University of South Florida
Saint Leo
October 19, 2026 | Men's Basketball
Exhibition Game: South Florida vs. St. Leo
Monday, Oct. 19 • 7:00 PM • Yuengling Center
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Last month, as he walked the University of South Florida campus, Josh Omojafo felt like he was back home. But as he greeted some familiar students, he got a few stares and puzzled looks.
"People were like, 'Are you back … on the coaching staff?' '' Omojafo said. "I had to tell them, 'I'm back … as a player.' And they're like, 'What?' They were pretty confused.''
No wonder. Omojafo never imagined a return to South Florida men's basketball. As a senior starter, he was a catalyst on last season's 25-9 squad, which won the American Conference regular-season and tournament championships. He graduated from USF in May, then headed to his homeland of Canada to investigate professional basketball opportunities.
"I loved my year at USF, so I figured I'd be back in Florida sometime,'' Omojafo said.
Sometime is now. Due to the recent court injunction that gave Class of 2022 student-athletes the ability to pursue a fifth season of competition, Omojafo was cleared for a return to the Bulls.
"It's honestly amazing,'' said Omojafo, a 6-foot-5 slasher who averaged 11.3 points and 5.3 rebounds last season, while getting to the free-throw line often (151-for-193, 78.2-percent) and pouring in a season-high 33 points against George Washington University. "To have another season at USF, I couldn't pass that up. It's great to be back and I look forward to helping out this team.''
HE'S BAAAAAACK ?? Josh Omojafo is officially rejoining our squad this season @Josh_Omo4 ?? https://t.co/gg4WEocwvp
— South Florida Men's Basketball (@USFMBB) October 7, 2026
Circumstances lined up to make possible Omojafo's return. Head coach Chris Mack, in his first South Florida season after successful stints at Xavier, Louisville and the College of Charleston, had signed 15 new players to the Bulls' roster. There were no returners — zero — from the 2025-26 season.
During the summer, senior guard AJ Dancler, a highly regarded transfer from Coastal Carolina, suffered a season-ending knee injury. Suddenly, there was a spot open. And just as suddenly, Omojafo gained some unexpected eligibility.
"I didn't have a relationship with Coach Mack at all, other than the times when I was here before (in April) and he might pop his head in at the basketball facility to chop it up a little bit,'' Omojafo said. "I heard nothing but good things and felt great about him being here. I came down here to work out a little bit over the summer — still never dreaming I could come back — but maybe that got the ball rolling a little bit. They saw me out there. It's crazy, but we were able to make it all happen.''
Omojafo's return has been greeted enthusiastically by his new teammates.
"Adding Josh has been huge for us,'' said guard Mike James, a transfer from Vanderbilt who has experience at Louisville and NC State. "We're leaning into him because he won last year. He was part of a USF team that won the conference and reached the NCAA Tournament. That means something.
"Josh will be like an ambassador for our program because he's familiar with the fans, familiar with the campus, familiar with everything. He's going to give us veteran leadership. Plus, it's fun to play with him because he's so relentless about getting downhill. He's a real talent.''
Bulls point guard Sonny Wilson, a transfer from Toledo, said Omojafo's versatile skill-set should be a big asset.
"When you watch Josh, it's the way he moves, gets up and down the court and plays different positions,'' Wilson said. "He's going to be a real presence for our team. You just watch him and you instantly figure out he's an experienced dude who knows how to play this game.''
Omojafo (pronounced: Oh-muh-JAH-foe) has compiled an interesting basketball career to say the least.
Possessing Nigerian bloodlines, he grew up in Hamilton, Ontario, a Canadian town just outside of Toronto. He had no firm college offers, despite becoming the leading scorer at Lincoln Prep, but eventually found a home at NCAA Division II Gannon University in Erie, Pa.
Gannon went 3-23 in Omojafo's first season. Others might have sprinted away. He stayed. And he was rewarded. Gannon went from 3-23 to 32-2, reaching the 2024 NCAA Division II Tournament's Elite Eight just months after being considered a laughingstock.
Now there was definite Division I interest. Eyebrows were raised when Omojafo selected Robert Morris University, which was coming off a 10-22 mark, the program's fourth consecutive losing season. Wouldn't you know it? With Omojafo in the lineup, Robert Morris won 16 of their last 17 games, including an 89-78 victory against Youngstown State in the Horizon League Tournament final, clinching an automatic NCAA Tournament bid.
In the first round, the No. 15-seeded Colonials fell 90-81 against No. 2 Alabama. But they — and Omojafo — made an impression. It was Omojafo's driving layup with seven minutes to play that gave Robert Morris a one-point lead and solid Cinderella support from Cleveland's Rocket Arena.
Bryan Hodgson, just hired as South Florida's head coach, took notice and brought Omojafo to Tampa. Hodgson called Omojafo "one of the really good stories in the transfer portal'' because he brought winning effort to every program.
Omojafo, a familiar face known to many South Florida fans as "JoMo,'' seeks to bring that championship spirit to the new-look Bulls.
'"I know what it takes to win,'' Omojafo said. "I'm not taking this opportunity for granted at all. It's almost like unfinished business from last year (and USF's 83-79 first-round NCAA defeat against Louisville). I want to help put us in that position again.
"In my humble opinion, I think I can bring a lot to the table — offensively, defensively, passing, off-ball, on-ball, defense, all of it. Whatever they need. I'm not going to compare what we have to last season, but this is a very talented team. You have to go through the grind and respond to adversity, but I like what I see. I see a team that could be really special.''
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
