TAMPA, Fla. – The curtain rises on the 2026 USF football season next Saturday evening (7:00, ESPN+) against FIU. Indeed, the grains of sand are rapidly slipping through the hourglass as the dog days of preseason fade and the moment first-year coach Brian Hartline’s leads his Bulls onto the field at Raymond James Stadium comes into focus.
What will tell Hartline that his Bulls are ready to meet the many challenges a 12-game season will pose?
“We’re looking to be very disciplined both individually and as a team,” he said. “Really focus on our routine and our habits, and then we want to do a great job of handling adversity with a high rate of execution. That’s really, really important.”
There is something else Hartline wants to see and feel.
“Frankly, challenging these guys to be the hardest, toughest playing team in the country,” he said. “I don’t see why we can’t be.”
If that does not make you ready for the season, or at least somewhat anxious to see what a Brian Hartline-coached team is about, well, why bother to show up at RJS or tune in next Saturday? The Bulls showing up and performing in a manner consistent what their coach expects is something that will be monitored closely. That includes how they perform when crisis arises, which it will.
“(The FIU) game is coming, conflict is coming, scout teams are coming, (a player) not starting is coming,” he said, rattling off potential distractions that could lead to steering that goes astray individually and collectively. “How we respond to adversities ultimately dictates what kind of team we’re going to be. Not every game is going to go the way we want it to go. At halftime, whether winning, losing or (tied), you have to come out in the second half and do a great job of handling whatever adversity you had going into halftime.”
How a team responds to adversity and how it refuses to be outworked in all three phases have nothing do with the speed with which a player is racing down the sideline, the ability to get open down field or making a tackle that prevents a first down.
“Those two things don’t require talent, but doing those two things are a talent,” Hartline said, with emphasis. “We can control those things, being disciplined and being the hardest, toughest playing team in America.”
It also means getting better each week. The USF team that shows up against FIU cannot afford to be the team that shows up for a potential key American Conference matchup in November. After all, a group that is not getting better week to week is one that is falling behind. That applies dearly to the individual players, who will be looking over their shoulders much sooner than later should any sense of stagnation set in.
“If we are the same Week 12 that we are Week 1, we’re not going to be a very good football team,” said Hartline. “So, we have to learn how to grow and get better, improve and get calloused and stay healthy throughout the length of the season. We need to be an improved version every week. Otherwise, those behind you are going to catch you.”
READ: Brian Hartline Tells Us Why Michael Van Buren Is USF’s Starting Quarterback
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