TAMPA, Fla. – It was a sigh of relief following last Saturday’s loss to SMU when interim coach Daniel Da Prato indicated Katravis Marsh had full movement in his extremities and was upbeat.
The quarterback was moved onto a stretcher and carted off the field late in the fourth quarter after colliding with Mustangs linebacker Kamryn Farrar. Marsh, who underwent a surgical procedure on his neck Monday, was released from Tampa General on Tuesday.
“He’s in great spirits and we are expecting a full recovery,” said Da Prato, during his press conference Tuesday.
Da Prato, who spent some time in the hospital with Marsh on Saturday night, was sharing video messages the third-year quarterback was sending to the coach. Da Prato shared those messages with the team each morning.
“He is obviously a very strong, healthy young man, so we are hoping that helps him even more,” he said.
Byrum Brown will get the start at Tulsa on Friday night in the Bulls’ final road game of the season. The true freshman, who made his collegiate debut at Temple two weeks ago, came on for Marsh against SMU and threw his first career touchdown pass with 1:46 remaining in the 41-23 loss.
Brown has impressed his coaches and teammates since arriving at USF.
“From the moment he stepped foot on this campus, he has been a leader,” said Da Prato. “He does things the way you want them done. You want him to step up, take charge, put his best foot forward all the time and lead by example. He has shown that since he got here.”
Brian Battie, who needs 137 yards to become the first 1,000-yard rusher at USF since Jordan Cronkrite in 2018, had similar praise.
“He came in and was one of the hardest workers,” he said. “He wanted to come in and be a leader right away. He was giving me a run for my money during mat drills. I knew he was going to be something special and now he is getting an opportunity to show what he is all about.”
Da Prato said that redshirt freshman Ryan Bolduc will serve the primary backup at quarterback.
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