As the rapid ascension of the USF football program continues, Alex Golesh’s name will appear in coaching searches. That’s just reality,
And with Billy Napier, the University of Florida’s soon-to-be-former coach, being fitted for asbestos pants due to the increasing flames engulfing his chair, Golesh is mentioned as a potential replacement.
Get used to it, USF fans.
Blake Toppmeyer of the USA Today network listed Golesh fourth on a list of seven potential replacements for Napier, who may not make it through the season.
“Golesh, 40, is the youngest coach listed here. He's never been a Power Four coach. That doesn't mean he'd be Napier 2.0,” Toppmeyer wrote.
“He'd come with the Josh Heupel playbook that's made Tennessee a success. Golesh runs the warp-speed spread offense the Vols use. He was Heupel's coordinator at UCF and Tennessee.”
It's important to keep in mind that writers have to say something about Napier's fate, which means they will have to speculate on who might replace him. They're all just guessing.
Lane Kiffin is Toppmeyer’s No. 1 choice, but Ole Miss will break the bank to keep the man who made them relevant again. Eliah Drinkwitz of Missouri is second, and UF alum Jedd Fisch of Washington is third. Fisch was a graduate assistant for Steve Spurrier back in the day.
But let’s talk about Golesh.
If the Bulls beat Miami on Saturday on national TV, his name will appear on just about every list you can think of. That doesn’t mean he’d go – the man knows he has something special going at USF – but it does mean USF must be aggressive to fend off the power conference predators.
He signed a six-year contract with USF in 2022 for $2.5 million for the first three years, plus incentives. That figure jumps by at least $1 million annually if the Bulls join a power conference.
The buyout is $3 million but decreases each year until 2028.
Napier signed a seven-year, $51.8 million contract with Florida in 2022. That’s more than $7 million per year.
Napier’s last stop before coming to Florida was Louisiana, and given his colossal failure, I doubt the rapid Gator boosters would hand the keys to another Group of Five coach, even one with Golesh’s pedigree. I think UF will go all out for Lane Kiffin, and he’d be a fool not to listen. The chance to rebuild the Gators to national prominence again could be too much for someone with his ego to resist.
That doesn’t mean Golesh won’t appear on other lists, though.
This isn’t the first rodeo for Michael Kelly, USF’s Vice President for Athletics. He’ll do as much as possible to secure Golesh’s long-term future here, and I think Golesh knows he is building something special here. There is a path to the playoffs at USF.
He has repeatedly said that USF has provided all the resources to compete with the power schools. There is a strong alignment between Kelly, President Rhea Law, and trustee board chairman Will Weatherford. That’s another plus in USF’s favor.
These folks won’t be asleep at the wheel.
This reminds me of something Jim Leavitt said. He was USF’s first coach, appearing on lists as the Bulls started making a national name. Eventually, Alabama offered him the head job.
He said no.
I asked him why and he replied that if he won a national title Alabama, he would just be another guy who won one there. But if he won one at USF, it would be special because it would be the first.
I haven’t spoken with Golesh about anything like that, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he doesn’t believe the same thing. He seems like that kind of guy.