TAMPA, Fla. – Those of a certain age likely recall the commercials of brokerage firm E.F. Hutton. Cole Best certainly does not. After all, the ads began running in 1980, 23 years before the USF offensive lineman was born. Nonetheless, the impact he has on his teammates is similar.
“When he talks, people listen,” said offensive coordinator, Joel Gordon, of the fifth-year center. “They listen because they can tell what he is saying means a lot to him. He is also the center, making the calls and he is the guy everybody is leaning on. He has been an awesome leader.”
The thoughtful and well-spoken Winter Park native comes across as someone people want to listen to. It was not always like that, of course. Like many young athletes, especially before they mature mentally and physically, Best was not sure how good he could be let alone become a pillar with the No. 19 team in the land.
“Coach Kruczek told me from day one as a freshman, ‘If you work and really pour into this, you will have the opportunity to play at a high level,’” Best recalled. “I didn’t know if he was just saying that. I barely knew him then. He poured into me every day, instilled a lot of discipline and traits.”
Mike Kruczek knew an offensive lineman when he saw one. He has a pair of Super Bowl rings from four seasons backing up Terry Bradshaw with the Pittsburgh Steelers in the 1970s before spending one season as Joe Theismann’s backup in Washington. Kruczek, who was the head coach at UCF for six seasons (1998-2003), was Best’s coach at Trinity Prep in Winter Park. He now assists his son, Garrett, at Lake Brantley High in Altamonte Springs. His message continues to resonate.
“He told me to stay true to myself, stay true to my work,” said Best. “Those are values that I carry with me today.”
Former Bull showed the way
The Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year Award, named after the tight end who earned SEC honors for his play and academics at Tennessee before he was an 11-time Pro Bowler in the NFL, is given to the player “who has demonstrated a record of leadership by exhibiting exceptional courage, integrity and sportsmanship both on and off the field.”
Though Best is not one of the award’s 20 semifinalists, he was one of 67 FBS players on the watch list released at the end of September. He was in rather exclusive company when considering there are 136 FBS teams.
“It meant the world to me,” he said. “I was humbled and extremely grateful to get that recognition from my peers and coaches.”
Such recognition is a nod to the player who took a then-true freshman Best under his wing at USF in 2021.
“I realized real quickly he was the guy the coaches trusted and depended on, so I immediately clung to him,” said Best of Brad Cecil, who started 50 games at center in five seasons (2018-22) with the Bulls. “We would sit down after every practice to talk and he would kind of mentor me. He always challenged me to dive into the details and do the things that other guys are not willing to do, including spending more hours in the film and weight rooms.”
Cecil immediately detected a hunger churning inside the young player.
“You could tell from the moment he arrived that he was a hard worker and was determined to figure it out,” said Cecil, who is working in real estate in his native Jacksonville and will be a married man in early 2026. “One of the things we talked about was that if he wanted to be a center, his voice would carry weight. So, he needed to make sure that whenever he spoke, that it was with intention. Cole worked to be a leader ever since he (arrived at USF). You could see he had so much potential and was destined to be that guy.”
Breakfast club
It is 6 a.m. at Champs on Fowler Avenue and Cole and a few of his fellow offensive linemen are about to put away roughly 2,000 calories. That is no problem for him.
“Fortunately for me, I love eating,” he said, noting he consistently checks in at 315 to 320 pounds after beginning his college career at 292. “I can eat all day long.”
It does not come as easy for other linemen, which is why he has the crack-of-dawn culinary gathering most every day.
“When they come in, they have to get a full plate and I have to see it,” said the taskmaster. “We all sit down together and we eat.”
Best and his besties are then ready to lift and practice. He needs to fill up for mental energy as well. He is in his first semester of a master’s program (entrepreneurship and applied technologies) and, like Cecil, wants to break into the real estate field following his football career. His father, Richard Best, founded a commercial real estate appraisal company.
“I have learned a lot from my father about the industry,” said Best, who enjoys fishing and hunting (especially hogs) when not on the gridiron or with his girlfriend, Hope Hackney, a former Sun Doll who is currently in USF’s nursing program. “I don’t want to say it is set in stone, but I am pretty certain that’s what I want to do. There is a lot of work being done with real estate, especially in this region.”
Voice to be heard
Best may not be featured in a commercial, though he continues to work at being the best teammate possible.
“I had an amazing role model and an amazing guy to look up to,” he said of Cecil. “Every day, I want to be the best version of myself, not only me, but for (younger USF players.) It is so important to have a true role model to look up to and show you how to do things the right way.”
Gordon sees Best doing things the right way in the weight room, in the meeting room and on the practice field.
“That’s what you want,” he said. “He cares a ton about this program and his opportunity to make an impact on it.”
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