South Florida Men’s Golf Hires Matt Ariza as Assistant Coach
June 22, 2026 | Men's Golf
TAMPA, Fla. (June 22, 2026) – The South Florida men's golf team has hired Matt Ariza as Assistant Coach, head coach Steve Bradley announced on Monday.
"Matt is the complete package as a coach. His unmatched work ethic, genuine passion for developing student-athletes, and ability to connect with people make him an outstanding addition to any program," Bradley said. "He earns trust naturally and inspires those around him to be their best. We are excited to welcome Matt as our Assistant Golf Coach and look forward to the impact he will make on our team and culture."
"I couldn't be more excited to come home to South Florida. Coach Bradley has a track record of getting his teams to compete at the highest level," Ariza said. "I'm really looking forward to working with him and continuing to help this team grow and compete."
Ariza joins South Florida after serving as an Assistant Coach at Mercer for one season. During the 2025-26 season, he helped Mercer earn a third-place finish at the Southern Conference Championship, the highest finish in program history. As a team, Mercer lowered its scoring average by nearly five strokes per round, improving from 292.24 to 287.52.
Ariza coached All-Southern Conference selection Henry Robards to a No. 325 ranking in the NCAA men's golf player rankings after Robards entered the season ranked No. 932. He also helped Mercer improve 38 spots in the NCAA men's golf team rankings, moving from No. 178 in 2024-25 to No. 140 in 2025-26.
Before his role at Mercer, Ariza spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky. During his tenure, the Colonels improved from No. 246 to No. 144 in the NCAA men's golf team rankings in a single semester. He also helped guide the program to seven top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes.
Ariza led recruiting for EKU across the Southeast and Midwest. He oversaw apparel design for the team and staff to ensure a unified brand identity.
Before joining the Colonels as a coach, Ariza played five years of collegiate golf for Piedmont and Lamar.
Ariza competed in 28 rounds for Piedmont University and received Collegiate Conference of the South Second Team honors in 2023. When competing in the 2023 NCAA DIII Championship, Ariza finished 51st out of 221 golfers to help guide the Lions to a second-place team finish.
Ariza is scheduled to graduate from Mercer University with a Master of Business Administration in July 2026. He graduated from Piedmont University with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2023.
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About USF Men's Golf
The USF men's golf program has captured 19 conference titles and has seen players earn 19 All-America honors. The Bulls have won six American Athletic Conference Tournament championships in wire-to-wire fashion, winning four consecutive from 2015-18. The Bulls have had six individual conference champions, including Jake Peacock in both 2024 and 2025. They went to nine straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2013-2022, including a 6th place finish in NCAA Championship match-play in 2015. USF is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times since taking over the program in 2014. The Bulls have posted 25 tournament wins under Bradley including three in the 2023-24 season, by far the most under any coach in program history.
– #GoBulls –
"Matt is the complete package as a coach. His unmatched work ethic, genuine passion for developing student-athletes, and ability to connect with people make him an outstanding addition to any program," Bradley said. "He earns trust naturally and inspires those around him to be their best. We are excited to welcome Matt as our Assistant Golf Coach and look forward to the impact he will make on our team and culture."
"I couldn't be more excited to come home to South Florida. Coach Bradley has a track record of getting his teams to compete at the highest level," Ariza said. "I'm really looking forward to working with him and continuing to help this team grow and compete."
Ariza joins South Florida after serving as an Assistant Coach at Mercer for one season. During the 2025-26 season, he helped Mercer earn a third-place finish at the Southern Conference Championship, the highest finish in program history. As a team, Mercer lowered its scoring average by nearly five strokes per round, improving from 292.24 to 287.52.
Ariza coached All-Southern Conference selection Henry Robards to a No. 325 ranking in the NCAA men's golf player rankings after Robards entered the season ranked No. 932. He also helped Mercer improve 38 spots in the NCAA men's golf team rankings, moving from No. 178 in 2024-25 to No. 140 in 2025-26.
Before his role at Mercer, Ariza spent two seasons as an assistant coach at Eastern Kentucky. During his tenure, the Colonels improved from No. 246 to No. 144 in the NCAA men's golf team rankings in a single semester. He also helped guide the program to seven top-five finishes and 13 top-10 finishes.
Ariza led recruiting for EKU across the Southeast and Midwest. He oversaw apparel design for the team and staff to ensure a unified brand identity.
Before joining the Colonels as a coach, Ariza played five years of collegiate golf for Piedmont and Lamar.
Ariza competed in 28 rounds for Piedmont University and received Collegiate Conference of the South Second Team honors in 2023. When competing in the 2023 NCAA DIII Championship, Ariza finished 51st out of 221 golfers to help guide the Lions to a second-place team finish.
Ariza is scheduled to graduate from Mercer University with a Master of Business Administration in July 2026. He graduated from Piedmont University with a bachelor's degree in business administration in 2023.
Follow us
Follow South Florida Men's Golf on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
About USF Men's Golf
The USF men's golf program has captured 19 conference titles and has seen players earn 19 All-America honors. The Bulls have won six American Athletic Conference Tournament championships in wire-to-wire fashion, winning four consecutive from 2015-18. The Bulls have had six individual conference champions, including Jake Peacock in both 2024 and 2025. They went to nine straight NCAA Regional appearances from 2013-2022, including a 6th place finish in NCAA Championship match-play in 2015. USF is led by Steve Bradley, who has been named American Athletic Conference Coach of the Year five times since taking over the program in 2014. The Bulls have posted 25 tournament wins under Bradley including three in the 2023-24 season, by far the most under any coach in program history.
– #GoBulls –
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