University of South Florida Athletics has been named one of Front Office Sports’ “Best College Athletic Departments” for 2024.
Under the visionary leadership of its Vice President for Athletics, Michael Kelly, USF Athletics has invested in cutting-edge facilities and resources to enhance all teams. Since 2018, USF has earned 17 American Athletic Conference team championships and two divisional titles and won two NCAA championships, along with six cheer national championships.
In recent years, USF has announced the additions of women’s lacrosse and beach volleyball. Lacrosse is slated to debut on Feb. 7, 2025, while beach volleyball will begin competition during the 2025-26 academic year. These additions bring the total number of varsity sports to 21.
In 2022, USF opened its $22 million state-of-the-art Porter Family Indoor Performance Facility, an 88,000-square-foot facility that serves all athletics varsity teams and hosts university functions and events.
Later this year, USF will also break ground on its on-campus stadium, which will host home football and lacrosse games and be transformational beyond sports. The $340 million project will enhance the student, faculty, staff, and alumni experience on campus and create a strong sense of community.
Since Kelly’s arrival, USF Athletics has added or invested in more than a dozen of its facilities, including the Bulls Broadcast and Video Productions Center inside the Muma Basketball Center. This center streams more than 160 events a year on ESPN+ to showcase student-athletes and offers an educational facility and opportunity for USF students.
Academically, student-athletes continue to achieve impressive marks, on and off the field. For the past 19 semesters, they have posted a 3.0 or higher combined grade point average, with a record 338 student-athletes earning Athletics Honor Roll recognition. Student-athletes also take part in the Selmon Mentoring Institute, a three-class development course focused on personal exploration, career growth, and mentoring. In addition, the Stampede for Women initiative gives alumni, donors, and the community a chance to offer their talents and resources for student-athlete development.
Physical and mental health are priorities for all athletes at USF Athletics. Building Better Bulls is a peer-to-peer mental health support group run by athletes. Throughout the year, athletes from all teams come together regularly to connect, share experiences, and receive support to create a sense of community.
To enhance student-athletes’ visibility in the name, image, and likeness space, USF announced the addition of a new NIL Strategy Unit this year. Staff members are responsible for identifying NIL opportunities, managing marketing and fundraising efforts, providing education, scheduling and fulfilling NIL commitments, and expanding NIL resources, all while supporting USF’s nearly 500 student-athletes. Meanwhile, the Fowler Avenue Collective operates as the exclusive NIL collective for USF Athletics.
During the last fiscal year, the Bulls Club, USF Athletics’ fundraising backbone, raised a record $42 million to support student-athletes.
“USF Athletics intends to be a model athletic department for modern times, and this award is proof that we are moving in the right direction,” said USF Vice President for Athletics, Michael Kelly. “Our athletics department and university are aligned and together, we are on a great trajectory to build a deep sense of community for all those that come to USF.”
The University of South Florida triumphed in securing the “Best College Athletic Department” award from Front Office Sports in its first year. The accolade was also bestowed upon Clemson University, the University of Oklahoma, the University of Oregon, Wake Forest University, Old Dominion University, and Fairfield University.
Last year, the University of South Florida became the first Florida public university to join the Association of American Universities (AAU) in almost 40 years. This formalized USF’s position as a leading research university. Last fiscal year, USF raised a record-high $692 million in total research funding. It has also been ranked in the top 50 of all public universities for six consecutive years.
About the “Best College Athletic Department” Award
The best college athletic departments address the specific challenges of scholastic sports in the modern age. They are leaders in the collegiate sports sector, executing unique, holistic, and empowering programs to help college athletes navigate an era of accelerating change so these up-and-comers can enjoy lasting success—physically, mentally, and monetarily.
To recognize these departments, Front Office Sports and Sports Innovation Lab teamed up to identify this year’s best athletic programs, those modeling to the rest of the collegiate athletic sector how to innovate on behalf of college athletes of today and tomorrow.
Collegiate athletic departments across the U.S. of all sizes and members of any division were eligible to participate. Applicants submitted responses to a 28-question online form between May 27 and Sept. 4, 2024. Questions covered the following categories:
- Sports-related facilities and resources
- Mental health and other wellness services
- NIL (name, image, and likeness) deregulation support and education
- Career transition services
Responses were carefully evaluated and scored, and the final selections represent those departments that have demonstrated exceptional innovation in, and commitment to, a brighter future for college athletes.
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 21 varsity men’s and women’s teams that compete in 13 different sports, 20 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference, including the recent additions of women’s lacrosse and women’s beach volleyball. The Bulls’ athletic program began in 1965 and will be in its 59th season in 2024-25. Nearly 500 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Fla. USF has garnered 16 national championships in varsity sports (the latest in 2022-23 in the NCAA indoor and outdoor high jump) and owns 149 conference titles won in 16 sports in department history, led by 20 each for men’s tennis and men’s soccer. USF has claimed 80 men’s conference championships and 69 women’s titles, led by 14 in women’s tennis and 12 in volleyball, and owns 32 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including four in 2023-24. USF student-athletes have posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for a program record of 19 straight semesters as of spring 2024. USF has had over 700 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
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