Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #56 OL Cole Skinner

The Bulls want to be eight or nine deep on the offensive line, and today's player will be one of that number.

PLAYER: Cole Skinner

POSITION: Offensive lineman (guard)

YEAR: Junior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'5", 325 lbs.

HOW DID HE GET HERE? From Point Pleasant High School on the Jersey Shore, an area very dear to my heart. Skinner was rated a low three-star recruit and got a good handful of G5 and FCS offers. He chose the Bulls over Coastal Carolina and Temple, among others, and made it official on early signing day. He got very good reviews from the coaching staff in the offseason and had an excellent true freshman season, even earning three starts at left guard down the stretch amidst some injuries.

HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Skinner set the bar impossibly high by breaking into the first team offensive line as a true freshman, but still managed to have a solid sophomore campaign. He was listed on the depth chart as the second-team right guard throughout the season and appeared in 11 games, but Jack Wilty and Deonte Bowie got the call as fill-in starters ahead of him.

Per PFF, he earned the ninth-most snaps of any Bulls offensive lineman in 2024.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? Skinner is clearly among the group of linemen trusted by this staff, though he’ll probably start out as a depth piece this season. Andrew Kilfoyl’s transfer leaves one open spot at guard, but the main contenders there appear to be Wilty and transfer Thomas Shrader. Along with Bowie, Skinner is one of the Bulls’ most experienced backup linemen and is a lock to appear on the two-deep. If injuries hit or the line struggles again, he’ll probably be one of the first names called. He’s also got a great shot at a starting role in 2026.