Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #2 S Tavin Ward

PLAYER: Tavin Ward

POSITION: Safety

YEAR: Redshirt junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6’1”, 197 lbs.

HOW DID HE GET HERE? This is a very interesting path! Ward played his high school ball at North Fort Myers High School in… north Fort Myers, where he impressively handled both quarterback and cornerback duties. He earned some NAIA and junior college offers, but elected to enroll at Palmetto Prep - a post-graduate preparatory school - after his graduation in 2021. After playing a season at defensive back, he earned some FCS offers as well as one FBS offer from your South Florida Bulls. He committed to the Bulls and enrolled in the summer of 2022.

Ward redshirted during the 2022 season and didn’t see any action, but he took a big leap forward in Alex Golesh’s first year in 2023. He played in all 13 games and saw increased playing time as the season went on, starting five of the Bulls’ last seven games at corner. His final line was 38 tackles, two for a loss, and a pair of interceptions. The second of those interceptions came in the Boca Raton Bowl against Syracuse, which gives us a reason to relive those wonderful highlights (check 7:43 for the pick).

HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Ward moved to free safety full-time in the offseason and became an iron man in the secondary. He was one of only four Bulls to start all 13 games, his 62 tackles were second-most on the team, and his three interceptions led the team. Perhaps his most notable play of the year came in the bowl game against San Jose State, when he gathered a deflected Spartans pass in full stride and returned it all the way to the SJSU 15-yard line, setting up a Bulls touchdown (1:55 below).

All in all a productive season for Ward, even if the USF secondary certainly had its struggles in 2024.

SPOT ON WEEK ONE DEPTH CHART: Ward retains his starting spot at safety. The depth chart doesn’t differentiate between deep safety and strong safety, but it seems a safe assumption that Ward will be in the centerfield-type role once again.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? Given the way that the Bulls got carved up through the air last season, I’m not prepared to name any player in the secondary as a locked-in starter. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Bulls shuffle around their personnel a bit to try to find a winning combination. In any event, Ward’s experience and nose for the ball will make him a valuable member of this unit, and the depth chart indicates he’ll be out with the first-stringers against Boise.

I should add that Ward has been practicing with the punt returners this offseason, so we could see him have a big role on special teams as well.