USF's Herring Is on the Outland Trophy Watch List

©Ehsan Kassim/Tallahassee Democrat-USA TODAY NETWORK

Interior offensive lineman Zane Herring transferred from Florida State down south to the University of South Florida after three seasons in Tallahassee, Fla. In his first season as a Seminole (2020), he sat out due to injury. In 2021, he made just two appearances. In 2022, he was a backup lineman and played on the field goal unit. That was the extent of his on-field action in his first three collegiate seasons.

Post-Transfer Success

In 2023, Herring transferred to USF. The change of scenery was exactly what Herring needed. He started 12 out of 13 games for the Bulls at right guard, missing only one due to injury. Herring helped the Bulls achieve a No. 17 offensive national ranking with an average of 451 yards gained per game.

He has been included in the prestigious 2024 National Football Foundation Hampshire Honor Society Membership List. 2024 NFF Hampshire Honor Society members are seniors or graduate players who attained a minimum undergraduate GPA of 3.2 while starting for their team during 2023 or otherwise contributing significantly.

Herring received additional recognition after his outstanding performance for the Bulls in 2023. He was named an honorable mention member of the All-American Athletic Conference team. Heading into 2024, Athlon Sports has named him first-team preseason All-AAC.

He can now add the distinction of inclusion on the 2024 Outland Trophy watch list to his extensive résumé.

2024 USF Outlook

Herring will be one of nine starters returning on offense for the Bulls, which will be crucial as USF head coach Alex Golesh looks to improve on the results of his inaugural season, in which the Bulls went 7-6 with a bowl win over Syracuse—a 45-0 rout in the Boca Raton Bowl.

The Bulls open the season on Aug. 31 against Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium. They follow that up with a road game against the Alabama Crimson Tide, who will be dedicating their field to former head coach Nick Saban. Then, the Bulls travel to Southern Mississippi, before returning home to face in-state rival, the Miami Hurricanes, on Sept. 21. While the games against the Tide and Hurricanes will be struggles for the Bulls, it will be critical for them to prevail in the other two.

If the Bulls get off to a reasonably strong start, they could seriously compete for the CFP spot allocated to the Group of 5 teams.