USF Athletics

Kelly Fortifies Bulls' Head Coaching Roster for Foreseeable Future

January 03, 2022

All 14 Bulls head coaches under contract at least through 2023; all now either hired or renewed by Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly
 
TAMPA, January 4, 2022 – University of South Florida Vice President of Athletics Michael Kelly today announced a series of contract extensions for USF Athletics head coaches – including football coach Jeff Scott, men's basketball coach Brian Gregory and women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez – that fortifies the leadership of the Bulls' sports programs for the foreseeable future.
 
As a result of contract extensions put in place over the last year, all head coaches of USF's 19 sports programs have now been either hired by—and/or had their contracts extended by – Kelly, who assumed leadership of the athletic department in August of 2018.
 
"When I observe all of the recent turnover in college sports, it is my belief that USF's best path forward to growing success is through continuity and stability in as many leadership positions as possible," Kelly said. "Attracting and maintaining high-quality head coaches that view USF as a destination and who are fully committed to the vision we have for the future is critical. We have seen as our head coaches' tenures have grown, so in turn have the strength and success of our programs and student-athletes.
 
"We have been through a lot together which has made us stronger as a department and gives me confidence for the future.  I believe in these head coaches, their commitment to excellence in the classroom, community and competition, and in the young women and men that they have recruited to Team USF.  Together, we will achieve great things."
 
All USF head coaches are now under contract through at least the 2023 season, with head sailing coach Allison Jolly, in her 18^th season leading the program, on an annually renewed contract.
 
The current contractual status of the head coaches can be found in table below:
 
USF HEAD COACHES – Year hired and season contracted through
Sport                                 Coach                         Year Hired          Season Contracted Through
Baseball                             Billy Mohl                    2017 (June)        Through 2026 season
Men's Basketball              Brian Gregory               2017 (March)      Through 2025-26 season
Women's Basketball         Jose Fernandez           2000 (Nov.)         Through 2026-27 season
Football                             Jeff Scott                      2019 (Dec.)         Through 2026 season
Men's Golf                         Steve Bradley               2014 (July)         Through 2026 season
Women's Golf                    Erika Brennan               2017 (Dec.)       Through 2023 season
Women's Sailing                Allison Jolly                   2004                   Annually renewed
Men's Soccer                     Bob Butehorn                2016 (Dec.)       Through 2023 season
Women's Soccer                Denise Schilte-Brown   2006 (Dec.)       Through 2025 season
Women's Softball               Ken Eriksen                  1997                   Through 2026 season
Men's Tennis                      Ashley Fisher                2016 (July)         Through 2024 season
Women's Tennis                Cristina Moros               2015 (May)        Through 2024 season
M&W Track & Field & XC  Erik Jenkins                   2019 (June)       Through 2026 season
Women's Volleyball           Jolene Shepardson       2020 (Jan.)         Through 2024 season

Eleven of the Bulls 14 head coaches have been at USF for at least five seasons, with six in their seventh season or longer.
 
All have been part of Athletics setting records for academic success, including a record 13 straight semesters with better than a 3.0 overall grade-point average, community engagement, including a record 4,300 hours of community service in 2018-19 (the last calendar year prior to the pandemic) and success in competition.
 
Among the longest tenured Bulls coaches are softball head coach Ken Eriksen. The 2021 U.S. Olympic team head coach enters his 25th season having led the program to 15 of its 16 NCAA tournament appearances, the 2012 College World Series, four NCAA Super Regionals and seven conference championships.
 
Women's basketball head coach Jose Fernandez is in his 22nd season. The winningest coach in program history recently recorded his 400th win as he has led the Bulls to 17 postseason tournament appearances, 10 straight seasons with at least 19 wins, perennial Top 25 appearances and the program's first-ever conference regular season and tournament titles last season.
 
Sailing head coach Allison Jolly, an Olympic gold medalist, is in her 18^th season and has led the Bulls sailors to top 10 national rankings and numerous conference championships and sailing nationals appearances.
 
Women's soccer head coach Denise Schilte-Brown completed her 15^th season in the fall by leading the Bulls to a conference championship for the fifth straight year and the program's eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. The USF program had not recorded either prior to her tenure.
 
Men's golf head coach Steve Bradley is in his eighth season and the five-time conference coach of the year honoree has led the Bulls to five conference titles and seven straight NCAA tournament appearances, reaching the match-play finals and finishing sixth in 2015.
 
Women's tennis head coach Cristina Moros is in her seventh season leading the program and led the Bulls to a conference title in 2017, while men's tennis head coach Ashley Fisher is in his sixth season and has led the Bulls to a pair of conference titles. Head baseball coach Billy Mohl is entering his fifth season at the helm and led the Bulls to a conference title and the teams' first-ever NCAA Super Regional appearance last season.
 
Men's basketball coach Brian Gregory is in his fifth season and led the Bulls to a program-record 24 wins and CBI Championship in 2019. Erika Brennan is in her fifth season leading the women's golf program which has broken several program scoring records during her tenure. Bob Butehorn completed his fifth season leading the men's soccer program last fall and led the Bulls to a 2019 NCAA appearance while having two players selected in last year's MLS Draft. Erik Jenkins enters his third year leading the track and field and cross country programs and led the Bulls to three individual or relay conference titles and a record 11 NCAA All-America honors last year.
 
Jeff Scott recently completed his second year at the helm of the football program by garnering the No. 1 transfer recruiting class in the nation and just the program's second consensus All-American while also being a driving force in new facility upgrades and the now underway construction of the Indoor Performance Facility. Jolene Shepardson returned to her alma mater to lead the volleyball program and has added depth and talent across the roster through two seasons.
 
About USF Athletics
USF Athletics sponsors 19 varsity men's and women's teams that compete in 11 different sports, 18 at the NCAA Division I level in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls' athletic program began in 1965. Nearly 450 student-athletes train and compete in the athletic district located on the east end of the campus in Tampa, Florida. The Bulls have claimed 26 American Athletic Conference team titles since joining the conference in 2013, including six trophies in 2020-21, and own 130 conference titles in department history. The Bulls posted a combined annual grade-point average over 3.0 for the sixth straight year in 2020-21 and have posted a program-record 13 straight semesters with a combined GPA over 3.0. USF has had nearly 450 student-athletes earn their degree since 2016-17.
 
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