Notre Dame Football: 3 Players to Watch on the South Florida Defense

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Tampa, FL – SEPT 1: Malcolm Summers #5 of the Elon Phoenix gets taken down by Dwayne Boyles #11 of the South Florida Bulls in the second quarter of a football game on September 1, 2018 at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by (Photo by Julio Aguilar/Getty Images) /

Dwayne Boyles – Linebacker (Junior)

Boyles is the most talented defender on South Florida’s roster. Athlon and Phil Steele listed Boyles as a third-team preseason All-AAC player. He possesses the size and the history of production that warrants All-AAC praise.

At 6’3″ 227 lbs, Boyles looks like a big-time Linebacker. Playing on the Weakside in 2019, he led the team in tackles after only starting 9 contests. Boyles collected 75 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss and 3 sacks. He also played his Freshman season – making 2 starts at the Weakside Linebacker spot. Clearly, Boyles is disruptive.

Next. 3 players to watch on the USF offense. dark

Notre Dame Head Coach Brian Kelly frequently discusses “game wreckers” in his weekly press conferences. Boyles might wreck some Irish offensive drives on Saturday with his propensity to make negative plays (12.5 tackles for loss in 2019). If South Florida wants to stay in the game, they need to make several plays in the backfield. The Bulls will come into Notre Dame Stadium with nothing to lose. Players like Boyles will play aggressively, trying to make big plays. On a team that is not extremely talented, Boyles is one of the players capable of giving Ian Book, Tommy Rees and Brian Kelly a headache on Saturday.

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