South Florida makes unexpected move after upset win over Florida

Power plays in college recruiting are nothing new, but it was still a gutsy move by South Florida. Making sure a UF commit saw USF's upset victory suggests a logical plan. The plan seems to be to take the Gators' money, take the Gators' game, and then take the Gators' recruit.

More on Luckas

Luckas is a three-star prospect per 247sports, and the 6'5" tackle prospect actually took an official visit to USF days after committing to Florida in June. Luckas took official visits to UF and West Virginia before making his commitment and then took his visit to USF. Suffice it to say after the postgame call that the Bulls aren't giving up on this recruit despite his commitment to their vanquished foe.

2026 recruiting for UF, USF

Florida has fared well in 2026 recruiting, already claiming 19 commitments ahead of the Early Signing Period in December. 247sports ranks the Florida class No. 14 nationally, with the Gators having commitments in hand from 10 4-star prospects, including seven players ranked in the Top 200 nationally by 247sports.

South Florida is sitting at 54th in the 2026 recruiting rankings from 247sports. The Bulls are noted as already having a whopping 33 commitments for the 2026 class. USF doesn't have any four-star recruits in the current 247 rankings, nor do they have any players ranked in the national Top 200.

But USF's Week 2 win proves that the Bulls are capable of winning big games without amassing a ton of highly-ranked recruits. This doesn't mean that USF will stop pursuing those recruits, even if they're committed to Florida. With more wins, the Bulls might just flip some of those commits.