EA Sports just released its College Football 26 cover and, once again, no USF player made the cut.
Alabama receiver Ryan Williams and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith are the ones who’ll be looking back at purchasers of the game.
So be it.
However, those of us who realize USF’s history goes deeper than Charlie Strong and Jeff Scott know that some awfully talented players have worn the Green and Gold over the years.
EA Sports doesn’t do all-star editions for individual programs, but that’s not stopping us. Let’s imagine what former Bulls would be candidates for the cover if they ever release a USF all-star edition.
Quarterback Matt Grothe. He’d be a natural choice. Grothe threw for 8,669 yards and 52 touchdowns in a little over three seasons. An injury ended his career three games into his senior year.
He’ll always have a place in the hearts of Bulls Nation for throwing the winning TD pass in overtime at Auburn.
And if that didn’t do it, this quote did after USF demolished UCF 64-12 in 2007.
“I hope they like what happened, because we weren’t trying to run the score up on them,” Grothe said. “We’re that much better than them.”
Running back Marlon Mack. He is the Bulls’ second-leading all-time rusher with 3,609 yards and 32 touchdowns in three seasons. In 2017, he was taken in the fourth round of the NFL draft by Indianapolis.
Against Temple in 2015, he ran for 230 yards, including two touchdowns, and also caught three passes for 42 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive end George Selvie. He is the only two-time All-American in USF history. In four years with the Bulls, he played 51 games and 28.5 sacks from 2006-09. He led the nation in 2007 with 32 tackles for loss.
He played six years in the NFL and now coaches the football team at Sumner High School, about 40 minutes from USF. His son, George Selvie III, occupies the same position on that team that his father played for the Bulls.
Defensive end Jason Pierre-Paul. He only played one year for the Bulls, but he made the most of it. In 13 games during 2009, he had 45 total tackles and 6.5 sacks.
That convinced the New York Giants to draft him 15th overall in the first round. He has two Super Bowl rings, including one with the Buccaneers in 2020.
He played 14 seasons in the NFL, last with the Baltimore Ravens in 2023. After sitting out last season, he wants to return to the league.
Quarterback Quinton Flowers. Former Bulls coach Willie “Get On The Bus” Taggart owes Flowers a debt of thanks for all the money he helped the coach make.
Through his first two-plus seasons, Taggart’s team was reeling, and his job was hanging by a thread. The Bulls were 1-3, and the program was in danger of imploding.
That’s when, as 247Sports reported, Taggart had the running backs and quarterback come to his house for dinner. At one point, running back Darius Tice told Taggart, “Coach, tell Quinton not to be afraid of you. When he’s around us, he just does his thing. As soon you come around, he’s like a choirboy. Coach, tell him he can relax.’”
Tice had seen what Flowers could do as the dynamic quarterback at Miami Jackson High.
Taggart asked Flowers what about that, and he responded, “Coach, let me go.”
Taggart did, and things immediately turned around. Flowers became one of the most dangerous dual-threat QBs in the country, and the Bulls were on their way.
And Taggart?
He bolted to Oregon in 2016 for $3.5 million, then left after one year for FSU and a contract the Seminoles deeply regret. He was fired after just 21 games, but FSU was on the hook for an $18 million buyout.
Nice work if you can get it.