Addition of 4-Star Defensive End Williams in Late Period Brings Bulls 2022 Class to 26 Signees
USF adds four-star defensive end from Michigan;
18 new Bulls on campus for spring semester and workouts
TAMPA, FLA., FEB. 2, 2022 – Bulls head coach Jeff Scott welcomed four-star defensive end Michael Williams (Farmington Hills, Mich.) to USF as the NCAA Late Signing Period began Wednesday. The addition of Williams brings the Bulls’ 2022 Signing Class to 26 student-athletes – including 14 high school and junior college recruits and 12 four-year college transfers.
USF has added 14 signees on defense and 12 on offense, including eight defensive lineman – four from the transfer portal – four wide receivers and two quarterbacks. The Bulls have added seven Bay area players – including five through the transfer portal – and 12 players from the state of Florida.
Williams set a season sack record at West Bloomfield High School, posting 23.5 in his senior campaign, the highest total in the state of Michigan in 16 years and 2.5 shy of the state record set in 1977. The all-state selection is rated a four-star recruit by ESPN and On3 Sports and had 20 offers, including five from Big Ten schools and three from SEC.
Among the 12 Division I-transfers to join the Bulls in the early period, seven came from the ACC – including three Clemson transfers – two from The American and one each from the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC.
Eighteen student-athletes that signed in the early period in December have joined the Bulls on campus and are taking part in off-season workouts. The Bulls are set to begin spring practice on March 1.
“We are very excited to welcome a strong pass rusher like Michael to our team and look forward to his joining us this summer,” Scott said. “It has been fantastic to have 18 members of the 2022 class on campus this spring and they have integrated very quickly into our program culture and strength and conditioning program. I’m excited to see great competition as MAT drills continue and when we open spring practice in March.”
2022 Class Breakdown
DEFENSE
On the defensive side of the ball led by new defensive coordinator Bob Shoop, who has had six of his last nine defenses rank in the top 25 nationally in yards allowed, the Bulls have added eight defensive linemen including three Division I-transfers in James Ash (6-3, 285, Wake Forest), Nick Bags (6-3, 300, Temple), Jatorian Hansford (6-3, 255, Missouri) and Clyde Pinder Jr. (6-0, 300, North Carolina). Ash was a two-time all-conference selection at Tampa’s Chamberlain High School while Pinder was a four-star prospect out of Armwood High School. They will be joined by high school signees Jhalin Hobbs (6-2, 280, Ruskin, Fla.), Eddie Kelly (6-4, 265, Orlando, Fla.), Jacquez Williams (6-2, 270, Savannah, Ga.) and Michael Williams III (6-3, 220, West Bloomfield, Mich.). Hobbs helped Lennard High School to its first Florida Class 8A playoff, Kelly posted 71 tackles and 23 tackles for loss in his senior year at West Orange High School, and Jacquez Williams was an all-region honoree that helped lead his team to the Georgia State Class 3A Final Four. Four-star recruit Michael Williams joined the Bulls in the late period, after having helped his team to a Michigan State Championship as a junior and the regional final in his senior year.
The Bulls also added three linebackers, including Minnesota transfer DJ Gordon IV (6-1, 230), who posted 126 tackles and 26 tackles for loss in his senior year at Bay area Plant City High School. High school signee DeAunte Hunter (6-4, 195, Valdosta, Ga.), who led Lowndes High School to the Georgia Class 7A quarterfinals, and junior college transfer Jhalyn Shuler (6-2, 215), who posted 88 tackles and 11 tackles for loss at Coffeyville Community College, also join the linebacker unit. Three new additions also joined the secondary, including transfers Aamaris Brown (5-11, 188, Kansas State), who had 80 tackles and 11 interceptions in his senior season at Tampa’s Armwood High School, and Ray Thornton III (6-1, 205, Clemson), who had 27 tackles in 15 games as a Tiger. High school signee Tavin Ward (6-1, 190, Fort Myers, Fla.), a third-team Florida all-state selection, also joined the secondary.
OFFENSE
On the offensive side of the ball, new offensive coordinator Travis Trickett will have four new wide receivers to work with as the Bulls added transfers Ajou Ajou (6-3, 220, Clemson), who posted 39 catches for 686 yards and seven touchdowns in his senior high school season at nearby Clearwater Academy, and Khafre Brown (6-0, 190, North Carolina), the No. 32-ranked receiver nationally and a four-star prospect out of West Mecklenburg High School. Two high school signees also join the receiving corps in Javohn Thomas (6-3, 190, Tampa, Fla.), who posted 30 catches for 549 yards and seven touchdowns as a senior at local Sickles High School, and Cade Roberts (5-11, 183, South Walton, Fla.), who finished his career at South Walton High School as the all-time leader in receptions in Florida high school history with 261.
The Bulls also added a pair of very productive quarterbacks from the high school ranks in Byrum Brown (6-3, 193, Raleigh, N.C.), who passed for 3,703 yards and 43 touchdowns at Rolesville High School, and Gunnar Smith (6-4, 180, Lake Mary, Fla.), who threw for 2,180 yards and 22 touchdowns in his senior season at Lake Mary High School.
A pair of transfer lineman will join a Bulls’ offensive line that returns all five starters. USF welcomed transfers Derrell Bailey Jr. (6-6, 296, Virginia Tech) and Mike Lofton (6-2, 300, UCF) on signing day. They were joined by a pair of tight ends in junior college transfer Jayson Littlejohn (6-4, 236, College of the Sequoias) and high school standout Jackson Long (6-4, 216, Hendersonville, Tenn.), who caught 28 passes for 510 yards and five touchdowns.
The Bulls’ running backs room also got two new faces in Clemson transfer Michel Dukes (5-10, 198), a top 50 running back out of high school who concluded his prep career with 8,762 yards and 117 touchdowns rushing, and Jason Albritton (5-10, 225, Lithia, Fla.), who ran for 3,927 yards and 42 touchdowns at Bay area Newsome High School.
USF is slated to begin spring practice in early March as the Bulls return 10 starters on offense, nine on defense and their starting kicker and punter.
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2022 USF Football Signing Class
Signing Class size: 26; Defense: 14; Offense: 12
POS. HT WT. Elig. HOMETOWN/HIGH SCHOOL Pronunciation
LATE PERIOD SIGNEE
HIGH SCHOOL & JUNIOR COLLEGE ADDITIONS (1)
DEFENSE (1)
Michael Williams II DE 6-3 220 Fr. Farmington Hills, Mich./West Bloomfield HS
EARLY PERIOD SIGNEES
HIGH SCHOOL & JUNIOR COLLEGE ADDITIONS (13)
DEFENSE (6)
Jhalin Hobbs DL 6-2 280 Fr. Ruskin, Fla./Lennard HS JAY-lin
DeAunte Hunter LB 6-4 195 Fr. Valdosta, Ga./Lowndes HS DEE-aunt-TEH
Eddie Kelly DL 6-4 265 Fr. Orlando, Fla./West Orange HS
Jhalyn Shuler LB 6-2 215 So Calhoun Falls, S.C./Abbeville HS/Coffeyville CC JAY-lin
Tavin Ward DB 6-1 190 Fr. Fort Myers, Fla./North Fort Myers HS/Palmetto Prep TAY-vin
Jacquez Williams DL 6-2 270 Fr. Savannah, Ga./Jenkins HS JAH-quez
OFFENSE (7)
Jason Albritton RB 5-10 225 Fr. Lithia, Fla./Newsome HS ALL-britton
Byrum Brown QB 6-3 193 Fr. Raleigh, N.C./Rolesville HS BYE-rum
Jayson Littlejohn TE 6-4 236 Jr. Hanford, Calif./Sierra Pacific HS/College of the Sequoias
Jackson Long TE 6-4 216 Fr. Hendersonville, Tenn./Beech HS
Cade Roberts WR 5-11 183 Fr. South Walton, Fla./South Walton HS
Gunnar Smith QB 6-4 180 Fr. Lake Mary, Fla./Lake Mary HS
Javohn Thomas WR 6-3 190 Fr. Tampa, Fla./Sickles HS juh-VON
FOUR-YEAR COLLEGE TRANSFER ADDITIONS (12)
DEFENSE (7)
James Ash DL 6-3 285 So. Tampa, Fla./Chamberlain HS/Wake Forest
Nick Bags DL 6-3 300 So. State Island, N.Y./Tottenville HS/Temple
Aamaris Brown DB 5-11 188 So. Tampa, Fla./Armwood HS/Kansas State ah-MAR-is
DJ Gordon IV LB 6-1 230 So. Plant City, Fla./Plant City HS/Minnesota
Jatorian Hansford DE 6-4 255 Sr. Forsyth, Ga./Mary Persons HS/Missouri Jah-TORE-ian
Clyde Pinder Jr. DL 6-0 300 So. Tampa, Fla./Armwood HS/North Carolina
Ray Thornton III S 6-1 205 So. Columbus, Ga./Central HS/Clemson
OFFENSE (5)
Ajou Ajou WR 6-3 220 So. Brooks, Alberta, Canada/Clearwater Acad. (FL)/Clemson uh-JOE
Derrell Bailey Jr. OL 6-6 296 Fr. Greenback, Tenn./Greenback HS/Virginia Tech duh-REL
Khafre Brown WR 6-0 190 So. Charlotte, N.C./West Mecklenburg HS/North Carolina CHOFF-ree
Michel Dukes RB 5-10 198 So. Charleston, S.C./First Baptist HS/Clemson
Mike Lofton OL 6-2 300 Fr. Clearwater, Fla./Calvary Christian/UCF
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