Stampeding Through the 2025 USF Football Roster: #78 OL Jack Wilty
Our countdown reaches the offensive line.
PLAYER: Jack Wilty
POSITION: Offensive lineman
YEAR: Senior
HEIGHT/WEIGHT: 6'4", 321 lbs.
HOW DID HE GET HERE? Wilty’s been around the block a bit. He graduated from Southeast Polk High School in Des Moines, Iowa in 2020, getting tabbed as a high two-star prospect by the recruiting services. He committed to Northern Illinois, but he didn’t see any action and redshirted during the 2020 season. He then transferred to Iowa Central Community College, where an impressive 2022 season got him a mid three-star rating and put him on the radar of a number of power conference schools. He ended up enrolling at Colorado, where he started in the Buffs’ opener and played sparingly after that. He entered the transfer portal at the end of the season and committed to USF in April 2024.
HOW WAS HIS 2024 SEASON? Wilty did well to get himself in the offensive line rotation in fall practice and was quickly called into action as the Bulls frequently shuffled their line in 2024 due to injuries and inconsistency. Wilty became a bit of a jack of all trades for the Bulls, playing in all 13 games and starting nine at three different positions across the line. Early in the season he started three games at left guard before Andrew Kilfoyl permanently won the job. He then filled in for RJ Perry at left tackle for the Tulane game, and finally ended the season starting a handful of games at right guard while Zane Herring was injured. Wilty was often the first man off the bench to fill in at any position of need on the O-line, and while he had some struggles early on, he was clearly a trusted member of the unit by the end of the season. Per PFF, he ended up playing the third-most snaps of any member of the Bulls’ offensive line.
WHAT SHOULD WE EXPECT IN 2025? We’ll talk about this more later, but it stands to reason that at least two starting spots in the USF offensive line are set in stone: Zane Herring at guard and Derek Bowman at tackle (both played on the right side in 2024, but could conceivably be swapped around if the situation demands it). Cole Best also likely has the edge over Mike Lofton at center. That leaves two spots - one tackle and one guard - still to be filled. Wilty is a logical option to start at either position, but USF also brought in two very convincing transfers in Connor McLaughlin (Stanford) and Thomas Shrader (App State), both of whom have extensive starting experience, to compete for those spots. There are other contenders, but you’d have to assume that two of Wilty, Shrader, and McLaughlin will be lining up with the first team against Boise State in August. Regardless of whether Wilty wins a starting job, his experience and versatility make him an invaluable member of the Bulls’ offensive line, and he’ll undoubtedly be called upon in big moments again this season.