The last eight months have been a series of firsts for new USF head football coach Brian Hartline. On Friday in St. Petersburg, he experienced another one: His first American Conference kickoff media day.
He did just fine.
That's not stop-the-presses news exactly because Hartline hasn't made a blunder worth reporting since he arrived from Ohio State. But Friday was his chance to introduce himself to a wider audience that included reporters from other conference media outlets along with several national figures who hung around after the SEC media days ended Thursday in Tampa.
"Here at South Florida, we have everything we need to be successful on a consistent basis at the highest level in college football."
— The American (@American_Conf) July 24, 2026
South Florida Head Coach Brian Hartline believed the foundation is already in place to compete at the highest level 🤘#BuiltToRise x… pic.twitter.com/eYTEqK6McD
One reporter covering East Carolina asked Hartline how he feels about playing a couple of Friday night games on national TV, including one in Greenville, N.C. against the Pirates.
"I don't know -- haven't experienced it," he said. "I like the idea of being in front of a lot of eyes. I like the idea of TV ratings being, being at a high level, and a lot of people taking interest in the group. Outside of that, don't have much thought."
For the record, Ohio State played only one Friday night game in Hartline's nine years as an assistant coach there. It was in 2019 against Northwestern. The Buckeyes won 52-3.
Back on topic, Hartline was asked what the strength of his team would be.
"I would say that we have a lot of guys that love ball. We've got a lot of guys that love being coached. We've got a lot of guys that want to be the best version of themselves," he said.
"They're trying to chase along a lifelong goal of playing NFL, and they want to win championships as a team. We've got a lot of common guys that are commonly mentally wired, and they've been thriving together."
He was asked about the biggest adjustment he has had to make going from assistant to the head man.
"It would be moving your family, getting to know all these guys, like building relationships. So for me, it's just not being in my same one routine. I'm creating new routines. I'm creating new ways of operation," he said.
"No real difficulty, but just a lot of new, andmaking sure these guys learn about me. I learn about them because they don't really care how much you know until know how much you care."
But USF fans have been conditioned over the years to believe their athletic programs are stepping stones for coaches seeking better gigs. The latest example was men's basketball coach Bryan Hodgson leaving after one highly successful season to take the job at Providence.
Alex Golesh, of course, left after three good seasons for Auburn.
Hartline hasn't even coached his first game yet at USF but there are of plenty of fans in Bulls Nation who expect him to be quickly headed up the ladder if he has the kind of success here everyone expects.
"You know, in this new world, anytime you win football games, somebody perceivably above you wants to try to grab you. I think I was leaving Ohio State for every year I went into the offseason," he said. I was being told I was leaving for somewhere else. So I think it's just common.
"Is it a stepping stone? I think that people want to compete at the highest level. I think that this conference has consistently done that with the CFP, having two of the last four outside of the power four to compete in the CFP. It's our job to make sure that we have the resources for our coaching staff, for our players. We're able to provide everything they need to chase the highest levels."
USF has plowed more money and resources into football than any school outside of the power conferences. The Bulls are built to compete in all sports, not just football. That's what the late Amir Abdur-Rahim meant when he said this ain't the same old South Florida.
"I would never take an opportunity with the idea I'm leaving that opportunity. If I didn't see a spot that I think potentially had a ceilingless trajectory, I would have been a little more hesitant on leaving where I came from," he said.
"I was trying to look for a place to have a lot of odds in your favor, as long as you do things the right way, just to increase your chances of ultimately reaching this pinnacle of the sport. I think from the ability to acquire coaches, acquire talent, facility-wise, stadium-wise, vision-wise, a lot of boxes we checked at a very high level. I felt that South Florida was very uncommon in these times."
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