Andre Hall update and more ...

-- Saturday is a huge day for Andre Hall at the NFL combine workouts in Indianapolis, but he's coming off a good day Friday. Hall had interviews with all 32 teams -- including extended sessions with the Broncos and Browns -- and was able to bench-press 225 pounds 18 times in the strength test administered Friday. Of the 10 running backs whose 225s I've seen listed, six had 18, and only had more than 21, so this isn't too telling one way or another. Hall's agent, by the way, is Jonathan Kline, who also represents former USF standout J.R. Reed. If Hall can run anything 4.5 or lower on Saturday, he'll really help himself solidify himself as a first-day pick. After this, his workouts at USF are scheduled for March 18.

-- Got a very positive impression from USF's new defensive line coach, Bernard Clark. Very excited about coming back home to Tampa, and this should help the Bulls have an even stronger recruiting presence in Miami. Clark recruited Miami for FIU and said he has solid relationships at North Miami Beach, Northwestern and Miami Central. This is a guy who played with Cortez Kennedy on some great defenses at Miami, played under Jimmy Johnson and Dave Wannstedt, and was MVP of the 1988 Orange Bowl after a huge game there. FIU showed itself to be well ahead of FAU of the two south Florida startups this past season, and Don Strock has now seen three of his assistants plucked away for jobs in other programs.

-- The focus now is on finding a defensive backs coach to replace Rick Kravitz. I've talked to two assistants who have put their name in for consideration on this job, but neither has heard back about an interview. When I think about the logical criteria for this -- strong state ties, experience in a strong college program, perhaps a prior relationship with Jim Leavitt or Wally Burnham -- I find a curious match. This is pure conjecture at this point, as I haven't talked to him or gotten any sense of interest from USF, but remember this name: James Colzie. He's in his second season as the defensive graduate assistant at Florida State, where he's worked as the staff's cornerbacks coach. He coached three years at FIU with the cornerbacks before that. Colzie played defensive back at FSU when Burnham coached there, and he's from Miami, so he has ties to two more areas the Bulls recruit well. Again, just a thought, but one that seems to match up with USF's interests.