TAMPA, Fla. — The USF Bulls head into the 2024 season with high expectations. After ending the 2023 season with a Boca Raton Bowl victory to finish 7-6 and recruiting the AAC’s highest-ranked class, national pundits foresee the Bulls taking the next step.
It may be easy to forget that USF went 1-11 in 2022 because of the current hype surrounding the program, but second-year head coach Alex Golesh has not forgotten.
That 1-11 team is the one he inherited when USF Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly hired him on December 4, 2022. Since that day, Golesh has been on a mission to make the Bulls as good as possible, as fast as possible. Before his team could play good football, he made sure they were good at everything else.
“We had to become a process-driven organization,” Golesh said. “I mean worrying about the day to day of how we do anything. I'm talking from how we sleep, how we wake up, how we come into the building, our attitude, our effort, how we treat our teammates, how we eat, how we work out…everything.”
As the offseason progressed, Golesh noticed the players buying into the process, as well as his new fast-paced style of offense. Of all the players on the roster, a redshirt freshman quarterback stood out as one of the most invested.
His name—Byrum Brown.
“When we got here, I think he had this really cool confidence about him. A swag [that said], ‘man… watch me,’” Golesh said.
Brown only saw action in four games in 2022, but Golesh was convinced that he was the right man to lead his offense. He named Brown the starting quarterback before the regular season began in September.
The Raleigh, North Carolina native became the first USF quarterback to pass for 3,000 yards in a single season. He also rushed for 809 yards, joining Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels as the only collegiate players to pass for 3,000 yards and rush for 800 yards in 2023. Brown also set program records for passing touchdowns and completion percentage. Plus, he earned the Boca Raton Bowl Offensive MVP award after throwing for 214 yards and three scores.
“He's such a competitive, smart player,” Golesh said. “I’ve said it before, but I smile when I talk about him because he's the reason you coach.”
Golesh also smiles when he thinks about the upcoming season because 20 starters, including Brown, are back. This means he can continue his mission to make the Bulls as good as he can as fast he can.
“The part I really, really love is being on the field and helping young guys, helping young guys solve problems off the field,” he said.
The regular season begins on August 31 against Bethune-Cookman at Raymond James Stadium.