Photo by Kendall Bulkiewicz | The Crow’s Nest
By Dominic Feo
“We ended the [regular] season about as bad as you could end it,” said University of South Florida head coach Alex Golesh, in the post-game press conference following the team’s five-overtime win over San Jose State in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl. What Golesh said next, however, is a reminder of the changes that USF football has undergone since his arrival in 2023.
“To be able to regroup, come back and finish, that’s the consistency we have to find as a program.”.
The 2025 USF football team will have its chance to find a level of consistency not seen since 2010 by ending three consecutive seasons with bowl game wins. USF returning to a bowl game this season will be a tough task, having a uniquely challenging three-game stretch to open the season.
No. 25 Boise State, No. 15 Florida, and No. 10 Miami, as the first three opponents on the Bulls’ schedule, make USF the only team outside of the Power 4 conferences to face three opponents ranked in the AP Top 25 College Football Poll.
They will also be the Bulls’ first three games without some key departures from last season. Wide receiver Sean Atkins is arguably the most accomplished pass catcher in program history, finishing his six-year career with program records in receptions (200) and receiving yards (2167). Without Atkins, USF will have to figure out who will be the star quarterback, Byrum Brown’s next favorite target if USF hopes to improve its air attack.
Brown will not be short of options, however, as USF added some big conference talent. Juniors, Chas Nimrod (University of Tennessee) and Mudia Reuben (Stanford University), alongside sophomore Tyler Williams (Minnesota University) will be fighting for targets.
Despite bringing in several transfers, fans should keep an eye on junior receiver Keshaun Singleton.
The 6-foot-3, 215-pound receiver only played in six games last season, but he finished second on the team in yards (428) and touchdowns (3). Singleton uses his larger stature and physicality to haul in contested catches, a skill that could separate him from the rest of the wide receiver room.
On the ground, USF will be trotting out an almost entirely different group of running backs due to Kelley Joiner, Nay’Quan Wright and Ta’Ron Keith graduating. Wright was signed by the Indianapolis Colts as an undrafted free agent on Aug. 8.
USF brought in senior running backs Cartevious Norton (Charlotte University) and Sam Franklin (University of Oklahoma) to carry the workload. Norton is a tough runner who opts to run through and not around defenders.
Franklin only had 18 carries for the Sooners in 2024, which is 205 carries less than his total from the 2023 season at UT Martin. He turned them into 1378 rushing yards, leading the entire Ohio Valley Conference. Only time will tell if Franklin puts up numbers closer to his 2023 season than 2024.
On the other side of the ball, the biggest question will be whether USF’s defense will worsen without defensive linemen Decarius Hawthorne and Bernard Gooden.
Both linemen finished the 2024 season with 10 tackles behind the line, good for second and third most on the team. After the 2024 season, Hawthorne was signed by the Los Angeles Rams, while Gooden transferred to Louisiana State University in hopes of improving his chances to join Hawthorne in the NFL.
USF has since brought in a slew of experienced defensive linemen from the transfer portal to fill the gaps. Graduate transfers Josh Celiscar (Texas A&M University), Devin Lee (Vanderbilt University), Dre Butler (Charlotte University), Traevon Mitchell (University of West Florida), and Jacob Merrifield (Florida Atlantic University) will all get opportunities to bolster USF’s run defense in 2025.
Celiscar has been the most productive of the bunch, racking up 157 career tackles, 26 of which were for a loss of yards during his four seasons at the University of Central Florida. Those numbers helped him transfer to Texas A&M last season, where he only saw action in one game that year.
Additionally, he may be the easiest to spot on the field, donning the number 63 on his jersey. It’s no coincidence that Celiscar is the first USF defender to sport the number since 2012, as he was picked to be the first of USF football’s newest tradition.
Every year, a defensive lineman will be chosen to wear 63 to honor the late-great Lee Roy Selmon, who was the university’s first athletic director and a large proponent of creating a USF football program.
If an opposing running back manages to break through the Bulls’ defensive line, the Bulls’ two veteran linebackers, graduate students Mac Harris and Jhalyn Shuler, will be waiting for them.
Harris (82) and Shuler (62) are returning for their fourth year as the program leader and runner-up in total tackles last season. Right behind Shuler on the tackles list with 61 was redshirt junior safety Tavin Ward.
Ward led by example last season but expect him to become a vocal presence for the new faces in the secondary. Defensive backs Izaiah Guy (George State), Boogsie Silvera (McNeese State), and Jonas Duclona (Wisconsin) are expected to make an impact as incoming transfers.
USF is set to enter week one with younger starters at kicker and punter this season. Sophomore kicker Nico Gramatica is Bulls royalty, as the latest in line of kickers from the Gramatica family.
His father was a two-time Pro Bowl kicker for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and his uncle’s Bill and Santiago, kicked for USF from 1998-2000 and 2001-04, respectively. Nico’s younger brother, Gaston, committed to USF on April 17.
Senior transfer Chase Leon has a big shoe to fill, replacing punter Andrew Stokes, who was selected to the All-American Conference first team in 2024. Stokes graduated from USF as the program record holder for punts landed inside the 20-yard line (73) and the third-most punting yards (3141).
All the offseason changes have generated excitement from USF St. Petersburg students.
“The new guys who have come in have filled a lot of the gaps that needed to be filled, especially in receiver positions,” said biology major Spencer Haltom. “I’m really excited to see Chas Nimrod and see what he does; he looks really good on the reps that I’ve seen.”
Haltom and his friend, finance major Cameron Stewart, can’t wait to see Byrum Brown play in the regular season for the first time since Sept. 28, 2024.
“I’m excited to see Brown play again, hopefully his senior season, he’ll be able to start and play every game fully,” said Stewart.
“[Brown’s return] means everything… now that he’s finally back to being healthy, we’re getting the connection back with the receivers, and we’re actually able to be the best offense that we can be,” said Haltom.
Haltom, Stewart, and every other Bulls fan will get to watch Brown play again when Boise State comes down to Tampa Bay on Aug. 28, at 5:30 p.m. at Raymond James Stadium.
Students can claim their free tickets for the game here.
