Joey Johnston Athletics Senior Writer
GOUSFBULLS.COM THE HOME FOR ALL BULLS SPORTS
This season, the USF football program will be challenged by some rugged non-conference competition (Alabama on the road, Miami at home). Right off the bat in the American Athletic Conference, the Bulls will be severely tested (Tulane on the road, Memphis at home).
But as Head Coach Alex Golesh‘s team finally sprinted onto the fall training-camp field Wednesday morning, it was stalked by the most formidable opponent of all.
Expectations.
In some cases … great expectations.
After finishing 7-6 — with a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory against Syracuse — things are on the upswing. USF was picked fourth (after being saddled at 13th last season) in the AAC Preseason Media Poll.
USF is expected to be good. It’s expected to contend in the AAC. It’s expected to earn a bowl-game bid. And maybe, just maybe, there’s even more in store if legitimate AAC championship contention becomes a reality.
The Bulls say they are ready.
“Everybody in the room knows our standards,” Golesh said Tuesday during USF football’s media and photo day. “Now it’s our job to uphold the standards. And obviously, there are (more) expectations this year than from a year ago, which is really positive. People care. People are talking about South Florida football. We’ve put it back in the conversation.
“The hardest thing to do in coaching is where there are actually expectations, to live up to it in some way. So, we go right back to nothing else matters outside of what’s in that room. Nothing else matters outside of how we go about our daily business. As much as you get sick of me talking about, it’s what our process day to day looks like. If our process can continue to improve, we’ll have a chance to have a successful season.”
https://gousfbulls.com/showcase/embed.aspx?title=USF%20Football%20Enters%20Fall%20Camp%20With%20Great%20Confidence%20and%20Great%20Expectations%20-%20USF%20Athletics&youtube=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fembed%2FoMyYPfK2oIQ%3Fsi%3DLmY63tuFTM8qTlYh&autoplay=falseQuarterback Byrum Brown, recently announced on the Maxwell Award Watch List, is checking in at 6-foot-3, 229 pounds (he entered USF’s program as a 195-pound true freshman in 2022). He’s clearly the face of the Bulls as one of the nation’s most dynamic quarterbacks (eighth nationally in total offense at 4,101 yards in 2023).
Brown said he likes the look of things.
“I feel very comfortable and very confident in this team,” Brown said. “We’ve all put in a lot of work. I think we’re going to make a monumental jump this season and I can’t wait for camp to begin.
“Just walking around campus, there’s a different buzz. But you’ve got to keep a level head and keeping putting in the work. We’re focused on our inner circle, people inside the building, and being where our feet are. The outside noise doesn’t really bother us.”
For USF players, the word “process” is real.
“We kept hearing about ‘the process’ constantly, but now we know what that is and why it’s so important,” defensive tackle Rashad Cheney said. “Before you can win, you’ve got to know how to win. And that’s by following your process. I think this team knows how to work and how to prepare. You can give the effort, but you’ve got to know what really matters.”
What matters most in fall training camp?
Offensive Efficiency: Golesh wants more from his go-go offense, which put up big numbers in 2023, but often bogged down at inopportune moments.
Particularly, Golesh wants improvement in the red zone (USF was 73.2-percent in scoring, 119th nationally) and third-down conversions (37.7-percent, 79th nationally).
“You’re like, ‘Man, the (offensive) numbers are impressive,’ then you look at the situational football numbers … and they are not,” Golesh said. “You’re averaging 33 points a game instead of 50 because you can’t convert in the red zone. That’s where you win and lose football games.”
Defensive Production: The Bulls had some stellar defensive efforts in 2023, including the shutout of Syracuse and holding Alabama to a one-score game until late in the fourth quarter. But there were also costly breakdowns, including the surrendering of 50-plus points against UAB, Florida Atlantic and Memphis, plus 49 points at UTSA.
Bulls’ defensive coordinator Todd Orlando said he’s counting on beefed-up depth and another year in the system to make his squad into more of a consistently productive unit.
“I think we did a great job in the transfer portal … I think we hit on every one of them,” Orlando said. “We’ve got to continue to develop throughout camp. It’s going to come together. It’s going to take some time. You cannot dig low into the ground and plant a tree. You’ve got to dig and dig and dig. Hopefully, we start to get some of the fruit right now.”
The Newcomers: Whether it was the transfer portal or the traditional recruiting cycle, the Bulls believe they have significantly enhanced their talent. Now it’s a matter of seeing how many of the new players can assume important roles.
Defensively, the Bulls added several pieces, including safety D’Marco Augustin (31 starts at Youngstown State), safety Kajuan Banks (25 games at South Carolina), defensive tackle Decarius Hawthorne (34 games at Florida Atlantic), linebacker Langston Long (seven starts at Virginia) and cornerback Deshawn Rucker (24 games at Tennessee).
Offensively, the newcomers include freshman tight end Jonathan Echols (four-star recruit from IMG Academy), wide receiver Josh Hardeman (the former Josh Cobbs who played at Houston and Wyoming), running back Ta’Ron Keith (37 games at Bowling Green), freshman wide receiver Josh Porter (three-star recruit), tight end Payton Singletary (28 games at Cincinnati), offensive lineman Jack Wilty (transfer from Colorado), freshman wide receiver Brandon Winton (three-star recruit) and wide receiver Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (former four-star recruit, transfer from Purdue).
“I think success, outside of how I get evaluated (wins and losses), is us becoming the best version of whatever we are,” Golesh said. “We’re here to build a program, not just a team, something that’s sustainable over time, something that you can point to and say, ‘Man, there’s something really, really special there, year in and year out.’
“We have not done that. We couldn’t do it week to week a year ago, let alone do it for a season. The No. 1 priority is for us to become the best version of ourselves. I think the teams that limit themselves in that regard, where guys don’t maximize their abilities, those are the average teams. And a year ago, that’s where we were. But from the start of last year’s training camp to right now, we have come a long, long way.”
Last season, Golesh said the Bulls “literally crawled into camp,” just trying to stay healthy. There was little depth and not much competition at some positions. Now there’s continuity, an understanding of the system and unified effort.
There’s also trust.
“I think last year, it was more like a one foot in, one foot out type of deal,” running back Nay’Quan Wright said. “Like, ‘Can we trust these guys (coaches)?’ Now it’s two feet in. Everybody has bought in. We know what to expect from a tempo standpoint. I expect us to go even faster and I definitely can see us putting up more points.”
“Right now, our confidence is to the sky, so much higher than it was last year at this time,” wide receiver Sean Atkins said. “We’ve been working this whole offseason and now it’s finally football time. We get to put the pads back on, get out there and start competing. We can’t wait.”
