TAMPA, Fla. — The University of South Florida football team has completely turned over its roster under first-year head coach Alex Golesh.
One of the 38 new players on scholarship is defensive lineman Manny Hickman, who transferred to USF from East Carolina University.
Like the Bulls’ new-look roster, Hickman has a new look himself.
“[I weigh] three hundred pounds. At ECU, I was 240 pounds. Yeah, I ate a whole ‘nother person,” Hickman said.
He gained sixty pounds of muscle since arriving in Tampa.
“You meet him, and he is mature beyond his years,” Golesh said. “He’s really thought out in his actions, thought out in how he approaches work. This spring, when he visited, we talked about him gaining some weight and playing inside and outside for us. He put the weight on; he’s worked relentlessly hard.”
Hickman played in 31 games with 16 starts in four years at ECU. Last season, as a defensive end, he made 65 tackles and five sacks. He chose to transfer to USF to prepare himself for a career in the NFL.
“Everything that I saw from the facilities to the way the coaches handle themselves, the plan of action they have for me, it really made me feel like they had my future in the best interest,” Hickman said.
It might take a miracle for USF to go from 1-11 to a winning record this season. But with Hickman bringing some serious size to the defensive line and a football program taking care of its athletes—anything is possible.
“The amount of things we are provided here is unbelievable,” Hickman said. ”From the training table to the meals to the snacks, to the financial things we get on the weekends to be able to go eat. It’s amazing."
The Bulls open the season on Sept. 2 at Western Kentucky.
