Kerwin Bell Set to Join USF as Offensive Coordinator

USF’s football program (7-6) has been looking for a new offensive coordinator for a few weeks now.

Head coach Charlie Strong saw his former OC, Sterlin Gilbert, accept a head-coaching gig at McNeese State back in early December. Rather than rush the decision, the program decided to wait until the College Football season concluded to announce their newest hire.

Kerwin Bell will reportedly leave his post as head coach at Valdosta State in Georgia to help Strong lead his offense in South Florida.

The 53-year-old led the Blazers to their fourth Division II National Championship in school history this season. With that, Bell finished his final season at the school undefeated (14-0). His team also scored the most points of any school in Division II NCAA history.

Hearing Kerwin Bell leaving Valdosta State and becoming the offensive coordinator at South Florida is a done deal. The contract at USF for Bell is two years. Valdosta State looking to promote from within, but some of the top candidates may follow Bell to South Florida @abc27

— Alison Posey (@AlisonPosey14) January 10, 2019

Bulls Could Gain Explosive Philosophy

While he wasn’t coaching at the highest division of College Football, Bell certainly made noise during his tenure there. He made unprecedented strides in his third season at VSU with a program that was only 13-7 in his first two seasons there.

Prior to his time at VSU, Bell earned his reputation for working as the head coach for Jacksonville for nine seasons.

In 2018, the Bulls’ offense rushed for an average of 194 yards per game. They also averaged 7.3 yards per pass play.

Offense wasn’t the reason for the Bulls’ struggles last season. They didn’t allow less than 27 points in any of their last six games — all losses. Strong’s team only held one opponent to under 20 points all season.

But Bell’s offense actually averaged more yards on the ground than through the air in their record-setting 2018 season. His ground-and-pound mentality may help Strong and USF be more effective late in games.

Bell’s Previous Work Now Paying Dividends

Now in the American Athletic Conference of Division I football, Bell has the opportunity to highlight his coaching prowess for more people to see. Following an undefeated season like the one he’s coming off, there’s no question that he’s capable of adding a bit of edge to a Bull’s program that lost its most games since 2014 last season.

According to an @abc27 report, @USFFootball has found their new offensive coordinator in Valdosta State head coach Kerwin Bell.

He rode an offense that averaged 52 points per game all the way to a Division II national championship in 2018. @SBNationCFB https://t.co/kdC1myBmgr

— The Bay Area Examiner (@BayAreaExaminer) January 10, 2019