South Florida Athletics 2025-26 Year in Review
June 23, 2026 | General
June's rhythm usually slows down. Around many workplaces, it's a time of vacations and recovery, maybe some planning, but not incredible productivity.
On a typical June morning, at about 6 a.m., University of South Florida CEO of Athletics Rob Higgins has arrived at his office, ready to attack the day. With a green necktie securely knotted and a checklist of tasks to inspect, Higgins prepares for one of his favorite moments, his familiar social-media greeting to Bulls Nation.
Sunrise from the Selmon.
Two years ago, when he was executive director of the Tampa Bay Sports Commission, Higgins learned that he had colon cancer. At such moments, you wonder how many sunrises are actually ahead. So while every USF workday carries challenges, each one is also a blessing — and a reminder of some missing friends.
"I always want to pay homage to Lee Roy Selmon (former USF athletic director), whose name is on our athletics building,'' Higgins said. "I also think of Amir (Abdur-Rahim, USF's late men's basketball coach) every time I say 'Bulls Nation' or engage with fans on social because he was so good at that.
"The biggest thing is engaging with all of our fans and supporters, letting them know what's going on, hearing their ideas, and knowing that we're all in this together in making USF into the best athletic program it can possibly be.''
In that respect, the 2025-26 school year was a memorable one for USF Athletics. The tenure of Higgins, which began with his September introduction, has mirrored that juncture, which included six American Conference championships, nine postseason teams, football's first appearance in the College Football Playoff standings, the first NCAA Men's Basketball Tournament appearance in 14 years, 34 first-team all-conference players, three conference players of the year, four All-Americans and academic milestones as well.
The six conference championships were particularly meaningful. A precursor to national achievement is dominating your own conference. And in 2025-26, only six Football Bowl Subdivision schools won more overall conference titles than USF — nine by Virginia (ACC), eight each by UConn (Big East), Liberty (Conference USA) and Utah State (Mountain West) and seven each by Stanford (ACC) and UCLA (Big Ten).
Another qualifier: In 2025-26, there were only two FBS schools with at least six conference titles, nine football wins, 25 men's basketball wins and 20 women's basketball wins — USF and Virginia.
"I feel like we're just getting started in terms of all the things we want to accomplish,'' said Higgins, whose grateful for the support of his wife, Casey, and his family in his relentless drive to elevate USF Athletics. "There's a lot to do in a short amount of time on so many levels — from the stadium (that opens in 2027) to everything we're building across our 21 sports to our aspirations within the whole national landscape, there's always something to be done. We need to make sure we're taking advantage of every second.
"To me, it feels like a race against time, where every minute matters. There will be time for rest at some point down the road. But these next few months and years aren't it.''
And that speaks to one of Higgins' pet phrases: "All gas, no brakes.''
"It's what I said at the (September introductory) news conference and I've heard it before,'' Higgins said. "If I'm being honest, USF in the past had a lot of the reverse (philosophy). There has been a lot of brakes, a lot of speed bumps, a lot of reasons why not to do things. We're trying to flip that mentality.
"I do think this school and athletic department has had an inferiority complex. I do think we've accepted being the little brother at times. To me, that's not what this place deserves. It's not what this place is going to be. It's like the constant reliance and use of the word 'potential' instead of prioritizing results and what this place should truly be.''
In a six-month span, Higgins made five head-coaching hires — Kristy Curry (women's basketball), Brian Hartline (football), George Kiefer (men's soccer), Jo Kremer (beach volleyball) and Chris Mack (men's basketball).
"Each situation has been unique and different, but in each case, we've had a good discussion about the words 'sleeping giant,' '' Higgins said. "Those are two more words that have been associated with USF Athletics. They have been used for decades and it's another way of saying 'potential.'
"I think hiring like-minded leaders who understand how 'potential' is such an immeasurable metric helps you to understand the importance of hiring a bunch of proven leaders who still have something to prove,'' Higgins said. "When you have proven leaders, you realize you can't have this reliance on what could be. You should be focused on how to make things happen. Creating a vision and playbook to be successful as soon as possible, that's really important.''
Higgins said defining USF's success remains a balance between winning championships and earning degrees — with a mix of fundraising, increased ticket sales, television viewership, media value and social-media performance. All of those areas are trending upward, by the way.
"It reminds me of a quote Bobby Paschal (former USF men's basketball coach) used to say about how we're not yet where we want to be, but thank goodness we're ahead of where we used to be,'' Higgins said. "We've come a long way in a lot of areas, but we're not where we need to be yet.
"It's the all-gas, no-brakes mentality. We certainly take a lot of pride in the six conference championships, but we're not celebrating anything yet. There's great strides with our team and individual success, what we've done academically, the progress we've made on the stadium and everything else that has been happening. But at the same time, every single day, there's still a lot more to do.''
And that's why Higgins rises every day about 4:45 a.m., usually beating the alarm clock, feeling like he has been "shot from a cannon'' because he's so eager to address the next pressing issue for his alma mater.
Higgins doesn't necessarily advocate his approach for everyone.
"You have to watch out for your health and most people, I think, should get a good night's sleep,'' Higgins said with a smile. "I've just never been a sleep-in guy. There's always some idea or task going on in my head. And I guess I fortunately don't need a lot of sleep. Being here and doing this particular job (head of athletics) has been something I dreamed about for a long time. So I do it with a lot of joy and happiness.
"I want what's best for this place. I always have. And I'm excited about the journey we're on.''
Every sunrise represents another challenge and another opportunity.
Joey Johnston
Athletics Senior Writer
