USF football fans are justifiably excited about what the Bulls could do on offense in the upcoming season. However, their fortunes will likely be determined by what they do when the other team has the ball.
It’s no secret that defense was USF’s Achilles heel for the last several years. From 2020 through 2023, the Bulls were dead last twice in the American Athletic Conference defensive rankings. In 2021, they were next to last, finishing ahead of only Temple.
In 2022, USF surrendered an appalling 41.2 points per game. Not only was that the worst total in the AAC, but the Bulls also had the worst defense in the country statistically.
Last season, the Bulls improved to tenth out of 14 AAC teams and gave up about nine fewer points per game. That wasn't great, but in fairness, head coach Alex Golesh didn't have much time to recruit after he was hired on December 4, 2022.
Golesh and defensive coordinator Todd Orlando would also be the first to say that wasn't good enough. It wasn’t the kind of consistency teams need if they’re contending for a championship.
Golesh saw his team give up 56 points in consecutive weeks against conference rivals UAB and Florida Atlantic. Memphis blitzed the Bulls for 59, and UTSA hung 49 on them. They did thump Syracuse 45-0 in the Boca Raton Bowl, but the Orange were missing multiple players, including their starting quarterback, and were led by an interim coach.
So, yeah, to say the defense needs massive improvement is like saying water is wet.
Golesh certainly is working on the problem. During the signing period, 22 new recruits were defensive players. Ten of those were defensive backs, including coveted freshman Camren Campbell of Tampa Bay Tech High School.
“We went out and got a 36-game starter at safety for Youngstown State, a Florida kid, D’Marco Augustin,” Golesh told Hero Sports. “We think he is going to be really special.”
The offense may get headlines, but the defense wins championships. If you doubt that, just look at the AAC.
Since 2019, Memphis has been the only conference champion to finish as low as third in the defensive rankings. Tulane was second in 2022, while SMU last season and Cincinnati in 2020 and 2022 had the top defenses in the AAC.
Can the Bulls get to that level in the upcoming season?
If they expect to contend for a championship, the answer must be yes.