TAMPA, Fla. – Roughly 200 yards from where Brian Hartline met with the media Wednesday afternoon, two cranes lifted steel girders into place on the site of a new stadium that will be home to USF football 18 months from now. It will be a new era for the program and the university, for sure.
First, what about 2026? Hartline sounded much like Alex Golesh did three years ago, which was no surprise given the many similarities. Golesh, an Ohio State grad, arrived as a 39-year-old first-time head coach after serving as an offensive coordinator at a power conference program. Hartline, an Ohio State grad, arrived as a 39-year-old first-time head coach after serving as an offensive coordinator at a power conference program.
The difference is Golesh, who was at Tennessee, inherited a colossal mess as the Bulls had one victory in their previous 30 games against FBS opponents. Conversely, Hartline inherits a program that Golesh took to three bowl games in as many seasons and is coming off a nine-win campaign. Precious little production, however, returns in 2026.
That is why Hartline is having to build in a manner similar to Golesh when it comes to the roster. USF has 58 new players — 41 via the portal and 17 high school recruits — versus 53 returnees, only three of which (WR Mudia Reuben, OL Thomas Shrader, DB Tavin Ward) have much in the way of starting experience.
Much like how Golesh navigated the portal throughout his three-year stay in the Selmon Athletics Center, Hartline seems selective when it comes to choosing who will wear the green and gold.
“I think through the process in the acquisition of players, we really have a mold of the type of young man and family we are looking for,” said Hartline, whose first practice will be March 11 with the spring game scheduled for April 19. “That sparked a lot of hard conversations. Why USF? Why here? Why didn’t it work at the other (school or schools).”
Those meetings served as a weeding-out process even if it meant turning the page on a very talented young man in favor of someone who may be less talented, but came across as wanting to continue to his career at USF.
“The ones that really want to be here for the right reasons, they still chose here,” said Hartline. “The biggest emphasis for us was not necessarily (landing) the best players, but the right players in building this. It is our job to maximize the athletes both as people and players. So, we put a hard emphasis on trying to find the best (players) you can in the speed-dating world.”
Here is a numerical glimpse at Hartline’s portal class.
1 – Ivy League transfer. D.J. Crowther ran for 929 yards (4.9) and 10 TDs at Dartmouth in 2025. In 31 games with the Big Green, the graduate student and California native rushed for 1,312 yards and 13 TDs.
2 – Ohio State transfers. Wiregrass Ranch product and receiver Bryson Rodgers and linebacker C.J. Hicks join Hartline at USF. Hicks played in 46 games for the Buckeyes and maintained a redshirt last season. Rodgers, who redshirted in 2023, caught 11 passes the last two seasons.
4 – Quarterbacks. Michael Van Buren (LSU), Luke Kromenhoek (Mississippi State), Jayden Bradford (Liberty) and KJ Cooper (Texas Southern) are on board. Van Buren is the most experienced having started 12 games with LSU and Mississippi State, where he began his career.
4 – USF is the fourth school in as many years for linebacker Marshon Oxley following seasons at West Virginia, Hutchinson (Kan.) CC and Colorado State.
5 – USF is the fifth school in as many years for corner Tayvion Beasley. He was with Deion Sanders at Jackson State (2022) and Colorado (spring 2023) before moving on to San Diego State (2023-24) and BYU. He played 11 games with the Cougars last season.
7 – Sunshine State natives. The number includes Sarasota natives and former Cardinal Mooney teammates JR Rosenberg and Teddy Foster. The former transferred from Texas A&M and the latter Florida. Both are corners.
9 – Players who have yet to play at the FBS level.
21 – Players in their final year of eligibility, a total that includes 14 graduates.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox
