> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # Bulls Rack Up Preseason Honors as 2026 Season Nears - URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/bulls-rack-up-preseason-honors-as/ - Published: 2026-08-11T13:02:13.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-21T15:45:05.000Z - Description: USF had multiple players earn preseason recognition ahead of the Bulls 2026 campaign - Author: Collin Sherwin - Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44 We are officially 25 days away from South Florida kicking off its 30th football season at Raymond James Stadium against Florida International. Anticipation is building for the start of the season, and what comes with the anticipation is the all-important preseason watch lists. I mean, seriously, when have these things ever been wrong? ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/8e8d2d65-d84e-4394-a835-6e64f5ace82d_6000x4000-jpeg.jpg) Vanessa Wenzl | Bay Area Examiner All jokes aside, numerous USF players have been recognized over the past few days in different preseason articles, accolades and awards. This recognition helps inform fans of some things they might not have known and builds some excitement about a team that is bringing in 62 new players. Dare I say these preseason accolades help with brand alignment? (That’s a buzzword, by the way.) Let’s go through all the preseason accolades Bulls have earned in the past few days. ### 8 Bulls named to the Preseason All-American Conference team Pro Football Network released its preseason All-American Conference teams, and eight Bulls made the list, including five making the preseason first team. Graduate wide receiver Mudia Reuben and redshirt sophomore offensive lineman Julius Tate were both recognized as first-teamers on offense. Reuben had 36 catches for 495 yards in his senior season last year. However, Reuben had 325 of those yards in the Bulls’ final three games of the regular season against Navy, UAB and Rice. There is good reason to believe Reuben could be due for a huge year under the tutelage of Brian Hartline in his final collegiate season. Tate transferred to the Bulls this offseason from Coastal Carolina, following his former head coach Tim Beck to Tampa Bay. Tate appeared in all 13 games last season with the Chanticleers, playing right guard. It is worth noting that last week at practice, Tate was wearing a walking boot and not participating. On defense, redshirt senior defensive tackle Asani Redwood and senior linebacker Ayden Jackson got first-team nods. Redwood comes to USF after playing the last four seasons at West Virginia. Over the course of the last three seasons, Redwood has seen action in 36 games for the Mountaineers. Redwood will look to be a versatile force in the middle of USF’s defense. Jackson comes to the Bulls after playing the last three seasons at Georgia Southern. He will play the STAR position, making him a versatile mixture of a safety and linebacker. Last season, Kevon Merrell Jr. played the STAR position for new Bulls defensive coordinator at East Carolina. He had 41 tackles, 4.5 tackles for loss, three pass breakups and a game-sealing interception in the Military Bowl for the Pirates. Jackson was named third-team All-Sun Belt, recording 74 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and three interceptions. Jackson could be a dynamic fit in Aldridge’s defense this season. Junior kicker Nico Gramatica was the other USF first-teamer. Gramatica made 18 of his 24 kicks last season, the fourth-most field goals made in a single season in Bulls history. He had five field goals of 50 yards or longer made in his career, and he is looking to take another step forward as one of the nation’s top kickers this season. Gramatica was also named to the preseason Lou Groza Award watch list for the nation’s best kicker. Graduate safety Tavin Ward was named to the second team. Ward is one of just four returning starters from last year’s team and the only returning defensive starter. Ward posted 60 tackles last season, ranking third on the team. Redshirt senior running back D.J. Crowther was named to the third team. He comes to USF after a four-year career at Dartmouth and projects to be the team’s starting running back in a talented room. Last year, Crowther had a breakout campaign with 191 carries for 929 yards, averaging 4.9 yards per carry. Senior defensive tackle Major Dillard was the final Bull named to the preseason teams. The Norfolk State transfer checked in on the third team. Last year with the Spartans, he recorded 70 tackles and two tackles for loss. Dillard projects to be a run-stopping force in the middle of the Bulls’ defense, coming in at 6-2 and 330 pounds. ### USF running back projected to be one of nation’s most versatile players Junior running back Alvon Isaac was named to the Paul Hornung Award preseason watch list on Monday. The Paul Hornung Award goes to the most versatile player in college football. Texas A&M wide receiver KC Concepcion won the award last season. Isaac showed his versatility throughout last season. Isaac played in all 13 games last season. He had 350 rushing yards, making him the team’s top returning rusher. Isaac also had 14 receptions for 141 yards. And on top of that, Isaac was a solid return man with 350 combined kick and punt return yards. Isaac’s best game last year came in the Bulls’ thrilling win in Gainesville in Week 2\. Isaac had 36 rushing yards and 49 receiving yards, including a crucial 29-yard catch on the Bulls’ game-winning drive. ### USF has a freak in the building Every year, The Athletic writer Bruce Feldman releases a list of the top 100 “freaks” in college football. “A Freak? They were the players who could jump ridiculously high or far (usually both) or were able to run exceptionally fast for someone who was 325 pounds or 6-foot-7\. Or in the case of one chiseled 240-pound North Carolina linebacker who ran a sub-4.4 40, just how much McDonald’s he ate every day, and yet still could do remarkable things,” Feldman wrote in his article. USF had one player make Feldman’s list, and it was senior wide receiver Cameron Seldon. It is Seldon’s first season in Tampa after playing his freshman and sophomore seasons at Tennessee and his junior year last season at Virginia Tech. Feldman reported that Seldon was clocked at a top speed of 22.9 miles per hour, broad-jumped 10-4 and bench-pressed 225 pounds for 19 reps. Pretty impressive all-around metrics for a guy who is 6-1 and 210 pounds. Seldon was rated as a four-star prospect and the third-best athlete in the 2023 class. He played his high school career and first two collegiate seasons at Tennessee as a running back before transitioning to a wideout last season at Virginia Tech. He recorded 23 catches for 165 yards and two touchdowns last season. He is expected to play a versatile receiver role with the Bulls this season. He was junior quarterback Michael Van Buren’s favorite target in the spring game in April.