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# Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #25 LB Zavier Hamilton
- URL: https://www.bayareaexaminer.com/stampeding-through-the-2025-usf-football-b1c/
- Published: 2025-08-03T13:01:02.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-21T15:47:07.000Z
- Description: What do Notre Dame, Auburn, Florida State and South Carolina all have in common, apart from losing to USF?
- Author: Collin Sherwin
- Tags: #Migrated-1792597384348, #Import 2026-10-21 15:44

**PLAYER:** Zavier Hamilton

**POSITION:** Linebacker

**YEAR:** Redshirt freshman

**HEIGHT/WEIGHT:** 6'2", 230 lbs.

**HOW DID HE GET HERE?** Hamilton played his first few years of high school ball at Navarre High School in the lovely Florida panhandle. He was a big-time prospect, with recruiting services giving him high three-star and low four-star marks, and he boasted an offer sheet featuring the likes of Georgia, Notre Dame, LSU and Auburn.

The top ten list he released after his junior season in February 2023 included all of the aforementioned schools, and no USF.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/77/a9/77a9bb8f-d0f1-45b5-8fed-5feacd465ef5/content/images/2026/10/5634c79f-9499-4143-8ad9-6887a3672072_854x1066.png)

By April, Hamilton had [cut his list to four](https://kansas.rivals.com/news/zavier-hamilton-has-jayhawks-in-his-top-four?ref=bayareaexaminer.com), and USF still was not listed. But in June, he pivoted and surprisingly committed to the Bulls. It was one of Alex Golesh’s biggest moments on the recruiting trail in his young head coaching career.

For his senior season, he transferred to nearby Fort Walton Beach High School. He signed with USF on early signing day in December and enrolled early in January.

**HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON?** Hamilton was battling some injuries and played sparingly in 2024\. He appeared in three games, seeing some action on special teams, and didn’t record any stats.

**WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025?** I’m really excited to see what Hamilton can do with a year of college conditioning under his belt. The most important factor is his health - it should be noted that he missed the spring game with an injury, but USF was *very* conservative about sitting players with injuries in spring practice, so that’s not necessarily a cause for concern. Depth-chart wise, USF has two locked-in starters at linebacker and brought in two transfers for depth who both started for their respective schools in 2024, so there’s not a ton of playing time to go around. Note, however, that all of those four players are seniors and at least three of them won’t be back in 2026 (probably. see: Goblin, Chaotic Eligibility). I think a reasonable expectation would be for Hamilton to work his way into the rotation and start seeing the first defensive snaps of his college career, with an eye on taking a huge leap in 2026.