USF football head coach Alex Golesh isn't one to mince words or waste time. There's a big job ahead. He has priorities heading into Friday night's spring game at Corbett Stadium — then beyond, as preparations begin for the 2023 season — and the biggest task seems pretty obvious.

"The defense wasn't good here a year ago,'' Golesh said. "We've got to fix it. We're still trying to learn to win in everything we do.

"We are saying 'we don't care what happened here in the past.' Not to demean anybody, but we've got to scrap it, concentrate on moving forward and get a lot better. And we start by moving in one direction, while being the best version of ourselves.''

There's plenty to improve. Last season, the Bulls ranked 131st (last) in the Football Bowl Subdivision by allowing an average of 516.6 yards per game.

USF defensive coordinator Todd Orlando — with 18 seasons of experience leading defenses at seven different schools (including UConn, Houston, Texas and USC) — said he has priorities of his own.

    * Ultimately, the Bulls must get bigger up front, while increasing their overall speed and length.

    * The Bulls must improve exponentially at creating pressure and causing turnovers.

    * And then there's the quality that Orlando considers the most vital of all, the one that can't be quantified — playing and working together.

"Of course, we're looking to improve schematically, like tackling better in space, and we've definitely got to clean up the fundamentals and a lot of simple things,'' Orlando said. "But the No. 1 goal is how we work together and getting closer to each other.

"Here's our thought process: If I don't know you and you asked me to do something, there's a chance I won't do it. But if I know you and care about you, like a parent or guardian might, I'm going to do that task and at a pretty high level. If you trust and love the player next to you, just like any work environment, there's going to be a low failure rate.''

The more you talk to Orlando, the more you feel that vibe.

"I want us to walk on that field and know it's going to be a battle,'' Orlando said. "When I turn to my left, turn to my right, and my buddies are still swinging for me … that's really, really cool stuff.

"If you're a good teammate who's truly invested in this stuff, that's the foundation, that's the root. Everybody wants to see leaves on the tree. But if it's not sturdy, the roots will get blown over in a heartbeat. That's what we're doing every day in practice. We're working to be sturdy.''

Orlando said togetherness and trust will eventually show up in USF's results.

"It's a team sport, 11-on-11, and every player has a job,'' Orlando said. "You think, 'Why wouldn't everybody want to be a team guy?' What causes people to become selfish is they feel like they're separated (from other players). If we continue to grow and bond together, where somebody truly feels remorseful if they don't do their job because they're letting their brothers down, that's when we'll get better.''

Golesh, now known as an offensive mastermind, also has a background in defensive coaching. And he knows the top quality he wants from USF's defense.

In a word, it's "multiplicity.''

"Multiple defensive looks and that doesn't mean you blitz on every play, but you present different pictures (on film),'' Golesh said. "The things that stress you out when you're preparing an offensive game plan or protection plan are the multiplicity of pictures you get (from the opposing defense).

"On offense, in terms of using tempo to our advantage, you inevitably force defenses to be either stagnant or out of alignment. So, defensively, we want to force the offense to either be stagnant or leave people unblocked. We also want a third-down package where we get the defense off the field by creating negatives, creating sacks and creating turnovers. The multiplicity and creating havoc plays are critically important.''

When Golesh was on Iowa State's offensive staff and Orlando was Texas' defensive coordinator, he said their Big 12 Conference clashes were stressful because "generally, you have an idea of how a defense is going to line up, but I remember in three years of it, you had no idea what's going to happen on any given play.''

Golesh said he also admired Orlando's ability to "fine-tune a defensive scheme based on the personnel he has. That's why that guy (Orlando) was the first call (to hire as defensive coordinator). Because of his multiplicity and using different packages, he keeps guys fresh. Through spring practice, his defense has given the offense problems because it's so multiple and creates so much havoc.''

The Bulls will remain on the lookout for top defensive players, whether that's through incoming freshmen or the transfer portal.

"We've got to get much, much deeper on the D-line, but I think every coach in the country, with the exception of (Georgia's) Kirby Smart, will tell you that,'' Golesh said. "You'd love to get deeper at linebacker. We've got a bunch of DB bodies who have performed at a high level.

"But a big part of the finale of the evaluation of where we are is getting these freshmen here and attacking the portal to get more depth at those critical spots.''

USF's defense remains a work in progress. But with the key word being "progress,'' Golesh said he believes this spring has provided the foundation for the needed improvement.

– Go Bulls –