28 of the Bulls' 40 new players will be part of spring practice that begins March 25
Winners win.
Almost from the day he arrived at USF, head coach Alex Golesh has used that expression to characterize the type of players he wants as Bulls.
Size and speed matters, of course. But so does competitive character. So does attitude and a can-do mentality. And so do smarts, which sometimes manifests itself with intangible qualities that show up in the fourth quarter of a tight game.
Golesh and his staff do exhaustive research on every player who is added to USF's roster. Beyond athletic ability, they want to know how the player works during practice. What are his family dynamics? How does he react to adversity? Is he a team-first performer?
The more accurate information they can gather, the greater the odds of making a winning match. And don't be surprised if USF coaches get perspectives from custodians or main-office workers, the people who get an unvarnished view of star athletes when the cameras aren't rolling.
USF's recent 40-player haul — 27 players from high schools and junior colleges, plus 13 from the transfer portal — indicates a three-fold recruiting philosophy.
Geography — Golesh's first priority is to lock down the Tampa Bay area by filling his roster with players from the surrounding area.
"The great thing about this job is that you don't have to go very far (to find big-time prospects),'' Golesh said. "You've just got to be able to evaluate at an elite level and continue to build relationships.
"Our vision when we got here was to target the local guys. We're not going to get them all, but we're going to get as many as we can. And if they do leave, when the chance to come home happens, we want to be there to do it.''
Example: Connor McLaughlin, a 6-foot-7, 295-pound offensive tackle from Jesuit High School, played in 32 games and started 14 during his four seasons at Stanford University. He was a four-time Pac-12 All-Academic selection, while working as a Web design assistant in Silicon Valley and as an intern in the office of Condoleezza Rice, the former U.S. Secretary of State who now directs Stanford's Hoover Institution.
After earning his Stanford bachelor's degree, McLaughlin had seemingly checked every box — except one.
He wanted to play his final college season before family and friends.
So now he's a Bull.
Of the 40 USF additions, 19 are from Florida high schools. Nine are from Georgia high schools.
"That's (primarily) where we want to be,'' Golesh said. "You can see the footprint where we're trying to invest our time.''
Relationships — Beyond the stops in Florida and Georgia, USF also picked up players from places where the coaches have established long-term ties, such as the DMV (D.C./Maryland/Virginia) and the Midwest.
With the Florida and Georgia players, Golesh said either he or a staff member have visited the high school of each signee "at least five times'' over the years. With some of the players, there's an intricate degree of familiarity.
Defensive end Josh Celiscar, a transfer from Texas A&M? Golesh first met Celiscar, a Winter Haven High School product, when he was a UCF assistant and Celiscar became a Knights captain.
Wide receiver Chas Nimrod, a transfer from Tennessee? Golesh recruited him out of an Arkansas high school. So did Kodi Burns, USF's new co-offensive coordinator. And Golesh coached Nimrod while on the Volunteers' staff.
Running back Cartevious Norton, a transfer from Charlotte? Co-offensive coordinator Joel Gordon coached Norton at Iowa State, where the player also worked with Geo Courides, USF's strength and conditioning coach.
Offensive lineman Thomas Shrader, a transfer from Appalachian State? Shrader is from Venice High School, which now has five players on USF's current roster. Golesh said he signed his first Venice player back in 2009. "Same coach, same program,'' Golesh said. When Shrader was recruited out of high school, he was on the same recruiting visit to Florida State University as McLaughlin and Zane Herring, now entering his third season with USF.
"Connections, man … they're everywhere,'' Golesh said. "With every player we signed, if there's not a direct connection, there's a really unique story as to how we connected with them."
Respected High Schools — This might be the most significant connection of all.
It's no coincidence when USF signs players from high schools such as Venice, Lakeland, Jesuit, Hillsborough, Armwood, Fort Lauderdale St. Thomas Aquinas or Lake Butler Union County.
"You want to be connected to the (high school) programs that win football games,'' Golesh said. "Generally, those programs have elite high-school coaches who win and have the same standards and demands that you are looking for.
"You have programs like St. Thomas, Venice or Lakeland that produce 10 or 15 Division I kids every year. Or it might be a program like Union County. They produce maybe two (Division I prospects per year). But those kids grew up in that community. They are coached incredibly hard. They run high-level schemes. They lift in the offseason. They run track or play basketball. Those guys know how to work. And they know how to win.''
Those are the places where Golesh and his staff have made inroads. You can find size, speed and on-field productivity. But it's also a spot where the intangible qualities exist, especially the one that is so valued by USF's program.
Winners win.
That's the bottom line.
–#GoBulls–
