TAMPA, Fla. – Alex Golesh was flanked by renderings of an on-campus stadium as he spoke Wednesday afternoon about his early- and late-signing classes as well as the larger picture that is the USF football program.
Though there was plenty of chatter about a new venue for the Bulls when Golesh was hired in December 2022, he stood before the media at the Lee Roy Selmon Athletics Center noting how developments the past year or so have provided him and his staff with selling points that he did not have upon arriving in Tampa.
The goal is for the new stadium to be ready for the 2027 season and a football operations center in 2026.
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“You continue to sell a vision,” he said. “The actual physical buildings are cool and it will be really incredible, but the commitment is what you are really selling. There is a commitment to be elite here. We want to go to a level that has not been achieved here at any point. It’s not just a want, but here are the resources to go do it.”
There was certainly noticeable on-field improvement last season as Golesh began laying the foundation he has often spoke about the past 14 months. The Bulls went 7-6, a season capped by the program’s first bowl appearance since 2018 and first bowl win since 2017.
This year’s signing class certainly reflects the type of foundation Golesh is building. Beginning with early signing in December that was ranked the best in the American Athletic Conference and through the commitments that filtered in Wednesday morning, the coach succeeded in addressing needs.
“I am really proud of this class and what were able to do in terms of wanting to recruit high school guys and fill holes that we felt we had through the transfer portal,” he said, placing emphasis on the defensive backfield.
Read: A Glimpse At USF’s Bowl History, Which Started In 2005
A total of 22 signees are from the Sunshine State, including four from Tampa. There are also six from Georgia.
“I feel like that is our footprint,” said Golesh. “That is where we should be able to evaluate at a high clip and should recruit at a high clip. Now, there is proof of concept of who we are, what we do and how we do it.”
Eighteen of the 35 new Bulls are enrolled. They will be part of the group that takes the field for spring drills beginning March 5. The spring game will be 2 p.m. Saturday, April 15 at Corbett Stadium.
“I thought it was a really, really cool environment a year ago,” said Golesh, of playing at Corbett. “It will be exciting to do it on campus again. I thought that’s where we had to be.”
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