The USF Bulls are in the middle of their spring football practices, which will culminate with the spring game on April 19th.
The Bulls are coming off a season in which they went 9-4, played in their third straight bowl game, and spent five weeks in the AP top 25.
New head coach Brian Hartline will have 54 returning players on the roster, along with commitments from 41 new players acquired through the transfer portal. Not only is Hartline preparing his team on the field and in the weight room for the upcoming season, but he is also setting expectations for the kind of culture he wants to establish at South Florida.
“We want to be the best in the country,” Hartline said about the culture he is creating at USF. “Both on and off the field, there is no tolerance for lack of effort. We don’t coach effort. We can encourage and inspire. But showing effort is a necessity, a must. The expectations have been set, and they will not be lowered.”
What have we seen, and what can we expect from USF in terms of style of play in 2026?
For the first time in four years, quarterback Byrum Brown will not be under center. Instead, Hartline will choose a starter from this group of four, including junior Michael Van Buren, senior K. J. Cooper, sophomore Jayden Bradford, and redshirt sophomore Luke Kromenhook.
Hartline said there is no way any of the four quarterbacks will win the job during the spring workout period.
“There’ll be no shot,” Hartline said. “These guys will compete, and we’ll try to figure it out before game one.”
Hartline did expound on what he is looking for in the starting quarterback position.
“Obviously, the quarterback is touching the ball every single play. So you want a guy that you trust. It could be a good problem solver, a guy that can be a good fixer and really provide value to everyone. So it’s not about the production as it is the true execution of playing.”
“We want a guy we trust. We want a guy who provides a lot of value to his other teammates, and is consistent emotionally and production-wise day to day.”
The wide receiver room will be missing four starters from last year’s team. Jeremiah Koger, Christian Neptune, KeShaun Singleton, and Kory Pettigrew all entered the transfer portal and will be playing elsewhere. Those losses represent 123 catches, 1,946 receiving yards, and 20 touchdowns from last year’s squad.
Mudia Reuben, who played in just three games last season, will return to the Bulls. He will join Ohio State transfer Bryson Rodgers, Tennessee transfer Cameron Seldon and Baylor transfer Amani Winfield in the wide receiver room.
If you’re a wide receiver with aspirations of playing in the NFL, there is no coach better than Brian Hartline for preparing wide receivers for the NFL. Hartline himself played in the NFL, catching 344 balls over seven seasons.
Consider these names: Jaxson-Smith Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr, Garrett Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave, Emeka Egbuka and Jameson Williams. Those seven players have signed contracts worth north of $550 million, and that does not include Carnell Tate, who will be a first-round pick in the upcoming draft. And all were coached by Hartline.
The Bulls’ defense will also be a work in progress this spring, as nine new defensive backs join USF via the transfer portal.
What you can accept is a “swing first, ask questions later” aggressive mentality that has served defensive coordinator Josh Eldridge well in his previous stops. Effort, tackling and execution are things discussed every single day, and every member of the defense must be bought into that mentality.
There is no question that the defense has been the achilles heel for the football team during the Alex Golesh era. The talent has been there, but for whatever reason, they have not been able to get over the hump, such as winning the AAC and playing in the conference championship game.
Brian Hartline and Josh Eldridge hope to change that ending and give the Bulls their first AAC football title.