Photo by Irena Mesa | The Crow’s Nest
By Dominic Feo
Winter has been a busy season for the University of South Florida Athletics.
Here is a comprehensive look at how the University of South Florida Athletics wrapped up 2025 and how they are welcoming the new year.
Football
USF football entered December without its head coach, Alex Golesh, who accepted the vacant head coaching position at Auburn University on Nov. 30. Four days later, Ohio State University offensive coordinator Brian Hartline was announced as the Bulls’ next head coach.
Since 2017, Hartline moved up from wide receivers’ coach to calling plays for the 2024 College Football Playoff national champions. Five Ohio State wide receivers were selected in the first round of the NFL Draft during Hartline’s tenure.
While Hartline finished out the season with the Buckeyes, defensive line coach Kevin Patrick filled in as the interim for USF’s Cure Bowl matchup against Old Dominion University. The Bulls’ 24-10 loss on Dec. 17 was a chance for many players to show other teams what they can do before entering the transfer portal.
Out of nearly 32 outgoing transfers, over a dozen have followed Golesh to Auburn, including many starters: Star quarterback Byrum Brown, wide receivers Keshaun Singleton, Christian Neptune, Jeremiah Koger and running back Nykahi Davenport — players who saw significant playing time last season.
Hartline’s arrival has brought in new talent eager to play for a championship-caliber coach. 37 players have transferred to USF as of Jan 14. Notably, linebacker C.J. Hicks and wide receiver Bryson Rodgers followed Hartline from OSU.
USF currently has the highest transfer portal ranking of any program in a Group of Five conference per 24/7 Sports with 22 players from the Power Four (SEC, Big 10, Big 12, ACC) already committed.
Men’s Basketball
USF men’s basketball wrapped up non-conference play with an 8-5 record, with the Bulls’ biggest win being against Utah State. The Aggies were ranked 19th in the NCAA net rankings when USF won 74-61 at the Yuengling Center on Dec. 4.
Sophomore guard C.J. Brown, being the only returning starter from the 2024-25 squad following the hiring of head coach Bryan Hodgson, meant that the team needed new leaders.
Senior forward Izaiyah Nelson averages the most points (16.3), blocks (1.6), and rebounds (10.2) per game for USF. Nelson’s rebound average and field goal percentage (63.3) lead the American Conference. Brown leads the conference in assists, averaging 5.3 per game.
USF leads the conference in total points (1457), narrowly leading the University of Tulsa.
Following a 109-106 double overtime loss to the University of Alabama at Birmingham on Jan. 4 and a 74-70 win against North Texas University on Jan. 7, USF secured a 2-1 conference record with a 93-78 win over Tulsa on Jan. 10.
Those conference wins have pushed USF men’s basketball to its highest net ranking in program history (56).
Women’s Basketball
USF’s women’s basketball team has also been winning. Interim head coach Michele Woods-Baxter led the team to an 11-7 record following the departure of former head coach Jose Fernandez. After 25 years, Fernandez was hired as the next head coach of the WNBA’s Dallas Wings on Oct. 27.
This team’s biggest strength so far has been ball movement. USF currently has the second most assists in the American Conference and junior guard Stephanie Ingram leads the conference in assists per game (5.9).
Nearly a month later, USF beat Duke University 85-72 on Nov. 20, upsetting the Blue Devils for the second season in a row. Four of USF’s seven losses were to ranked opponents, but the Bulls’ 4-1 conference record has established the team as a legitimate contender for a conference championship.
Women’s Volleyball
Fresh off a conference title in 2024, USF made the NCAA tournament for the first time since 2002, falling 3-1 to the defending champions Penn State in the first round on Dec. 5. The loss closed out a 17-13 season where the Bulls finished second in the conference.
The last time USF reached the tournament was in 2002, during head coach Jolene Shepardson’s time as a student athlete.
Men’s soccer
A familiar face returned home on Dec. 10, when George Kiefer was hired to once again coach the team. Kiefer coached Bulls soccer from 2002-16, totaling a record of 162-81-51 and winning four conference championships.
USF goalkeeper Jahiem Wickham was selected in the third round (82 overall) of the Major League Soccer SuperDraft by Charlotte FC on Dec. 18. The 2025 American Conference Co-Goalkeeper of the Year will now have an opportunity to find success at the professional level.
Despite several teams undergoing coaching changes, USF Athletics appears to have entered 2026 on the right track. Time will tell if this year continues to trend in the right direction.
