NOW OR NEVER: 2025 USF BULLS SEASON PREVEIW
Written by Ian Gibson
Calling last season for USF a disappointment is very harsh and even borderline sounding like a spoiled child. Alex Golesh in his first two years has secured two winning seasons and two bowl victories. It was the first time since 2016-17 where they finished in such a fashion. The Bulls are leaps and bounds better than what they were before Golesh took over. But still there are underlying problems that need to be addressed.
So far in USF’s 14 wins in the last two years, only one was to a program that finished with a winning record (San Jose State in the Hawaii Bowl). And winnable games against teams such as Rice and UAB have been punted away that could have helped improve the teams record.
Now coming into year 3. The AAC is ripe for the taking. Several of the bigger threats in the conference are looking at down years and there is no excuse for USF to not take that next step.
The biggest crux that will drive the USF offense is of course playmaking Byrum Brown at quarterback. Brown struggled playing through an injury which then led to being deactivated for the rest of the season. However, despite the loss of Brown, the team was able to pick up the slack and under the no huddle offense, continued to score. But, it was much more stop and start than it was in the previous year. Brown’s health adds another layer of importance. Bryce Archie, who was the backup QB and had become the starter after Brown’s injury, is now a Cincinnati Red. Gaston Moore, the former UCF Knight and Tennessee Volunteer, will likely be the backup, but has only thrown 27 total passes. Brown being dynamic and healthy will be what gets USF back to its touchdown-in-bunches look it had in Golesh’s first year.
In order to keep Brown healthy, the offensive line will need to be up to the task. Pass protection was a problem last year as it would snap too quickly, and coupled with Archie not having the same maneuverability as Brown, the result being a ton of QB pressures and sacks that killed drives. One of the biggest pickups was Thomas Shrader from App State and Connor McLaughlin from Stanford. Both are experienced in the trenches and will be counted on to help protect leaks into the backfield.
The running back room will be looking for a breakout star this season. Senior Cartevious Norton, the Charlotte transfer, rushed for 525 and 7 touchdowns. He will be looked upon to take the majority of the carries, as well as someone to help on screens and draw plays. Behind him a wealth of youth as Alvon Isaac and Chase Garrett will be looking to take advantage of extra field time seen this season. Sam Franklin, Oklahoma transfer, looks to fill out the rotation. Franklin is getting comparisons to Alvin Kamara, due to his pass catching ability.
Finally, the wide receivers will be looked upon the most this coming season. Sean Atkins graduates as the best receiver in program history and it is now time to see who will fill into the number one spot. Keshaun Singleton returns ranked third on the team last season in receptions with 27. Singleton’s dexterity is unmatched and he has the ability to pluck balls from coverage and reel them in for long gains. He is an expert at the post and deep routes and will be a dangerous target for the secondary to cover. Graduate student Jaden Alexis will be returning as well. He was injured all of last season, but in 2023 he hauled in 23 receptions and 2 touchdowns as the fourth receiver in the depth chart. Alexis’ biggest asset is how he explodes off the line. A key will be for Brown recognizing man coverage one on one with Alexis. To where he can explode off the line and beat the defender to get open deep. Josh Porter, Jeremiah Koger and Kory Pettigrew will likely see more action in 2025. Transfers Mudia Reuben and Chas Nimrod compliment the rest of the receiving room. Speed off the line will be the biggest key as keeping up with the no huddle pace is a necessity. In order to catch the secondary and linebackers off balance and also be able to collect the massive gains needed to have the Bulls’ offense driving. Jonathan Echols, Wyatt Sullivan and Weston Wolff make up a tight end room hoping to make a mark this season.
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Yikes. If there was one thing you could point to that held USF back the most last year, it was the defense. After finishing 115th in the nation in 2023 in total defense, the Bulls actually went further back finishing 118th. Allowing 29 points a game on average will not win you a lot of games and once again in order to compete for a conference title, USF will need to generate more stops and get off the field sooner.
The strength of the defense will be through the linebackers. Pre-season All-AC Mac Harris, along with Jhalyn Shuler, fortify the middle and will be the stars on defense. Blitz packages will be what could make or break the improvement on the defense. Getting into the backfield to disrupt the passing and rushing attacks will create fewer and fewer third and manageable situations for the opposing teams.
The unit begging to take a step forward is the secondary. Way too often, USF was beat on corner and go routes. Cover 3 and cover 2 man packages must be stronger. De’Shawn Rucker, a Tennessee transfer, will be the star at the corner position. His speed will help keep up with the faster receivers and should be able to handle any WR1 teams throw up against him, as well as being a solid tackler. Behind him in the safety position is senior Tavin Ward. Ward has recorded 5 interceptions in his two years as starter and had 3 last season. He will be the centerfield safety valve that needs to continue his progress in the pursuit game. Tracking the deep balls is a must from the whole secondary. The more pass breakups the better.
The line received a big pick up with Josh Celiscar from Texas A&M, who originally played at UCF. Celiscar excelled in his first three seasons at UCF but fell off at Texas A&M. He will be needed to return to that production in order for USF to create a better push against opposing teams’ O-Lines. On the edge is Michael Williams, who as well will be needed to take a step forward. Being able to beat the guard and contain is crucial to prevent any escape routes for the quarterback under pressure and Williams has all the tools to do that. The D-line, if improved, can be the engine that turns around USF’s porous defense from the past two seasons.
For all intents and purposes the beginning schedule for the Bulls is not the focal point of the season. Starting with games against Boise State, Florida, and Miami are not ideal. Stealing a win would be program defining for sure, but the real judge of character for this USF team is how they do in conference play. They have to take a step forward and simply making bowl eligibility is not good enough anymore. With a look at the conference, there is no better time for Golesh to prove he can take USF to that next step. If it’s not this season, and it’s a retread of the past two years of play, serious questions will need to be pondered about where the program is going.
Ian’s Prediction: 8-4
Chris’ Prediction: A win out of the first three and going undefeated in conference play will leave USF at 10-2. I know I picked this last year, but I feel like this is gonna happen this year.
