USF lands marquee transfer in defensive end Lynch

The USF football team landed a major transfer Monday, as defensive end Aaron Lynch committed to play for the Bulls following his departure from Notre Dame earlier this month.

One of the stars of the 2011 recruiting class, Lynch signed for the Fighting Irish out of Island Coast High School in Cape Coral. Rivals.com rated him as a four-star prospect and the third-best defensive end in the country.

Lynch made his official visit to USF last weekend, taking in the Spring Game before committing. The Bulls were the first team to offer Lynch a scholarship out of high school, but he never made a visit.

With Aaron originally being from Florida, were very familiar with the kind of player he is, Holtz said. Aaron had a great freshman season at Notre Dame and were excited to welcome him into the Bulls family.

He held offers from schools including Alabama, Florida, Florida State, Miami and Ohio State, among others, before choosing Notre Dame, where he excelled as a true freshman last season, making his debut against the Bulls.

Lynch played in 12 games, starting six and recording 33 tackles and 5.5 sacks, which led the team. He was selected as a first-team Freshman All-American.

According to espn.com, Lynch is transferring to USF to be closer to his girlfriend, who lives in Tampa. Unless USF can find a reason to submit an NCAA hardship waiver, Lynch will sit out the upcoming season before becoming eligible for the 2013 season.

You never want to lose a great player, Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly said to ESPN. But if its not the right fit, you want to find them the right fit.

Lynch could be a one-and-done player for USF after the 2013 season, when he will become eligible for the NFL draft.

Former USF running back Darrell Scott came to USF via transfer from Colorado as a highly-rated high school prospect in California. After sitting out one season and then playing one season for the Bulls, Scott declared for the NFL draft, which begins April 26.