Bulls’ offensive lineman signed by the New York Giants
TAMPA, FLA., APRIL 28, 2025 – South Florida football offensive tackle RJ Perry (Fairfield, Ala.) earned a free agent contract from the New York Giants on Sunday, following the conclusion of the 2025 NFL Draft. Meanwhile, defensive lineman Decarius Hawthorne (Birmingham, Ala.) was invited to attend the Buffalo Bills Rookie Camp.
Perry, who was selected to compete in the Gridiron College Classic, started 18 games at tackle for the Bulls over the last two seasons after transferring from Tennessee. He started 12 games at left tackle last year as he helped lead the Bulls to their second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl. The Bulls ran for 34 touchdowns on the ground, the second-most in program history, and logged 2,343 rushing yards, posting 190.6 yards per game to rank 28th nationally and fourth in the AAC. USF posted four 300-yard or more rushing games tied for the third-most in FBS football.
Hawthorne, a transfer from FAU who played his final season at USF, started in all 13 games last season and led USF defensive linemen with 40 tackles while ranking second on the team with 10.5 tackles for loss and adding 2.5 sacks, three quarterback hurries, two pass breakups, a fumble recovery and a forced fumble.
Up Next:
Several Bulls are slated to earn degrees as the spring semester comes to a close and USF holds commencements May 8-11. USF football will go through summer workouts and fall camp before kicking off the 2025 season on Thursday, Aug. 28 vs. Boise State in Raymond James Stadium. The Broncos will be the first of potentially three preseason Top 25-ranked non-conference opponents for the Bulls, who will also play at Florida (Sept. 6) and at Miami (Sept. 13).
Tickets:
Deposits for new 2025 USF football season tickets are being accepted now and may be placed by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK. The Bulls will play six contests in Raymond James Stadium in 2025, starting with a season-opening clash with 2024 College Football Playoff participant Boise State on Thursday, Aug. 28.
Follow us:
To stay up-to-date on the latest USF Football news, follow the Bulls on social media (Twitter | Facebook | Instagram).
ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai’i Bowl. Head coach Alex Golesh posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF 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 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.
– #GoBulls –
