As much as USF fans would love to see quarterback Byrum Brown play in the Cure Bowl and return to the Bulls for one more season, he has earned the right to chart his own course. If it turns out to be one more year in green and gold, excellent!
But if that means transferring to another school (Auburn?) or declaring for the NFL Draft, so be it.
CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins announced Wednesday that Brown would not play in the Bulls' bowl game on December 17, although he will be on the USF sidelines in a coaching role. That prompted immediate speculation -- and that's all it is at this point -- about Brown's next move.
Brown came to USF under Jeff Scott and flourished under Alex Golesh. He has seen the worst of times, and then provided countless thrills for Bulls fans and elevated the program in a way that didn't seem possible just three years ago. No one should blame him if he joins Golesh at Auburn for the chance to test himself in the SEC. If it turns out to be another program, that's his choice.
With the cash being tossed around by power conference programs these days, he might view this as a way to get some financial security. Can't blame him for that. His NFL future is uncertain at this time. Despite his production and dual-threat capabilities, most draft sites have him as a late-round pick at best.
He lost half of the 2024 season with a broken leg, so that could be a factor here, too. A football career can end on a single play.
"He's always been a genuine young man. He's always bought in. He's one of the biggest, best workers we've got. I have not seen a change in him from day to day since last Sunday (when Golesh announced he was leaving) to this to this time right now," interim head coach Kevin Patrick said.
"He's been out there coaching, and he's been working with these guys. giving that back to his players, and it goes back to the love these guys have for each other. He loves them, and he's been working his tail off. I mean, it's really not any different than he's been all year."
His backup, Gaston Moore, will get the start in Brown's place. It's the final game of Moore's career, so at least he will go out with some grass stains on his uniform.
"He's an impressive young man. He's the type of guy that you want to bring in your house, know what I mean?" Patrick said.
As we look to USF's future quarterback room under new coach Brian Hartline, will he turn to Locklan Hewlett or Sam Fenton? Marcelis Tate, another quarterback, left the program., and the Bulls lost highly regarded Armwood High quarterback Rhys Brush to Auburn on the early signing day.
What it likely means is that Hartline will bring in at least two more quarterbacks through the portal or on National Signing Day.
That's getting way ahead of things, though. For now, to focus is on Byrum Brown's next move. Whatever he decides, Brown will go down as one of the best quarterbacks -- if not the best -- in USF history. As legacies go, that's a winner.