Expectations for the USF Bulls are high as the second season begins under head coach Alex Golesh.
The Bulls are coming off a 7-6 season, which is just a mediocre season for most college football programs, but considering that the Bulls had one or three wins the prior two seasons, seven wins was a huge accomplishment for the program.
That 7-6 record included a 45-0 win over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.
The Bulls had some issues to address this off-season, most notably the offensive line and shoring up the defense.
Bulls Offense Was Top 20 in 2023
Offensively, the Bulls were one of the top offenses in the country in 2023, averaging 32 points a game, good for number 32 in the country.
In total offense, USF averaged 452 yards a game, which was good for 17th in the country.
It was on defense where the Bulls struggled last season, giving up 432 yards a game, which ranked 115th nationally.
The Bulls’ run defense was respectable, finishing number 47 in the country, but against the pass, the Bulls gave up close to 300 yards a game.
Coach Golesh knows the Bulls need to make considerable improvements in the pass defense to take this program to new heights.
Bulls Return Key Pieces on Offense
The leader of the offense, Byrum Brown, returns to lead the offense in 2024. Brown took over as a starter in the final two games of the 2022 season and has never looked back, starting all games during the 2023 season.
He became the second player in USF history to accumulate over 4,000 yards in total offense, joining another USF quarterback, Quinton Flowers, in the 4,000-yard club.
Brown also completed 64.6 percent of his passes, running for 809 yards and throwing for 3,292 yards.
Brown will have his favorite target back, wide receiver Sean Atkins. Atkins will be back for another season in Tampa after catching 92 passes for 1,064 yards last season.
A transfer from Purdue, Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen, is expected to step into a starting wide receiver spot, and expectations are high for the Purdue transfer.
Wide receiver Naiem Simmons, wide receiver Jaden Alexis, and tight end Weston Wolff also return for the Bulls.
All three featured running backs from last year’s squad will return: Nay’Quan Wright, K’Wan Powell, and Kelly Joiner.
With a revamped offensive line led by iron man Mike Lofton, the Bulls should again have a top-30 running attack.
Bulls Need To Show Improvement on Defense
The defensive side of the ball is where the Bulls need to show the most improvement.
Against Alabama, the Bulls’ defense held the Crimson Tide to 17 points and kept Syracuse off the scoreboard in the Boca Raton Bowl.
It was the games in between where the Bulls struggled, giving up 36.5 points a game, finishing 10th in the conference in total defense and scoring defense.
Bulls Return Majority of Starters on Defense
The Bulls return eight defensive starters and have added three transfers to the secondary to improve the pass defense.
Jhalyn Shuler is back for his senior season to lead the linebackers. Shuler led the team with 97 tackles last season. The Bulls also return linebackers DJ Gordon and Mac Harris.
Safety Jalean Stokes and cornerback Aamaris Brown return to anchor the secondary. Both Stokes and Brown had two interceptions for the Bulls last season.
The Bulls should be strong up front as all four linemen return: DJ Harris, Doug Blue-Eli, Rashad Cheney, and Tramel Logan. Cheney and Logan finished 1-2 in tackles for loss for USF
It was a brutal season for the Bulls on defense, but they finished on a good note, allowing just 14 points to Charlotte and shutting out Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl in their final two games.
Freshman kicker Nico Gramatica, the son of Buccaneers legend Martin Gramatica, arrives at USF to bring some competition to incumbent kicker John Cannon.
After the strong finish last season, expectations are sky-high for the Bulls this season, and many are predicting a trip to the conference championship game.
However, the national media has tempered those expectations, picking the Bulls for fourth in the AAC behind Memphis, UTSA, and Tulane.
The Bulls will kick off the 2024 season against an FCS school, Bethune Cookman, on Saturday at 7 PM. USF is 32-1 against FCS opponents since becoming an FBS program.