchups.
South Florida opens the season in Knoxville on August 29 against Purdue and hosts Tennessee.
The Bulls will then return to Tampa for a marquee three-match homestand, welcoming Florida (Sept. 2), Florida State (Sept. 5), and South Carolina (Sept. 7) to the Yuengling Center.
By their 2024 regular-season title, USF is the host school for the 2025 American Conference Tournament.