We’re about three weeks from the USF spring football game on April 26, so a lot can happen before that day. But defensive coordinator Todd Orlando didn’t hesitate when asked what had jumped out at him during the early practices.
“The player leadership. It's not surprising to me, but it's been refreshing to go on the field and not have coaches setting the standard,” he said. “When you have a coach-led team, it's very hard to get to where you want to go.
“But when you watch players go out there and grab a younger guy and say, ‘No, that's not it, this is the way we do or do it,’ that’s good. When you watch players interact with each other in a positive way, but in a way that says that's not good enough, that's very, very healthy.”
The coaching has stressed player leadership since taking over in 2023, but it has to develop organically.
“What they're doing right now is so healthy for our program. Really, really proud of those guys.”
Men’s track and field team ranked 10th nationally
The USF men’s track and field team is making news in a hurry as the major spring outdoor events get underway.
The Bulls are ranked 10th in the nation in the initial Athletic.Net poll for this season. Breaking it down by region, USF is 5th in the South.
At the prestigious Pepsi Florida Relays on the University of Florida track, USF’s Abdul-Rasheed Saminu ran the fastest time in the world in the 100-meter dash with a smoking time of 9.87 seconds.
Abdul-Rasheed Saminu 🇬🇭 stormed to victory in the men’s 100m at the Florida Relays with a scorching time of 9.87s.
— #JoySports (@JoySportsGH) April 5, 2025
Note: The wind reading was slightly above the legal limit at 2.2m/s.#JoySports pic.twitter.com/5sum15SPC7
That wasn’t all.
Gabriel Moronta surpassed his program record in the men's 400-meter with a time of 45.31 seconds. Moronta now holds both the indoor and outdoor 400-meter records simultaneously.
Rushana Dwyer broke the USF record for the 400-meter dash, finishing in 52.30 seconds. The women's 400-meter record has now been broken in three consecutive seasons.
"It was an incredible weekend for our program and one that speaks to the level of dedication and talent across our roster," said Erik Jenkins, USF's Director of Track & Field and Cross Country.
"To come away with four new program records and the fastest 100-meter time is a statement. I'm proud of how our student-athletes continue to raise the bar and compete at a high level."
The Bulls will host the South Florida Invitational on April 11-12.
Softball has a tough weekend
USF traveled to American Athletic Conference leader Florida Atlantic for a showdown of the league’s top two teams.
The Owls got the best of things.
They mercy-ruled USF on Friday with an 8-0 win and took a 5-1 win on Sunday. The Bulls grabbed the middle game with a 7-3 win on Saturday.
USF is 30-12-1 overall and 9-5-1 in the AAC. The Bulls will need 10 wins in their final 13 regular-season games to reach 40 victories.
Lacrosse bounces back from loss
After snapping its 6-game losing streak with a 17-16 loss at Charlotte, USF returned to its winning ways on Sunday with an 18-12 victory at Liberty.
The Bulls improved to 10-3 in their inaugural season.
USF fell behind Liberty 2-0 but scored five of the next six goals to take a lead it never lost.
The Bulls return to Corbett Stadium against Old Dominion for their final home game of the season on Saturday, April 12, at 1 p.m.
The AAC championship is May 1-3 in Norfolk, Va.