Kelly Outlines Vision of Stability and Success
By Joey Johnston
It's a big-picture strategy, fueled by equal parts of patience, optimism, ambition, accountability and student-athlete welfare. It's a reflection of what has worked well with USF Athletics — and what hasn't — with the goal of allowing all Bulls teams to reach their full potential.
USF vice president of athletics Michael Kelly has contractually secured each of his 14 head coaches through 2023 (and many beyond that) to set up what he believes will become the most prosperous era for the university's intercollegiate sports programs. On the heels of that announcement, Kelly received his own extension keeping him leading the Bulls through 2028.
During an era in which patience often runs thin and the timelines are accelerated — indeed, a head football coach was fired this season less than two years after winning a national championship — Kelly's decisions might be portrayed as bold and unprecedented.
For Kelly, though, they are simply the right things to do.
"We're obviously playing big-time and it's real dollars, but I'm trying to be the smartest I can in terms of going with coaches I feel have already learned how to be successful here,'' Kelly said during a Wednesday news conference. "We will move forward and give them what they need to be successful, hold them accountable and go from there.
"I do feel I'm running counter to (the national trend). As a society, we have a tendency to get too high or too low. When I look at our resources and the USF landscape, I feel this is the best way to move froward and take advantage of our strengths. I believe we have excellent coaches. In some cases, we need to provide them with more resources (for success). That's how we're going to get better. It's not going to be by changing coaches every two or three years.''
Kelly assumed his position in 2018 and has hired just three of the current USF head coaches, but said that timeline is irrelevant.
"Whether I originally hired them or not, at this point they've either been hired or retained by me, so these are my coaches,'' Kelly said. "I have full faith in them.''
Eleven of USF's 14 head coaches have been at the school for at least five seasons — with six in their seventh season or longer.
Football coach Jeff Scott was extended through the 2026 season, while men's basketball coach Brian Gregory was secured through 2025-26 and women's basketball coach Jose Fernandez agreed to deal through 2026-27.
Other USF coaches and their commitments include Billy Mohl (baseball, 2026); Steve Bradley (men's golf, 2026); Erika Brennan (women's golf, 2023); Allison Jolly (sailing, renewed annually); Bob Butehorn (men's soccer, 2023); Denise Schilte-Brown (women's soccer, 2025); Ken Eriksen (softball, 2026); Ashely Fisher (men's tennis, 2024); Cristina Moros (women's tennis, 2024); Erik Jenkins (track and field, 2026) and Jolene Shepardson (volleyball, 2024).
Kelly said it's a "10-year approach instead of a 10-game approach.''
"The reality is, in the last couple of years, and probably for a long time here, we've almost lived in a day-to-day crisis mode,'' Kelly said. "We've moved from one thing to the next as opposed to thinking long term.
"I am a patient man, but every loss hurts me and I take it very personally. I'm always thinking, 'What can we do to make the coaches and student-athletes be successful?' Society is too quick to (place blame) on that coach or that player. There are usually a lot of things that go into winning.
"I believe I've shown the propensity to make changes when they are necessary," Kelly, who has replaced three coaches since his arrival, continued. "I'm not afraid to make the change or the hard decision. This is just an example where I fully believe in these coaches and staffs and student-athletes. We're going to do it together.''
Kelly said he has been impressed with the resiliency of Scott, who held just one spring football practice before COVID-19 forced a shutdown in his first season. Scott continued to build the football program through a 2-10 mark last season, when the Bulls played one of the nation's most difficult schedules, and USF was recently rated No. 1 by 247 Sports in leveraging the transfer portal for new talent, welcoming 13 transfers in the last class.
"Nobody is happy or satisfied with a two-win season, but there were a handful of other games that could've tipped it in a different direction,'' Kelly said. "You've got to get it done (by winning). I understand that. But I saw so much progress that gave me (optimism) for the future.
"With the exception of the Tulane game, which remains a mystery to me, every other game I felt we never gave up and many of those games we could have won. With the level of talent Coach Scott is bringing in, the level of engagement you're seeing from the players, it just gives me great hope.''
Kelly said Scott has been a valuable fundraising ally in securing funding for the Indoor Performance Facility, which is under construction, and will continue to be a catalyst for the proposed on-campus stadium.
Kelly said more formal plans should be announced in a few months for where the stadium will be located and what funding mechanisms are in place. Kelly estimated the stadium will open somewhere between the 2026 and 2028 seasons, mentioning a great opening date to shoot for in his mind as being a Sept. 4, 2027 season-opening, home date with the Miami Hurricanes.
"There's so much excitement going on (in regards to a stadium)," Kelly said. "It's going to be so big for not only athletics, but for campus life in general."
Kelly said USF's top priority is to compete at the highest levels of the American Athletic Conference. He would like USF to be synonymous with the AAC's championship level in all sports, while maximizing the potential of the league and always keeping an eye on the changing landscape of college sports.
"Some things are in place. Some things are yet to be in place. But I'm very enthused about the direction we're going," Kelly said. "I love the team of coaches we have in place — Team USF — and the way they work together. When I was a young administrator coming up through the ranks, I always admired Jeremy Foley (former University of Florida athletic director) and his approach. He believed in getting the right coaches in place, supporting them all the way, finding out what they need to be successful, delivering those things, then evaluating them. That's what we want to do here at USF.''
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