Chat here Thursday; more walk-on news

First, a programming note: I'll be doing a live chat here on the blog Thursday afternoon at 1 p.m. -- it's a chance to ask questions about all things USF and get them answered -- by me! -- in real time, just two days before the Bulls open their football season against Tennessee-Martin. It'll be a frenzied flurry of comments and insights and witty repartee and all the things you come here for.

And if you can't make it Thursday but have a question, shoot me an e-mail at auman@sptimes.com and we'll try to answer it. We'll have a full transcript up after the chat so everyone else can kick themselves for missing live.

-- I've got another walk-on expected to join the football roster next week, and it's from what is becoming a veritable walk-on pipeline: Ellsworth Community College in Iowa. The new guy is a 5-foot-11, 207-pound safety named Jessie Bundrage, who was Ellsworth's quarterback last season, throwing for 995 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception. Bundrage, like Ellsworth teammate Mistral Raymond, now at USF, played at Palmetto High School. In 2004, he led Palmetto into the state playoffs, where they lost to a Tampa Jefferson team coached by ... USF offensive line coach Mike Simmonds. Counting former running back Walt Smith and current safety Dexter Baldwin, that's four Ellsworth kids to USF in the last three years.

-- Speaking of walk-ons, there's a new addition to Jose Fernandez's women's basketball squad: 5-foot-6 guard Crystal Ayers, who was a prolific scorer at Ridgewood High in New Port Richey when I covered preps in Pasco County. Ayers, a two-time second-team all-state selection at Ridgewood, has had her college career limited by knee injuries, but played at Okaloosa-Walton Community College, then one season at Jacksonville before transferring to USF last year. In a Dec. 2006 game against USF, she had six points and 10 rebounds for the Dolphins in a 72-60 Bulls win. The Bulls also return another walk-on in 5-8 senior guard Kelsey Varney, who got a cameo in one game last season.

Comments

[Jim Johnson]

So you're following the Howard Troxler model for your chat, eh?

[G.A.]

I think so. Have you done a Troxchat?

[Dave W]

Does Leavitt have a connection at Ellsworth from his days back in Iowa?

I think I'll be missing the chat, but it is a pretty cool idea.

[george]

Donnel Engram is being red shirted at Pearl River CC this year. He will play next year at Pearl River & still have 3 seasons left with the Bulls when he returns.

[G.A.]

Thanks for the update, George. Meant to post the other day that former USF signee Kevenski McGee will be at Hinds CC in Mississippi this fall ...