Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #65 OL Mike Lofton

One last season for a veteran leader on the offensive line.

PLAYER: Mike Lofton

POSITION: Offensive lineman (center)

YEAR: Redshirt senior

HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'2", 320 lbs.

HOW DID HE GET HERE? Any player who renounces Central Florida by transferring across I-4 is a winner in my book, so I’m a big Lofton fan. In 2020, he was a low three-star prospect out of Calvary Christian in Clearwater when he committed to UCF. He spent two seasons there, playing in eleven games, mostly on special teams and some mop-up duty on the interior of the line. He became a national hero and transferred to USF in 2022, where he immediately earned a spot as a valuable member of the offensive line rotation. He started a few games at guard in 2022, then locked down the starting center job for the entirety of the 2023 season.

HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Lofton opened the season as the starting center again, and kept the job for the first six games of the season. With the Bulls’ offensive line struggling, they made the switch to Cole Best against UAB. Best held the position down from there, so Lofton was limited to special teams work and spot duty when Best was banged up.

WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? Given USF’s offensive improvements during the second half of 2024, Best presumably has the inside track on the center job, but Lofton will be competing with him this offseason. Best has been banged up this spring, and while there’s no indication that it’s anything serious, this is still a position battle worth keeping an eye on. Even Lofton he doesn’t win the job, having a backup center with 22 career starts is a rare luxury.

It should also be noted that even if Lofton doesn’t start this year, it’s been a joy having him in green and gold. Lofton emerged in late 2022 and early 2023 as one of the Bulls’ veteran leaders, and he’s been unanimously praised by both coaching staffs for being a model citizen on and off the field (to wit: in 2023, he was named to the watch list for the Wuerffel Trophy, which honors college football’s leaders in community service). We should all be thankful that Lofton chose to spend the last few years playing college ball in Tampa.

Bonus: Mike can probably play receiver in a pinch, if needed.