Bulls head coach named to second coach of the year watch list
TAMPA, FLA., OCT. 20, 2025 – The No. 18-ranked South Florida football program continues to garner national attention as the Bulls enter the weekend at 6-1 (3-0 American) and have seen head coach Alex Golesh named to another coach of the year award watch list.

Golesh, who became the first Bulls coach to lead the program to bowl eligibility in each of their first three seasons, was named to the 2025 Dodd Trophy Midseason Watch List on Wednesday, a week after being named to the Paul Bear Bryant Coach of the Year Watch List. Golesh was the only coach outside of the Power 4 conferences named to the Dodd Trophy watch list. 

Golesh led the Bulls to upset victories over No. 25 Boise State and at No. 13 Florida to start the season and back into the Associated Press Top 25 for the first time in seven seasons. The Bulls seek just the second 4-0 start in conference play in program history this weekend as they have averaged an incredible 57 points per game in posting a four-game win streak.

USF is ranked No. 1 in the nation in turnovers gained (17), No. 7 in scoring offense (41.7 ppg) and No. 13 in total offense (476 ypg) as the Bulls have posted four straight games of 500 or more yards and 48 or more points. USF has now won seven of its last nine American Conference contests and is 11-3 in its last 14 games overall dating to the 2024 season. It is the program's best 14-game stretch since going 12-2 between the end of the 2017 season and start of the 2018 season.

UP NEXT
USF heads to Memphis Saturday for a pivotal American Conference game vs. the Memphis Tigers (6-1; 2-1 American). The game is set for a noon kickoff on ESPN2 and can be heard on Q105 FM and Bulls Unlimited digital radio.
 
REMAINING HOME GAMES
Just two regular season home games remain in one of the most exciting seasons in USF Football history. The Bulls will return to Raymond James Stadium for a Thursday, Nov. 6, primetime clash with UTSA (3-4; 1-2 American) that will kick off at 7:30 p.m., and the Bulls will wrap up the regular season with a Saturday, Nov. 29 clash with Rice (3-4; 1-2 American) in Tampa. USF has won five straight home games by at least 25 points (average margin 34.4 ppg) dating back to last season. It ties the longest streak in program history, previously set between 1997 and 1998.
 
Tickets:
Single-game tickets for the 2025 USF football season can be purchased by calling 1-800-GoBulls or visiting this LINK.
 
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ABOUT USF FOOTBALL
The USF football program first took the field in 1997 and completed its 28th season in 2024 with its second-straight bowl victory in the Hawai'i Bowl. Head coach Alex Golesh posted a program-best six-game turnaround and a Boca Raton Bowl victory in his first season in 2023. USF completed construction on a new $22 million Indoor Performance Facility in 2023 and a $340-million on-campus stadium and football operations center broke ground in the fall of 2024 and is slated for completion by 2027. The Bulls have posted 17 winning seasons, earned 16 All-America selections (including two consensus selections, the last coming in 2021), as well as 33 first-team all-conference honorees. USF has had 30 players selected in the NFL Draft and the Bulls have made 12 bowl game appearances (going 8-4), posting a program-record six straight appearances from 2005-2010 and making four straight bowl appearances from 2015-18. USF posted back-to-back 10-win seasons in 2016 and 2017, logging a program-record 11-2 mark in 2016, while finishing both seasons ranked in the Top 25. USF spent a program-record 20 straight weeks ranked in the Top 25 during the 2016 and 2017 campaigns and reached as high as No. 2 in the Associated Press rankings during the 2007 season.