Let's explain where USF football is right now under new coach Brian Hartline by using a jigsaw puzzle analogy. Building a team basically from scratch is an enormous task, and when you dump the puzzle pieces on the table for the first time, the first task is to organize and make it make sense.
But the puzzle takes shape as the edge pieces go into place -- call that the foundation -- and as you build out from there, a picture begins to form. We're months away from knowing how that picture will look, but after listening to Hartline's news conference on Wednesday, we can say that he knows how he wants to put this together. The foundation starts with the kind of people he wants as coaches and players.
"Frankly, I'm surrrounded by a lot of really good people. I think the focus was on doing a good job with the staff," he said. "I guess you would say, in opinion, (I"m) the CEO of football, right? More of a CEO thought process than being a position coach or even a coordinator.
"I want to do a good job of filling my blind spots. I'm going to do a good job of recognizing what I didn't do well or what I think I lack, and make sure the support behind me. I think that's what great CEOs do."
Their task: Taking 58 new players in the program, including 41 through the Transfer Portal, and making it look like they've been together for years. It started with choosing players who have the mental makeup Hartline was looking for. He said that instead of just looking for the best player, find the right player.
Regarding signing day, I really appreciated the insight from USF HC Brian Hartline about what he has noticed regarding players signing in the early December window vs. the February window⬇️⬇️ pic.twitter.com/LzInW5nIFY
— Brandyn Pokrass (@BPok24) February 4, 2026
"There is no correlation necessarily with height, size, and weight to being a great player," he said. "It was kind of a check-the-box mathematically. As long as you had enough ability, that was it. But your mental makeup and how you're wired is the closest thing to increasing your odds of success across the board. That's the closest trait elite players have in common, in my opinion.
"For us, it's kind of that. it's the conversation with them. It is how they operate. You can get a feel for how competitive they are when you ask them (portal players) why it didn't work out at the last spot."
If a player points the finger at a coach or his teammates, that's a red flag. If he says there were things he could have done better and needs to improve on, that's a better answer.
And day-by-day -- or piece-by-piece -- it's about developing a culture where the players and coaches hold each other accountable and knowing where they are as a group.
"Culture is not logos," Hartline said. "Culture is not buildings and pretty paint. So, frankly, we haven't done anything yet. We are establishing who we are.
"Frankly, I think we have a lot of excitement. I think there are a lot of guys that want to be here for the right reasons. There are a lot of guys that believe in our coaching staff There are a lot of coaches that believe in our players. We have an opportunity to buid something great. Yes, there is momentum at USF, there's no doubt.
"But you know when you have it, you've got to keep it. And if don't have it, go get it. That's what momentum is all about."