Now that the season is over, here's a lookback at USF football in 2025

With the end of another USF football season now in the books, here are some observations after months of hanging around the program, with a peek or two about what to expect next.

The Bulls lost 24-10 to ODU in the Cure Bowl on Wednesday, which was not entirely unexpected. They were playing without quarterback Byrum Brown, receivers Keyshaun Singleton and Mudia Reuben, and had a makeshift coaching staff after Alex Golesh left for Auburn. Shortly after the game ended, On3.com reported that defensive back Jarvis Lee will enter the Transfer Portal.

There likely will be more Bulls looking for different pastures when the portal officially opens on January 2. That, obviously, could include Brown, who voluntarily sat out the Cure Bowl. Also, we should soon learn who will be joining new head coach Brian Hartline's staff.

The Bulls have already announced that Josh Aldridge will be the defensive coordinator. CBS Sports reported that USF is "working toward a deal to hire" former Coastal Carolina coach Tim Beck as the Bulls' offensive coordinator. Beck has served as the OC at N.C. State, Texas, and Nebraska.

In the meantime, here are some snippets about the Bulls' 9-4 season.

Best moment of the Year: It came as the clock expired and the 20-yard field goal by Nico Gramatica went through the uprights at The Swamp, giving USF an 18-16 win over the Florida Gators, who were ranked 13th in the country at the time.

The win was USF's first over the Gators and it set off a wild celebration on the field and in the stands by the Bulls fans who made the trip to Gainesville. Florida fans will tell you that's the moment they knew head coach Billy Napier had to go. The Gators were 17.5 point favorites entering the game.

The win, coming on the heels of USF's opening upset of 25th-ranked Boise State, put the Bulls in the national spotlight and further validated the saying that this ain't the same ol' South Florida.

Play of the Year: When a team is as explosive on offense as USF was, it might be tough to pick a single play as the best.

But in this case, it's not hard to do that at all. It was the 45-yard touchdown pass freshman Locklan Hewlett threw off a fake punt to Keyshaun Singleton against Boise State. Midway through the third quarter, USF lined up in punt formation for the first time.

Since it was the first game of the season and the Bulls had a new punter, Boise didn't have any tape on USF's special teams. Golesh gambled that the Broncos wouldn't notice that Hewlett, a quarterback, wasn't the real punter.

Hewlett went deep to Singleton, who then did the rest to complete the touchdown. It was the only play Hewlett was in for during the regular season, although he was pressed into service in the Cure Bowl after Gaston Moore left with an injury.

Most deflating moment: Actually, it was more than a moment. It was the whole fourth quarter at Memphis.

The Bulls entered the fourth quarter with a 14-point lead in a game that would almost certainly put them in the American Conference championship game if they could hold on.

They could not.

The Tigers put up 17 points in the final 15 minutes for a 34-31 victory. Memphis ran 27 plays in the fourth quarter to 20 for USF and the game ended when Gramatica missed a 52-yard field goal attempt.

Let me think on this, YEAH, I'LL TAKE THE JOB: That would Golesh's messy departure from USF. It's understandable that he would want to take the head coaching job at Auburn, even after repeatedly saying that he came to South Florida to build a sustainable program and not just a team.

Now it will be up to new head coach Brian Hartline to build on what Golesh started (but didn't finish). Fine, coaches come and go all the time and they generally say the same thing while they're in one job while their agent is looking for the coach's next job.

What made this one a little cheesy, though, was Golesh's post-game comments after beating Rice 52-3 in what turned out to be his final game at USF. Asked about his future plans, Golesh said he hadn't thought about it and would go home that night and have a deep discussion with his family about their next move.

That was at around 11:30 p.m.

Auburn's athletic director called about 90 minutes later, and Golesh immediately accepted.

“The second they sent it, I signed that thing on the dotted line because this is a dream for me, my family, for everyone involved in the organization I'm coming from," he said.

Coaches move. It's what they do. It should. be noted, however, that he left the Bulls in far better shape than when he found them three years ago,

Players I really enjoyed listening to: Linebacker Mac Harris, center Cole Best, offensive tackle Connor McLaughlin,

The outstanding USF football sports information machine would make two players available for interviews, usually on Tuesdays after Alex Golesh spoke. McLaughin, who transferred this year from Stanford after playing for Tampa Jesuit High School, offered up this nugget in October when he talked about how Teddy Roosevelt was his hero.

"I think everyone should have a hero. When I was growing up, my dad's hero was Winston Churchill. At Stanford, I had a chance to take a history of the American West class two years, three years at Stanford, and it really kind of piqued my interest in him -- you know, kind of the Rough Rider, Bull Moose mentality. It's that mentality to just keep chugging along. And how can you even speak softly? Carry a big stick. I'm not the most vocal guy at times, but how do you do the right thing when people are not watching?"

Besides being a key piece of USF's defense, Harris became a vocal leader through words and actions. He was asked late in the season if he had any thoughts of becoming a member of the media after his college career ends. (p.s.: He would be excellent behind a microphone).

"Oh, no. I'm just hoping I get to continue to play this game more after this year," he said. "That's where my mind is. But you know, if that's what God calls me to do, eventually, that's exactly what I'll be doing."

Cole Best is another guy who would be excellent as a commentator, He is poised and smooth in front of a crowd or a camera. If that doesn't appeal to him, Cole might consider politics. This guy could be the mayor of Tampa one day.

I would vote for him.

And finally...: We have sung the praises of Byrum Brown all season, and it wouldn't be right to end this season without doing that one more time.

After his 2024 season ended halfway through with a broken leg, Brown rehabbed like crazy and, to borrow CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins' pet phrase, Brown was all gas and no brakes right out of the gate.

Golesh loved to say that Brown almost always beat him to the football facility in the morning. He put up video game numbers this season in leading the Bulls to a 9-3 regular season. For that, he has been recognized as one of three Comeback Player of the Year honorees by a panel of Associated Press college football writers and sports information directors.

He will be joined by Liberty safety Christian Bodner and Boston College linebacker Bryce Steele to be honored at the Fiesta Bowl on January 8. The game is a national playoff semifinal.

Well done young man!