Seven Bulls honored on Phil Steele Postseason Teams
TAMPA, FLA. DEC. 15, 2022– After posting a USF record in all-purpose yards and just the 10th 1,000-yard rushing season in program history, sophomore running back/kick returner Brian Battie (Sarasota) etched his name on another outstanding accomplishment as he became just the second Bull ever to earn All-America honors in multiple seasons when Phil Steele announced his postseason awards on Thursday.
Battie, whose 1,936 all-purpose yards lead the nation at the conclusion of the regular season and are a new USF record, was named to Phil Steele’s Third-team All-America roster at the all-purpose position. He adds the honor to his Consensus All-America honors earned in 2021 as a kick returner, as he led the nation with three kick returns for touchdowns and set a USF record averaging 32.5 yards per return.
Battie joins defensive end George Selvie as the only Consensus All-Americans and only Bulls to earn All-America honors in multiple seasons. Selvie earned the honors in 2007 and 2008, earning Consensus All-America in 2007 after leading the nation with 31.5 tackles for loss.
Battie ranked second in the AAC in rushing (98.8 ypg) in 2022 and finished with 1,186 yards and eight touchdowns on the year, the sixth-best rushing season in program history. He tied a USF record with five-straight 100-yard games in the final five games of the season, part of seven 100-yard games on the year, and his USF season record all-purpose yards included 659 on kick returns and 91 receiving yards as he ranked No. 3 nationally posting 161.33 yards per game.
Phil Steele also honored seven Bulls on his All-AAC teams.
Sophomore kick returner Jimmy Horn Jr. (Sanford) earned first-team All-AAC honors after averaging 29.9 yards on seven returns and posting an 89-yard touchdown return in the Bulls’ season opener vs. BYU. Horn added 37 catches for 551 yards and three touchdowns receiving on the year and 95 rushing yards and a touchdown.
Battie was named second-team All-AAC at running back and fourth team at kick returner.
Third-team All-AAC honorees included wide receiver Xavier Weaver (Orlando), center Brad Cecil (Jacksonville) and linebacker Dwayne Boyles (Miami). Cornerback Aamaris Brown (Seffner) and guard Demetris Harris (Jacksonville) earned fourth team honors.
Weaver logged career-bests of 53 catches for 718 yards and six touchdowns on the year, marking the fifth-best season reception total and receiving yardage total in program history. He finished the year with 1,735 career yards, good for fourth all-time at USF, and 116 career receptions, good for sixth all-time. Weaver led the Bulls in receiving in seven games and logged three 100-yard receiving games on the year.
Cecil was named the first-ever recipient of USF’s Steve Walz Perseverance Award on Tuesday. He finished his career with 53 games played and 50 starts to rank tied for second all-time at USF in both categories. He started all 12 games on the season for the second-straight year and helped plow the way for Battie to become just the sixth USF player to post a 1,000-yard rushing season and USF to post seven games of 200 or more yards rushing and rank third in The American running for 197.92 yards per game.
Boyles posted a career-best 108 tackles, just the 13th player to log 100 tackles in a season at USF, and led the Bulls with 10 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two recovered fumbles to go with an interception and a sack. Boyles led USF in tackles in seven games and his 108 tackles rank ninth all-time in a season at USF. He increased his career tackle total to 315, placing him seventh all-time and just the eighth player in USF history to log 300 career tackles.
Brown led USF with two interceptions and five pass break-ups and added 27 tackles as he established himself as a strong cover corner in his first season on the field for the Bulls.
Harris finished his career as the Bulls’ all-time leader in career starts with 53 and tied second all-time in games played (53). He started all 12 games no the year, part of a string of 30 straight starts, and helped plow the way for Battie to become just the sixth USF player to post a 1,000-yard rushing season and USF to post seven games of 200 or more yards rushing and rank third in The American running for 197.92 yards per game.
PHIL STEELE POSTSEASON TEAMS
All-America
Third-Team – Brian Battie, All-Purpose
All-Conference
1st Team
Jimmy Horn, KR
2nd Team
Brian Battie, RB
3rd Team
Xavier Weaver, WR
Brad Cecil, C
Dwayne Boyles, LB
4th Team
Demetris Harris, OG
Aamaris Brown, CB
Brian Battie, KR
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 26th season in 2022 while completing construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility. The Bulls have posted 15 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections, including 2021 consensus All-American kick returner Brian Battie, and had 32 first-team all-conference selections. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and has made 10 bowl game appearances (going 6-4 in those games), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and most recently making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. The Bulls posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016 while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 seasons and reached as high as No. 2 in the national rankings during the 2007 season.
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– #GoBulls –
