The 2025–26 season brought several individual honors for the South Florida Bulls men’s basketball program, as players and coaches across the American Athletic Conference recognized the program’s improvement and the impact of multiple Bulls contributors.
South Florida saw several players earn postseason recognition, highlighting both veteran leadership and emerging young talent within the program.
Izaiyah Nelson made history as he was a three-time award winner in the AAC postseason awards. Nelson was named AAC Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. Both awards were unanimous among the voters. Nelson was also named the AAC Newcomer of the Year. He is the first player in conference history to sweep the three postseason awards.
Nelson averaged 15.8 points per game and 9.8 rebounds per game and ranked sixth in the NCAA with 18 double-doubles. Nelson is in elite company as he is just the second player in conference history to win both Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. He joins Gary Clark of Cincinnati, who accomplished that feat during the 2017-18 season.
In addition, head coach Bryan Hodgson was named AAC Coach of the Year, completing the second-best regular season in USF history. Hodgson led the Bulls to the regular-season AAC crown, tying the record for most wins in a season with 23, set in 2023-24. The Bulls also set a record with nine road wins.
When Hodgson was introduced as coach, he told the media they would win a conference championship. Not many thought it would happen this season, but as the season began to unfold and the Bulls started racking up impressive wins, Hodgson’s statement became true.
Two other USF players earned postseason awards. Junior guard Wes Enis made the All-AAC team along with Nelson. Enis also joined his teammate as a unanimous All-Newcomer team selection. This is just the second time in program history that two South Florida players have earned First-Team All-AAC honors in the same season.
Enis, along with Joe Pinion, set a new program record for three-point shots made in a season, each making 100 three-pointers, eclipsing Tyler Harris’s 97 set in the 2022-23 season. Enis and Pinion also helped USF to a record 300-point field goals made this season.
Pinion earned Third-Team All-AAC honors and was an All-Newcomer team selection.
USF also eclipsed their previous scoring record of 83.8 points per game, as this version of the Bulls averaged 88.4 points per game. USF also broke the conference record for most 100-point games in a season with six, as the Bulls were involved in three of the four highest scoring games in program history.
South Florida is peaking at exactly the right time, riding a nine-game winning streak, and are winners of 12 out of their last 13 games.
USF has the number one seed in the AAC Tournament and has a bye to the semi-finals on Saturday afternoon.
Hodgson continues to heap praise on this year’s USF team.
“This is the most selfless, driven group of men that I’ve ever coached,” he said. “And I’ve been a part of some damn good teams, but this one is different.”
USF still has unfinished business to take care of, and that will start Saturday afternoon in Birmingham.