Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #50 DT Dinellson Exume
We're halfway there! Only fifty days till kickoff.
PLAYER: Dinellson Exume
POSITION: Defensive lineman
YEAR: Sophomore
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4", 270 lbs.
HOW DID HE GET HERE? From Edison High School in Miami, where he starred with his twin brother, Chenellson. Dinellson was rated a high three-star prospect with a very impressive offer sheet, including Florida, Florida State and Michigan - though, for what it’s worth, his final two schools were USF and FAU. He committed to USF in December 2023, following Chenellson who had committed a couple months earlier. Dinellson signed on early signing day and enrolled in January.
HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? By and large, pretty great. He started off with a bang, notching 1.5 TFLs and a sack in the opener against Bethune-Cookman, and by the time conference play hit, Exume was pretty much a permanent fixture in the defensive line rotation. He earned most of his snaps on the interior of the line at USF’s defensive tackle position (see here for a quick overview of USF’s defensive line roles), but was flexible enough to play across the line, spending some time at defensive end and even playing a little nose tackle in the Hawaii Bowl with Doug Blue-Eli in the transfer portal.
In the interest of being comprehensive, I should note that he did get into a much-ballyhooed sideline dustup during the UAB game. Exume didn’t appear in the next week’s game against FAU, but returned to the field as usual afterwards.
Exume ended up appearing in 11 games and totaled 12 tackles, 1.5 TFLs and a sack. Per PFF, he had the second-most defensive snaps among USF’s true freshman class. Can you guess who was first?
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? The two players on the Hawaii Bowl depth chart at defensive tackle - Bernard Gooden and Jacquez Williams - are no longer with the Bulls. Generally, that would bode well for Exume’s playing time in 2025. But as this era of college football demands, USF has attempted to fill the void in the interior of their defensive line by portaling hard. We’ve already touched on one of the most notable additions, former Charlotte defensive tackle Dre Butler, and we’re expecting to cover at least five others in this countdown (a few have publicly committed but won’t enroll until August). I don’t want to spoil later entries, but I would flag Texas A&M transfer Josh Celiscar as a player who I expect to start immediately at DT ahead of Exume.
Exume’s situation reminds me of Jahari Grant, who’ve we’ve already covered in this countdown. Both had great freshman seasons and are poised to see more playing time on the defensive line in 2025. But with how much experienced talent USF brought in through the portal, I don’t see either as a week one starter. Nonetheless, it’s a safe bet that both will be key parts of the defensive line rotation, and Exume’s versatility makes him particularly valuable, both in 2025 and beyond.