USF LBs Tashon Whitehurst, Nigel Harris suspended 2 games
Two veteran linebackers will miss USF’s first two games.
Bulls head coach Willie Taggart announced Tuesday that junior Nigel Harris and senior Tashon Whitehurst have been suspended for violating team rules.
Whitehurst was projected to start at weakside linebacker with Harris serving as his backup.
The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Whitehurst has played in 32 games in his career, including five starts, and has totaled 70 tackles, six tackles for loss and three sacks. Whitehurst had his best season in 2014 when he registered 49 tackles, five tackles for loss and two sacks.
The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Harris started 11 games in 2014 and tallied 77 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks and set a school record with six forced fumbles. Harris also played in 12 games as a freshman in 2013 and had 35 tackles and 2.5 tackles for loss.
With Whitehurst and Harris out, redshirt Jimmy Bayes, freshman Danny Thomas and senior C.J. Garye are potential replacements at weakside linebacker, according to the Tampa Bay Times.
"We count on everyone; we've talked about being all-in from Day One," Taggart said Tuesday, per the Times. "We're counting on every guy to come out there, but we're not gonna let any of those guys' mistakes stop us from what we're trying to do.
"We're gonna continue to go out and play and next guy up...and those guys have got to work their butt off to come back and play and earn the job back."
The Bulls should be able to get away with the drop-off at the position in their opener against FCS Florida A&M. Their Week 2 matchup – at Florida State – will likely provide a different outcome.
For more USF news, visit RunningTheBulls.com.
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