When South Florida landed Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon from the transfer market, some wondered what type of player the Bulls were getting.
USF coach Jeff Scott knew, and it didn’t take long to justify his faith in him.
“I had one of our staff members come up here on Memorial Day and there was only one car in the parking lot and that was Gerry,” Scott said during the American Athletic Conference football media event this past week. “He was here watching video on Memorial Day, and those things lined up with what we heard from the Baylor staff about him.”
The 6-foot-3, 221-pound Bohanon arrived at USF following four seasons at Baylor, where he appeared in 27 games. In his first season as a full-time starter last season, the Arkansas native passed for 2,200 yards with 18 touchdowns and rushed for 323 yards and 9 touchdowns while leading the Bears (12-2) to a Big 12 title and a win over Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl.
But after losing the starting job to sophomore Blake Shapen in the spring, Bohanon entered the transfer portal before eventually choosing USF on May. 8. Even from the start, the redshirt junior has impressed his new coach with his work ethic and leadership skills.
“[I’m] hearing from our players and our strength staff about how he’s meshed and become a leader within his lifting group,” said Scott. “I’ve been very pleased with the early observations and feedback we’ve gotten since Gerry’s gotten here.”
Bohanon adds veteran leadership to a young quarterback group that has been in search of some stability since Scott arrived in 2020. Five players have started games at quarterback for the Bulls in the past 21 games. Sophomore Timmy McClain, who started nine games in 2021, figured to be the favorite to start after a strong spring camp.
“Timmy McClain had the best spring and summer that he’s had since he’s been here,” Scott said. “Anytime you’re adding talent to a room or a position, it raises the level of competition in that room. I’ve been pleased by how Timmy has responded this summer.”
The Seminole High product completed 55% of his passes for 1,888 yards with 5 touchdowns and 7 interceptions.
Scott hopes to identify a starting quarterback sooner rather than later when fall camp begins.
“I don’t envision this to be something that’s going to extend late into fall camp,” he said. “It’s important for both Timmy and Gerry to get an opportunity to go with the No. 1’s early in fall camp and let them compete.
“Then, at some point, early to middle of fall camp, I feel we’re going to make a decision as a staff and go ahead and announce it so we can move forward with whoever that starter is to be the leader of the team for several weeks getting ready for BYU.”
USF hosts the Cougars at Raymond James Stadium on Sept. 3.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com or follow him on Twitter at @osmattmurschel.
