New Bulls Coaches Share Excitement For Being At South Florida in Sneaker Soiree Appearance
June 02, 2026 | General
Their excitement was palpable.
The three newest head coaches for USF Athletics — women's basketball's Kristy Curry, football's Brian Hartline and men's basketball's Chris Mack — sat side-by-side Thursday night during a get-to-know-you interview session at the Tampa Bay Sports Commission's 14th annual Sneaker Soiree at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel and Casino.
Moderator Sara Walsh of the NFL Network asked each coach about the attraction to USF. What brought them to Tampa?
And each coach practically bubbled over with enthusiasm.
"All of us have been at other places and we've experienced many things, but the amount of momentum that is currently at South Florida is unlike anywhere you've ever seen,'' said Hartline, the former offensive coordinator at Ohio State. "The opportunity to take where it's at now and take it a step forward … really, it's a place with no ceiling. That's the most encouraging thing and what I'm most excited about.''
"What excites me the most is the vision, the passion and the energy you see at this university,'' said Curry, the former head coach at Alabama. "It starts with our leader (USF CEO of Athletics) Rob Higgins and the amazing executive team that he has surrounded himself with. He is a visionary leader and he is absolutely elite.''
"The more that I dug in and did my research in the short interview process, it was very apparent that Rob (Higgins) being a CEO of Athletics, he just had a different vision,'' said Mack, the former head coach at the College of Charleston. "Obviously, with him working for the (Tampa Bay) Sports Commission for as long as he did, he has a real understanding of where college athletics are trending. Who better to align yourself with than Rob with his experience?''
Mack and Curry said they are eager to begin workouts with their new-look rosters, which were fortified through the transfer portal.
"We started this whole deal (at USF) with zero players … and now we have 15 of them,'' Mack said. "It starts with having good people and the right type of people in your program. I'm really excited about the staff we have and equally excited about the players that we'll receive as they come into Tampa Bay for the very first time. They're proud to wear the USF logo.''
"We've always been a big believer that you can be the greatest in the classroom, the community and the hardest worker, so we carry that (grit) each and every day across our program,'' Curry said. "We're in a transactional time, so I think love is such a key ingredient. We want to love each other, we want to love this community, and we want to love the front of our (jersey) more than the back. Then there's gratitude, just being thankful for the opportunity to represent an incredible university and our families. So, grit, love and gratitude … that's how we're going to be successful.''
Meanwhile, as Hartline prepares for his first USF season, he said the visual construction backdrop of the school's on-campus stadium, scheduled to open in 2027, had added more anticipation.
"That stadium is changing daily, for sure,'' Hartline said. "I get to sit there and watch it being built. The headlamps (for construction workers) are on at 6 a.m. You walk in the door and it's like, 'Oh my God, these 20-hour days of putting in the work, it's pretty impressive.
"As far as (this season), I'm really proud of the staff and I'm really proud of the guys in the locker room. We brought in 50 new players, give or take, and they believe in the vision of what we're capable of growing to. I'm really excited to see these guys maximize what they've got, what they're capable of and what they're going to put on the field in three or four months.''
–#GoBulls–
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
