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Bulls Picked Second in American Preseason Coaches’ Poll; Collins and Nelson Earn All-Conference Honors

Bulls earned two first-place votes, while Daimion Collins and Izaiyah Nelson were named to the American Preseason Second Team All-Conference.

October 09, 2025

TAMPA, Fla., Oct. 9, 2025 – The University of South Florida men's basketball team has been picked to finish second in the 2025-26 American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll, released Thursday by the league office.
 
The Bulls received two first-place votes and totaled 128 points, trailing only preseason favorite Memphis (143 points, 11 first-place votes). Tulane (122 points), UAB (98) and Wichita State (93) rounded out the league's top five in the poll.
 
Head coach Bryan Hodgson will debut as South Florida's new head coach this season, bringing in a top-30 recruiting class in his first offseason with the program. The Bulls have 13 new players led by preseason all-conference selections Daimion Collins and Izaiyah Nelson, both recognized on the Preseason American Conference Second Team.
 
Collins, a redshirt senior forward, averaged 8.0 points, 4.3 rebounds, and 1.6 blocks per game last season for LSU. Nelson, a senior forward, emerged as one of Arkansas State's most efficient front court scorers under Hodgson, averaging 10.6 points and 8.9 rebounds while shooting 58.8 percent from the field last year.
 
The full preseason poll and honors are listed below.
 
2025-26 American Conference Preseason Coaches' Poll
  1. Memphis (11) – 143
  2. South Florida (2) – 128
  3. Tulane – 122
  4. UAB – 98
  5. Wichita State – 93
  6. Florida Atlantic – 80
  7. North Texas – 77
  8. Tulsa – 74
  9. Temple – 65
  10. East Carolina – 53
  11. UTSA – 32
  12. Rice – 27
  13. Charlotte – 22
    (First-place votes in parentheses)
 
Preseason All-Conference Second Team:
Daimion Collins, R-Sr., F, South Florida
Izaiyah Nelson, Sr., F, South Florida

For full information, visit the American Conference's site.

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About USF Men's Basketball
South Florida men's basketball named Bryan Hodgson, 37, as the program's 12th head coach on March 24, 2025. Hodgson came to Tampa from Arkansas State, where he led the program to back-to-back 20-win seasons and its first postseason appearance since 1999 in his two seasons at the helm.
 
The program, entering its 55th season in 2025-26, most recently won the American Athletic Conference regular season championship in 2023-24 and has made 13 postseason appearances, including three NCAA Tournaments, nine NITs, and a CBI championship in 2019. Three former Bulls – Chucky Atkins, Charlie Bradley, and Rodenko Dobras – have had their jerseys retired and are members of the USF Athletic Hall of Fame. The Bulls play their home games at the 10,400-seat Yuengling Center on the USF Tampa campus.

– #GoBulls –
 
 
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