The plaza outside the USF Marshall Center turned into a stage for ESPN SportsCenter on Thursday afternoon as the network brought a live production of the show to the campus.
It was part of the buildup to USF's 7:30 p.m. football game at Raymond James Stadium against UTSA, and it hit all the high notes the Bulls wanted to show the country.
There was a large, boistrous gathering of students, with chants of U-S-F. The show highlighted the massive investment USF is making in athletiics, including the $348.5 million football stadium that is scheduled for a 2027 opening.
And, of course, there was a lot of talk about the USF football team, which is 6-2 overall and 3-1 in the American Conference. The Bulls are strongly in contention for the College Football Playoff.
"I think it's game-changing for our universities, game-changing for this entire city. The football complex is going to be as much as there is in the country, but you're going to be able to play college football, major college football, right here," Bulls coach Alex Golesh told ESPN host Matt Barrie.
'I get giddy thinking about it. We're a year and a half away, and it'll change the entire direction of the athletic department.'
@USFFootball coach Alex Golesh drops by the set of @espn @SportsCenter, live on the USF campus before tonight’s game between the Bulls and @UTSAFTBL pic.twitter.com/853DRhcMXw
— Joe Henderson (@JHendersonTampa) November 6, 2025
College football analyst Tom Luginbill weighed in with his thouhts about Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown and how USF might react after falling 34-31 at Memphis.
"I think this team is angry. I think they're hungry, and they knew they let a game get away from them on the road at Memphis," he said. "Everything revolves around quarterback Byrum Brown through the air and on the ground," Luginbill said,
"He is a 235-pound, agile, mobile quarterback that can make things happen, and he creates extended plays. And the two freshman receivers, Jeremiah Koger and Christian Neptune, have become go-to targets in this basketball offense. And oh, by the way, blink and you'll miss an offensive play from South Florida. They want to get it off every 13 seconds."
And, of course, no visit to Tampa would be complete without sampling the local cuisine. The famous Columbia restaurant in Ybor City provided Cuban sandwiches, paella, and its signature 1905 salad for Golesh and Barrie to sample.
The verdict?
"That's elite," Golesh said.
"That might be the best salad I've ever had," Barrie said.
Anyone from Tampa could have told him that.