| South Florida Bulls football | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| |||
 | |||
| First season | 1997; 28 years ago | ||
| Athletic director | Rob Higgins (CEO of Athletics) | ||
| Head coach | Alex Golesh 3rd season, 22–15 (.595) | ||
| Stadium | Raymond James Stadium (capacity: 69,218) | ||
| Location | Tampa, FL | ||
| NCAA division | Division I FBS | ||
| Conference | The American | ||
| All-time record | 183–163–0 (.529) | ||
| Bowl record | 8–4 (.667) | ||
| Conference division titles | |||
| AAC East:2016 | |||
| Consensus All-Americans | 2 | ||
| Rivalries | UCF (rivalry) | ||
| Colors | Green and gold[1] | ||
| Fight song | Golden Brahman March | ||
| Mascot | Rocky D. Bull | ||
| Marching band | Herd of Thunder | ||
| Outfitter | Adidas | ||
| Nickname | Bulls | ||
| Website | gousfbulls.com/football | ||
TheSouth Florida Bulls football team represents theUniversity of South Florida (USF). TheBulls began playing in 1997, and compete in theAmerican Conference (The American) of theFootball Bowl Subdivision (FBS) within theNational Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA). The team currently plays its home games atRaymond James Stadium inTampa, Florida, however the Bulls will host home games at a new $340 million on-campus stadium starting in the 2027 season.
In 1997,Jim Leavitt, previously the co-defensive coordinator atKansas State, was hired as the team's first head coach.[2] Their first team meeting was held under a shade tree, as the school had no proper football facilities on campus.[3][4][5] The team started as a Division I-AA (nowDivision I FCS) independent for their first four seasons, finishing with a winning record three times and ranked in the AP Poll twice. During the 2000 season, their final year in Division I-AA, the Bulls beat three teams ranked in the top 15: No. 13 James Madison, No. 6 Western Kentucky, and No. 1 Troy State; as well as Division I-A Connecticut. That team finished with a 7–4 record, with all four losses coming to Division I-A opponents, however they were ineligible for the Division I-AA playoffs as they were to transition to I-A the following year.[6][7]
In 2001, the Bulls moved to Division I-A (now Division I FBS), where they remained independent.[8] They joinedConference USA in 2003,[9] but only stayed until 2005, when they became a member of theBig East Conference.[10][11] On December 31, 2005, USF lost toNC State in theMeineke Car Care Bowl, the team's first bowl appearance.[12] On December 23, 2006, USF won its first bowl game, the inauguralPapajohns.com Bowl, with a victory over former Conference USA rivalEast Carolina.[13] Leavitt led the Bulls to 5 straight bowl games from 2005 to 2009, earning a 3–2 record.
South Florida upset Top 25-ranked teams such asLouisville (2005),[14]West Virginia (2006, 2007, 2009),[15][16][17]Auburn (2007),[18]Kansas (2008)[19] andFlorida State (2009).[20] During Leavitt's tenure, the Bulls were 7–12 against opponents ranked in the Top 25.
The2007 football season marked the first ascent into both theAP Poll andBCS standings for the Bulls. They reached No. 23 after defeating No. 17 Auburn 26–23 in OT, No. 18 after defeatingNorth Carolina 37–10, No. 6 after defeating No. 5 West Virginia 21–13, No. 5 after defeatingFAU 35–23, and the team finally peaked at No. 2 in the country after defeatingUCF 64–12. The Bulls' high ranking was short lived, as South Florida lost its next 3 games after injuries plagued the team. The Bulls would rebound and win three straight games to close out the regular season ranked No. 21 in the BCS standings and No. 23 in the AP Poll. After a 9–3 season,[21] the Bulls earned a bid to their third straight bowl game, theBrut Sun Bowl againstOregon.
Leavitt was fired on January 8, 2010, after an investigation revealed that, during halftime of a game against Louisville, he grabbed a player by the shoulder pads and struck him twice across the face.[22] The investigation also claimed that Leavitt interfered with the investigation by telling several coaches and players to change their stories.[22] Leavitt maintains he never struck the player, but was merely trying to console him, and after a wrongful termination suit against USF, the school eventually settled with Leavitt for $2.75 million.[23]
On January 14, 2010,Skip Holtz, son of legendary coachLou Holtz,[24] was hired as the team's second head coach, leavingEast Carolina[25] after five seasons.
During his first season, Holtz led the Bulls to the program's first victory over theMiami Hurricanes.[26] Following the regular season, he led the Bulls to 31–26 victory over theClemson Tigers in theMeineke Car Care Bowl.[27] USF finished with an overall record of 8–5 record, the fifth consecutive season of at least eight wins.[28]
To start the2011 season, Skip Holtz led the Bulls to a dramatic 23–20 victory againstNotre Dame, his alma mater.[29] Unfortunately, the Bulls finished the season with an overall record of 5–7, the team's first losing season since 2004.[30]
The team struggled again during the2012 season, as the Bulls finished with a 3–9 record, which, at the time, was the worst in school history.[31] USF athletics directorDoug Woolard fired Holtz at the conclusion of the 2012 season, and Holtz was subsequently hired byLouisiana Tech to be the new head coach.[32][33]
On December 8, 2012, USF announced the hire ofWillie Taggart, who previously served as head football coach atWestern Kentucky.[34]
Despite having the top rated recruiting class in the American Conference heading into the 2013 season, the Bulls struggled in Taggart's first year, posting a 2–10 record, the worst record in school history[35]
USF once again had the top recruiting class in the American Conference heading into the 2014 season, and the Bulls showed improvement in Taggart's second year, finishing with a 4–8 record.[36]
In Taggart's third season, after having the second best recruiting class in theAmerican Athletic Conference, the Bulls finished with an 8–5 record.[37] After a 1–3 start, with losses to FSU,[38]Maryland,[39] andMemphis,[39] USF won seven of their next eight games, including a 44–23 upset of No. 22Temple,[39] a 65–27 victory overCincinnati,[40] and a 44–3 victory over in-state rivalUCF.[40] The Bulls earned a bid to theMiami Beach Bowl against Taggart's former team and alma mater,Western Kentucky, a game USF lost by a score of 45–35.[41] During the bowl game, multiple school records were set, including single season rushing yards (1,381), and 100-yard rushing games (9), byMarlon Mack, and single season receiving yards (822) byRodney Adams. The same day as the team's bowl game, Taggart received a three-year contract extension.[42]
Before the 2016 season, the Bulls were selected by many media outlets to win the East division of the American, and were projected to play theUniversity of Houston in theAmerican Athletic Conference Football Championship Game. The Bulls ended the 2016 season tied with Temple for 1st place in the East division, but because of a Week 8 loss to the Owls, USF did not play in the American Athletic Conference Championship Game. In a Week 5 game against Cincinnati, Marlon Mack passedAndre Hall to become the leading rusher in program history. Two weeks later, in a Week 7 game againstUConn, Mack passedB.J. Daniels to become the program leader in rushing touchdowns. After that game, Coach Taggart was included on the watch list for thePaul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award, presented annually to the best coach in college football. During their Week 9 game against No. 22Navy, the Bulls set a school record for rushing yards in a game, racking up 412 yards in a 52–45 victory.[42] The Bulls broke that record two weeks later in their Week 11 game against Memphis, rushing for 416 yards in a 49–42 victory.[42] Also in that game, the Bulls broke the school record for offensive touchdowns in a season (58). In a Week 12 game againstSMU,Quinton Flowers passedMatt Grothe to become the school leader in single-season total offense. The Bulls secured their first 10-win season after a 48–31 victory over UCF in Week 13.[43] During that game, Quinton Flowers set the school record for single season rushing yards (1,425), passing the mark Marlon Mack set in 2015. On November 30, 2016, Quniton Flowers was named theAmerican Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year, which was the first such award in school history. On December 7, 2016, Willie Taggart was announced asOregon's new head coach, a position that was vacant after the firing ofMark Helfrich on November 29, 2016.[44] Led by interim coachT. J. Weist, the Bulls ended their season with a 46–39 OT victory overSouth Carolina in the Birmingham Bowl on December 29, 2016.[45] On January 12, 2017, Quinton Flowers was named the 2017 College Football Performance Awards National Performer of the Year.[46]
On December 11, 2016, USF announced that formerTexas andLouisville head coachCharlie Strong would become the Bulls' new head coach, the fourth in school history.[47][48][49] Strong's deal was for five years, which would have kept him in Tampa through the 2021 season.[50] Strong was hired, in part, because of his strong professional and recruiting ties to the state of Florida, as he served as an assistant coach at theUniversity of Florida for almost a decade.[51][52]
Before the 2017 season, the American Athletic Conference Media Poll listed USF as the favorites to win the 2017 American Athletic Conference Championship Game and the unanimous pick to win the East division.[53] On August 3, the Bulls were ranked No. 21 in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll.[54] On August 19, Quinton Flowers was named to theManning Award Watch List, making him the first Bull to be named to five preseason watch lists, as he had already been named to watch lists for theMaxwell,Walter Camp Player of the Year,Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award, andJohnny Unitas Golden Arm awards.[55] On August 21, the Bulls were ranked No. 19 in the preseason AP Poll, which matched the highest preseason ranking in school history (2008).[56] In their Week 1 game againstSan Jose State, the Bulls set school records for both rushing attempts (74) and total plays (101) in a single game. On September 15, the Bulls earned their first victory over aBig Ten opponent, beatingIllinois 47–23. During this game, the Bulls totaled 680 yards of offense, the second-most in program history, and the most against an FBS opponent. During the Bulls' Week 4 game against Temple, Quinton Flowers became the program leader in both rushing touchdowns, passing Marlon Mack, and total touchdowns, passingMarquel Blackwell. Also during this game, the Bulls allowed only 85 yards of total offense, which is a program record against an FBS opponent. With a win in this game, the Bulls extended their winning streak to nine games, a program record. With a 33–3 win over Cincinnati in Week 7, the Bulls extended their streak of 30-plus point games to 23, matching the AP Poll era record (since 1936) set by Oregon from 2011 to 2012. The Bulls also extended their winning streak to 11 games, the longest active streak in the country. USF also equaled the best start in program history (6–0), which was previously accomplished in 2007. On October 18, Coach Strong was named on the watch list for the Paul "Bear" Bryant Coach of the Year Award.[57] With a 34–28 win over Tulane in Week 8, the Bulls extended their streak of 30-plus point games to 24, setting the AP Poll era record. This win also gave USF their best start in program history (7–0). On November 2, Quinton Flowers was named a finalist for the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. During the Bulls' Week 13 game against rival UCF, Quinton Flowers passed Matt Grothe to become the program's all-time leader in total yards. He also set single-game records for both passing yards (503) and total yards (605). After losing to No. 13 UCF, the Bulls finished the regular season in 2nd place in the East division of the American, and they ended their season with a 38–34 victory overTexas Tech in the Birmingham Bowl, finishing with a record of 10–2.
The Bulls' 2018 recruiting class was ranked second in the American Athletic Conference, behind only Cincinnati.[58] On July 24, the American Athletic Conference Media Poll ranked USF third, behind only Memphis and UCF. The Bulls were also ranked behind only UCF as favorites to win the East Division.[59] On August 2, the Bulls received six votes in the preseason Amway Coaches Poll, which put them just outside the Top 25.[60] During the Bulls' Week 6 game againstUMass, RB Jordan Cronkrite rushed for 302 yards, which set both USF and American Athletic Conference records for rushing yards in a game. On October 16, Coach Strong was named to theBobby Dodd Coach of the Year Award watchlist.[61] After starting the season 7–0, which tied the record for the best start in school history, the Bulls would lose their next five games to end the regular season 7–5. Despite the poor finish to the regular season, the Bulls were selected to play in theBad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl againstMarshall. The Bulls would lose the game 38–20, however, wide receiver Randall St. Felix set two records, one for most yards in a USF bowl game, and the other for most yards in the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, with 165 receiving yards.
The Bulls struggled in Coach Strong's third year, finishing with a record of 4–8. On December 1, 2019, Strong was fired two days after a 34–7 loss to UCF.[62]
On December 9, 2019, USF announced thatJeff Scott would be the program's fifth head coach.[63] Scott was previously the co-offensive coordinator atClemson, where he won the College Football Playoff national championship in2016 and2018, and made the final at the conclusion of the2019 season.
During Scott's first season, the Bulls suffered their worst loss in program history in a Week 3 game against No. 7Notre Dame, falling 52–0 in South Bend.[64] The 2020 season saw three games canceled due toCOVID-19, and the team finished with a record of 1–8.
The 2021 season saw the Bulls start 0–2, with losses to No. 25 NC State and No. 13 Florida, but they snapped their 10-game losing streak with a 38–17 win againstFlorida A&M. On October 23, the team won their first game against an FBS opponent in the Jeff Scott era after beating Temple 34–14. Before the final game of the season, Coach Scott fired defensive coordinatorGlenn Spencer, and within a few weeks, he found Spencer's replacement inMiami's defensive analystBob Shoop.[65][66] The team finished the 2021 season with a 2–10 record, but after the regular season, sophomore running backBrian Battie earned several First Team All-America selections, joining George Selvie as the only two Bulls to earn First Team selections from two of the five major All-America organizations.[67] When247Sports launched the Transfer Team Rankings in 2021, the Bulls opened at No. 1 with eight Division I transfers.[68]
South Florida fired Scott and defensive coordinator Bob Shoop on November 6, 2022, following a 1–8 start to the season. Special teams coordinatorDaniel Da Prato took over as interim head coach, and linebackers coachErnie Sims became defensive coordinator.[69]
On December 4, 2022, USF announced thatAlex Golesh would be the program's sixth head coach.[70] Golesh previously served as the offensive coordinator/tight ends coordinator for theUniversity of Tennessee, where he was named a finalist for theBroyles Award after the 2022 regular season. In June 2023, USF's Board of Trustees approved funding for an on-campus football stadium. The stadium is expected to open in 2027.[71]
The Bulls showed tremendous improvement in Golesh's first season, finishing with a 6–6 record in the regular season and becoming bowl eligible for the first time since 2018.[72] During the Week 11 game against Temple, wide receiverSean Atkins set the program record for receptions in a season, surpassing the previous record that was held by Rodney Adams. The very next week, in a game against UTSA, he set the program record for receiving yards in a season, surpassing the previous record that was held byMarquez Valdes-Scantling. The following week, in a game against Charlotte, quarterbackByrum Brown set the program record for passing yards in a season, surpassing the previous record that was shared by Quinton Flowers and Matt Grothe. In the process, he became the first quarterback in school history to pass for more than 3,000 yards in a season. Brown finished the season 7th in the FBS in total offense.[73] The Bulls ended the season by winning theBoca Raton Bowl, defeating Syracuse 45–0, which is the largest shutout in college bowl history.[74]
Going into the 2024 season, the Bulls had the #1 recruiting class in the American Conference. The Bulls finished the 2024 regular season with a 6–6 record, and earned an invitation to theHawaii Bowl to playSan Jose State. During the Week 8 game againstUAB, wide receiverSean Atkins passedAndre Davis for the most receptions in program history.[75] Later in the season, during the Week 14 game againstRice, Atkins would join Andre Davis as the only receivers in program history with over 2,000 receiving yards.[76] In their Week 12 win againstCharlotte, the Bulls set a program record with 425 rushing yards.[77] In Week 13, the Bulls set a program record for total yards against an FBS opponent when they tallied 715 yards in a win againstTulsa.[78] The Bulls ended the season by winning The Hawaii Bowl 41–39 in 5OT. This set for the record for the longest bowl game in history, however the record was broken just two days later when Toledo defeated Pittsburgh in theGameAbove Sports Bowl in 6OT.[79] During the game,Sean Atkins set the school record for receiving yards, passing the record previously held by Andre Davis.
For the 2025 season, the Bulls had the #2 recruiting class in the American Conference behind Memphis.
The Bulls have played as an independent, both in FCS and FBS, and as a member of three conferences.[80]
| Year | Division | Coach | Opponent | CG result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016† | The American – East | Willie Taggart | N/A lost tiebreaker toTemple | |
† Co–championship, not claimed by USF
There have been eight head coaches in program history (6 full-time, 2 interim).
| Coach | Tenure | Seasons | Games | Record | Win percentage | Bowl record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jim Leavitt | 1997–2009 | 13 | 152 | 95–57 | .625 | 3–2 |
| Skip Holtz | 2010–2012 | 3 | 37 | 16–21 | .432 | 1–0 |
| Willie Taggart | 2013–2016 | 4 | 49 | 24–25 | .490 | 0–1 |
| T. J. Weist† | 2016 | 1 | 1 | 1–0 | 1.000 | 1–0 |
| Charlie Strong | 2017–2019 | 3 | 37 | 21–16 | .568 | 1–1 |
| Jeff Scott | 2020–2022 | 3 | 30 | 4–26 | .133 | 0–0 |
| Daniel Da Prato† | 2022 | 1 | 3 | 0–3 | .000 | 0–0 |
| Alex Golesh | 2023–Present | 3 | 37 | 22–15 | .595 | 2–0 |
† Interim head coach
South Florida has participated in 12 bowl games, and they have a record of 8–4. The Bulls currently hold the record for the largest shutout victory in bowl history with a 45–0 win against Syracuse in the 2023 Boca Raton Bowl.[81]
| Season | Head coach | Bowl | Opponent | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2005 | Jim Leavitt | Meineke Car Care Bowl | NC State | L 0–14 |
| 2006 | PapaJohns.com Bowl | East Carolina | W 24–7 | |
| 2007 | Brut Sun Bowl | Oregon | L 21–56 | |
| 2008 | magicJack St. Petersburg Bowl | Memphis | W 41–14 | |
| 2009 | International Bowl | Northern Illinois | W 27–3 | |
| 2010 | Skip Holtz | Meineke Car Care Bowl | Clemson | W 31–26 |
| 2015 | Willie Taggart | Miami Beach Bowl | Western Kentucky | L 35–45 |
| 2016 | T. J. Weist† | Birmingham Bowl | South Carolina | W 46–39(OT) |
| 2017 | Charlie Strong | Birmingham Bowl | Texas Tech | W 38–34 |
| 2018 | Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl | Marshall | L 20–38 | |
| 2023 | Alex Golesh | Boca Raton Bowl | Syracuse | W 45–0 |
| 2024 | Hawai’i Bowl | San Jose State | W 41–39(5OT) |
† Interim head coach
The Bulls played their home games atTampa Stadium, which was also home of theTampa Bay Buccaneers, during their debut season in 1997, as well as the first two games of the 1998 season before moving to the newly completedRaymond James Stadium. The Bulls debuted at Raymond James Stadium on October 3, 1998 with a 45–6 win overThe Citadel.
From 1998 to 2007, the upper sections were typically not used during USF games, but the lower sections allowed for a capacity of 43,589.
On September 28, 2007, the No. 18 ranked Bulls played the No. 5 ranked West Virginia Mountaineers in front of 67,012 fans, which remained the largest USF home game crowd until September 29, 2012, when the Bulls played the FSU Seminoles in front of 69,383 fans.
The Bulls have enjoyed a considerable winning edge at home. As of the end of the 2024 season, they have a 109–67 record in home games, and a 101–65 record at Raymond James Stadium, including one streak of 21 straight home victories (11/6/1999–10/10/2003). As of the 2025 season, the Bulls are 25–4 in home openers, with their only losses coming in 2013 to McNeese State, 2019 to No. 17 Wisconsin, 2021 to No. 9 Florida, and 2022 to No. 25 BYU.
In August 2017, USF officials announced they were exploring sites for an on-campus stadium that would seat 40,000 to 50,000 fans.[82] In 2021, USF officials and the board of trustees expressed their renewed interest in an on-campus stadium making it a priority for the interim president Rhea Law. That dream has now become reality as officials confirmed the stadium will begin construction in October 2024.[83]
The team conducts practices on campus at theFrank Morsani Football Practice Complex, which opened in 2011.[84] In September 2021, the university began construction on a luxury indoor practice facility, which was completed in November 2022.[85]
Beforemajor conference realignment in the early 2010s, USF had many competitive games withLouisville (5–6 overall record) andWest Virginia (3–4 overall record; 3–3 when opponent ranked in Top 25). West Virginia left the Big East conference before the 2012 season to join theBig 12, while Louisville left the American Athletic Conference after the 2013 season for theACC. The university's biggest rival historically is theirinstate rival, theUniversity of Central Florida, played from 2005 to 2008, and since 2013. USF began a 6-yearThanksgiving weekend series in 2008 with Miami, with the last four games (2010–2013) being televised by one of the ESPN networks.[86]
Known officially as theWar on I-4, the intense rivalry with in-state opponentUCF began with a matchup in 2005, and was played annually from 2013–2022. The matchup had been the subject of much discussion and fan enthusiasm since the 1990s, but it was not until 2005 that games were scheduled. The two schools met in a four-year, home-and-away series through 2008. USF won all four games, which drew substantial crowds, but declined to schedule any further games. The series resumed as an annual conference game when UCF joined the American in 2013.[87] The annual match came to an end after the 2022 season as UCF moved to theBig 12 in 2023. Both schools have shown interest in continuing the annual rivalry game, but no dates have been set as of yet.[88]
USF Football game broadcasts can be heard in theBay Area andSouthwest Florida on flagship stationWRBQ 104.7 FM.[89] Additionally, Spanish-language radio broadcasts for football games can be heard onWYUU 106.9 FM.[89] Broadcasts are available worldwide on theBulls Unlimited digital radio station onTuneIn.[90][91] Play-by-play man, and the "Voice of the Bulls", Jim Louk, is teamed with analyst and former BullSam Barrington.[90] Joey Johnston, a senior writer for theTampa Tribune andTampa Bay Times, joins Louk and Barrington as a sideline reporter.
Under the current American Conference TV deal, all home and in-conference away USF football games air on one of theESPN channels or are streamed onESPN+.[92] Some replays can be seen onSpectrum Sports in the Tampa Bay area.
As of 2025, USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft, including two players selected in the first round.
Announced schedules as of August 2025.[93]
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