On Monday
the Bulls will hit the practice fields in jerseys for the first time since
April, and have officially finished the off-season conditioning phase, but this
year USF
Strength Coach Ronnie McKeefery sees a noticeable difference in the team’s
attitude heading into the preseason.
“We have a
big senior class, with great seniors leading the team, and it shows,” said
McKeefery. “They’re all committed to each other, and they all tasted it. They’ve
been in it long enough that they are a lot more accountable to work-outs,
conditioning, and you can see it.”
This
off-season the Bulls are abundant with talent, and it’s a lot more competitive
then it’s ever been in years past. In every position on defense; on the D-line,
at defensive back, at linebacker, there are guys battling it out. “That
translates to preseason conditioning,” said McKeefery. “They’re not just out
there working, they’re out there trying to impress and earn a spot.”
In 2008
the Bulls graded out better statically in every category; Team strength, team
speed, team power, and that all comes from the work that Coach McKeefery
instills on the team. “This summer I challenged the guys,” said McKeefery. “And
many of the guys stepped up.”
Coach Mac
and the entire strength and conditioning staff have been as committed to this
group as they have ever had, and have really pushed them beyond limits. “They
may not always like me, but I make them do the work that needs to be done,” said
McKeefery. “They stepped up and really delivered this off-season.”
After a
very strenuous off-season, Coach Mac said there was one thing the team needed to
do to get prepared for the start of the preseason. “The big thing right now was
recovery. We been beating the [heck] out of them ever since January, and at this
point they just need to get their legs back before Monday.” McKeefery also added
“They worked hard and are ready to go.We
have a very impressive group, and have a great chance. We just got to put it all
together now.”
On Monday the Bulls did their annual testing, and
USFNation already gave you the offensive results, now check out who made the
best strides on the defensive side of the ball!
- Want to know what DL lost body fat but went
up in weight?
- See which defensive players have made the biggest gains this
summer.
- Who has the strongest bench press on the
defense?
- What USF record did LB Tyrone McKenzie tie
this year?
- Check out which DB has the biggest vertical jump.
- Find out who went up 70 pounds in bench
press over the year.
- All this and much more inside
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Inside scoop on the top Defensive performers over the last year!