Charlie Strong will reportedly dismiss 11 suspended players, fire up to 4 assistants at USF
With a Gasparilla Bowl loss this week, USF earned the dubious distinction of becoming the first team to start 7-0 and finish 7-6. Now coach Charlie Strong is cleaning house.
Sources told Joey Knight of the Tampa Bay Times that 11 players were suspended for Thursday night’s bowl game against Marshall and “none are likely to return.” In addition, Knight’s sources also indicated that “as many as four assistant coaches are expected to be dismissed.”
Knight writes that Strong did not confirm the report, but told Times columnist Martin Fennelly he would be cleaning house in Tampa.
“I’m telling you right now, we’re going to clean up this whole program,” Strong said. “A lot of guys will be leaving. We need a good washing.”
Strong, a long-time former SEC assistant, has done this before. He famously dismissed nine players at Texas trying to change the culture of Mack Brown’s program. He also dismissed three USF players before coaching his first Bulls game.
According to Knight, the suspended players expected to be dismissed are WR Darnell Salomon, WR DeVontres Dukes, WR Deangelo Antoine, RB Elijah Mack, RB Duran Bell, DB Donelle Thomas, DB Naytron Culpepper, DT Brandon Boyce, DT Armon Williams, DL Marquies Price and OL Jeremiah Stafford.