New USF men’s basketball coach Bryan Hodgson apologized for being a couple of minutes late for our meeting on Tuesday morning.
It seems he and his fiancée, Jordan Norris, had just left their 1-year-old son Jett at daycare for the first time.
“Mama was crying her eyes out,” Hodgson said.
That’s just part of the adjustment Hodgson and his family have experienced since USF hired him away from Arkansas State on March 24.
@USFMBB coach Bryan Hodgson said things are settling down after what he said was a "whirlwind" since he was hired on March 24. pic.twitter.com/tUfPrWwNBI
— Joe Henderson (@JHendersonTampa) June 10, 2025
“It’s been a whirlwind, but in a great, positive way. We come in and build a roster from scratch, build the schedule from scratch, and we've had a lot of success doing both,” he said as we sat in his office at the Muma Basketball Center.
“The roster is nearly complete and you'll probably see some announcements here in the next couple of weeks about some very meaningful games.”
Two non-conference home games are set: Charleston Southern and Utah State, teams that USF played on the road last year.
As for the rest of it?
“We're in an era where you don't want to talk about something until the ink is completely dry, because people will be quick to back out of a contract,” he said.
It’s been more than just doing administrative things. There was a 907-mile move to Tampa from Jonesboro, Ark.
That meant living out of a hotel for a while and adapting to a new city, but things are now more settled. The family has moved into their new home and is becoming more familiar with their new city.
“We’re just kind of moving around and getting to know the people here and getting to know the area. I get excited when I drive around a city this size and see USF license plates. People are jogging in South Tampa wearing USF hoodies. Every day, we just get more and more excited and thankful for the opportunity. It's a special place, and we're really excited,” Hodgson said.
“There's passion from not just the fan base, but the community. People are starting to recognize me and my family. You have people come up and talk about how excited they are about USF.”
Well, there was one twist to the plot. Last week, the man who hired Hodgson about two-and-a-half months ago left to take another job. Michael Kelly, USF’s former Vice President for Athletics, is now the athletic director at the Naval Academy.
“Normally, you would be worried at the departure of an AD, and we love him, and he's done a phenomenal job here, but because of the leadership we have, it's not concerning,” Hodgson said.
“I had coaches across the country, and even other administrators, text me and say, Hey, Coach, hang in there. Are you doing okay? And I said, I'm doing just fine. I'm really happy knowing that we have the leadership in place that we do. That’s what makes that transition so smooth. I'm not worried one bit.”
I asked the coach what has stood out to him the most in the short time he has been at USF.
“There is also the passion from the leadership, top down. That was one of the biggest things when taking the job, starting with everybody on the (trustee) board, President (Rhea) Law, and the administration,” he said. “It's the alignment. That is the word you hear me use a lot. It's a big deal in college athletics, and we have that here.
“I mean, to have somebody like (trustee chair) Will Weatherford in a leadership position is phenomenal. In his mentality and in everything he does, he wants to be one step ahead and set the tone, doing it the right way.
“I'm confident that's going to continue and super excited for him and (vice chair) Mike Griffin. Mike's phenomenal. I'd sign a lifetime contract to work under those two.”
In February, Law announced she would step down as president when a successor is found. That could be another cause for concern, but people shouldn’t worry too much about that, either.
Griffin was recently chosen by Weatherford to head the presidential search committee. That all but ensures the eventual successor will align with the current vision for athletics.
Meanwhile, Hodgson is in the process of transferring his not-for-profit from Arkansas to Florida. His passion for children in foster care has been widely discussed. He was placed in foster care at the age of 1 because of an abusive father, and later was adopted by his foster parents.
“I had a phone conversation yesterday about how we can help local kids in the community. And I'll say this about my not-for-profit, although it's targeted towards kids in the foster care system and kids that are up for adoption, we've really opened it up to just at-risk kids,” he said.
“There's certainly a place for that in Tampa, and there's a lot of people doing a lot of doing a lot of great work. We want to join forces with them, and we're going to do so. Over the coming months, some things that we do to really ingrain ourselves in our community and to help those in need.”