Years In Coaching: 22nd
Years at USF: 3rd
Alma Mater: Ohio State, 2006 – Bachelor’s in Education
Family: Wife: Alexis; Daughter: Corbin; Son: Barrett
Hometown: Dublin, Ohio
NOTABLE:
• First coach to lead USF to bowl game victories in each of their first two seasons (2023 & 2024)
• In his offense, former walk-on receiver Sean Atkins set USF career records for receptions and receiving yards and posted the No. 1 and No. 2 season reception totals and No. 1 and No. 5 season receiving yardage totals in program history.
• Named by ESPN one of "30 coaches who will define the next decade of college football" (2024)
• Named to CFN Top 15 Coach of the Year Finalist for 2023
• Led largest turnaround in USF program history and second largest in the FBS in 2023 with a six-win improvement over the Bulls 2022 record, first bowl bid since 2018 and first bowl win since 2017.
• 2023 team posted the largest shutout win (45-0 over Syracuse) in NCAA bowl history.
• First USF team (2023) set 12 team and 16 individual records, including program's first 3,000-yard passer and 1,000-yard receiver.
• First full-cycle recruiting class at USF (2024) was ranked No. 48 by Rivals, the program’s highest in a decade, and led all non-autonomy five programs.
• Named to CBS Sports' "Top 15 Coaches Under 40" list in April of 2023.
• 2022 Broyles Award Finalist & 247Sports Offensive Coordinator of the Year
• Play-caller for 2022 Tennessee offense that ranked No. 1 nationally in scoring (47.33), yards per game (538.1), points per possession (3.24) and yards per play (7.35) during the regular season.
• Coached 2022 Biletnikoff Award winner Jalin Hyatt, the first Tennessee player ever to win the honor as the nation's most outstanding receiver.
• Took Tennessee offense from No. 108 before his arrival to No. 7 (2021) to No. 1 (2022)
• 2022 Tennessee offense was the only one in the nation posting over 300 yards passing & 200 rushing per game
• Each of the three offenses he coordinated prior to coming to USF finished in the Top 10 in scoring and total offense in FBS football.
• Helped lead four programs to significant improvement while key member of staff
• Tennessee from 3-7 to 10-2 & No. 6 in CFP Rankings
• Iowa State from 3 wins to three-straight bowl games
• Illinois from 2 wins to back-to-back bowl games
• Toledo from 3-9 to 9-4
• Secured four-highest ranked recruiting classes in Iowa State history.
• Delivered No. 1 ranked recruiting class in MAC in back-to-back years at Toledo.
• Coached QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – 2022 Maxwell Award Finalist; WR Marlon Williams, UCF – 2020 Biletnikoff Finalist; TE Charlie Kolar, Iowa State – 2019 Mackey Award semifinalist
Bowl Experience as a Coach (14)
2024 Hawai'i Bowl - USF (HC)
2023 Boca Raton Bowl - USF (HC)
2021 Music City Bowl - Tennessee
2020 Boca Raton Bowl - UCF
2019 Camping World Bowl – Iowa State
2018 Alamo Bowl – Iowa State
2017 Liberty Bowl – Iowa State
2014 Heart of Dallas Bowl – Illinois
2011 Military Bowl – Toledo
2010 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl – Toledo
2008 Holiday Bowl – Oklahoma State
2006 Poinsettia Bowl – Northern Illinois
2006 Fiesta Bowl – Ohio State
2004 Alamo Bowl – Ohio State
The son of Russian immigrant parents who worked his way through the collegiate coaching ranks with a blue-collar work ethic and a powerful connection with his players that helped to generate major turnarounds at four programs, Alex Golesh was named the sixth head coach in USF football history on Dec. 4, 2022. In April of 2023, he was named to CBS Sports' "Top 15 Coaches Under 40" list and in the fall of 2024 to ESPN's list of "30 coaches who will define the next decade of college football."
After securing a thrilling five-overtime victory in the 2024 Hawai'i Bowl, Golesh became
the first Bulls coach to lead his team to bowl victories in each of their first two seasons and his 14 wins in his first two seasons rank second among USF head coaches in that span. This after taking over a program that had totaled four victories in the three seasons before his arrival. Golesh led the Bulls to a 7-6 mark and second-straight bowl appearance in 2024, despite seeing returning starting quarterback Byrum Brown go down in Game 5 and miss the remainder of the season outside of a couple of snaps in the bowl game. The Bulls won their seven games by an average of 24.7 ppg and led the FBS in scoring in November, posting 201 points, as they won three games in November and five of their last seven, including 59-24 at Charlotte and 63-30 vs. Tulsa, which marked the first back-to-back USF 50-point games in 13 years. The Bulls also logged three road wins, the teams most since 2017, and played No. 4 Alabama to a one-score game under six minutes before falling in Tuscaloosa.
Golesh was also a key to major milestones on the year, as the program broke ground on a state-of-the-art, 35,000-seat on-campus stadium and operations center in October and former walk-on wide receiver Sean Atkins became the program's all-time career leader in receptions (200) and receiving yards (2,167) as he closed his career with the top two season reception totals and the No. 1 and No. 5 season receiving yardage totals in program history under Golesh's mentorship. Golesh also continued the Bulls success on the recruiting trail, as his second full-cycle class ranked No. 2 among programs outside of the autonomous four conferences.
In his first season
at South Florida, Golesh led the greatest turnaround in USF program history recording a 7-6 record and 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl win over Syracuse just one season after the Bulls went 1-11. The astounding six-win improvement was the second-biggest in FBS football in 2023 and was capped by the largest shutout victory in NCAA bowl history. The Bulls set 12 team and 16 individual records and set the foundation for continued success by garnering the program’s highest ranked recruiting class in a decade as the Bulls 2024 class was ranked No. 48 nationally by Rivals and was tops among all non-autonomy four programs in the nation.
Running Golesh's ultra-fast paced offense, USF produced the program's first 3,000-yard passer in redshirt freshman Brown (3,292) and first 1,000-yard receiver in former walk-on Atkins (1,054). Brown also set USF season records for touchdown passes (26), completions (276), completion percentage (64.6%)
and 300-yard passing games (4). His 4,101 total yards and 37 touchdowns responsible for both finished as the second-best season totals at USF and he ranked No. 8 nationally in total offense (315.5 ypg) and points per game responsible for (17.4 ppg) as he joined Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only FBS players to post at least 3,000 passing and 800 rushing yards on the year. Meanwhile, Atkins also added the season receptions record (92) and finished No. 8 nationally in receptions per game (7.1) and No. 25 in receiving yards.
The USF offense ranked No. 17 nationally producing 451.6 ypg and led the nation running 82.1 plays per game. The Bulls 5,871 offensive yards on the year ranked as the third-best total in program history, while their 415 points stand fifth as USF finished fifth in the AAC after being picked 13
th in a preseason poll and was the only Florida FBS program to win a bowl game on the season.
The 2022 Broyles Award finalist and 247Sports Offensive Coordinator of the Year came to USF as a nationally recognized recruiter and play-caller for the nation’s highest-scoring and most-explosive offense, having served the previous two seasons as offensive coordinator/tight ends coach at the
University of Tennessee (2021 & 2022). He helped propel the Vols from three wins (3-7) the season before his arrival to 10 wins and a No. 6 College Football Playoff ranking in 2022. Golesh implemented a tempo-based offense at UT that led to dramatic improvement, shattered Vols’ records and has seen UT rank No. 1 in the nation in scoring (47.33), yards per game (538.1), points per possession (3.24) and yards per play (7.35) in 2022. Tennessee was the only team to average over 300 yards passing and 200 yards rushing on the 2022 season, and had scored 40-plus points in 15 of its 25 games since his arrival.
In 20 seasons of collegiate coaching, Golesh worked his way up through the collegiate ranks while serving on the staffs of eight FBS programs and was a key recruiter at several of those stops, helping to lead program turnarounds at Tennessee, Iowa State, Illinois and Toledo.
Notably, he served as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator for head coach Matt Campbell’s first four seasons at
Iowa State (2016-19) where he helped secure and develop the talent that led the Cyclones to a turn-around from a 3-9 season before their arrival to a run of five-straight bowl games (of which he was part of three) and an eventual 9-3, Fiesta Bowl season the year after his departure. Golesh helped secure the four highest-ranked recruiting classes in program history, with all four ranking in the top 50 and two in the top 40.
While serving as a position coach (tight ends/running backs) and recruiting coordinator for four seasons at Illinois
(2012-15), he helped the program go from two wins in his first season to back-to-back bowl games in his last two, and as tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator at
Toledo (2009-11) he helped lead the Rockets from a 3-9 mark before his arrival to 8-5 and 9-4 campaigns in his last two years. Golesh aided the Toledo program in securing the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference in consecutive years (2010 & 2011) according to Rivals.com.
Golesh also has coaching experience in the state of Florida, serving for one season as co-offensive coordinator/tight ends coach at
UCF (2020), where the
Knights ranked second in FBS football in total offense (568.1), fourth in passing offense (357.4), seventh in total passing yards (3,574) and eighth in scoring offense (42.2).
In each of his three seasons as an offensive coordinator prior to arriving at USF, Golesh’s offenses finished in the top 10 in scoring offense and total offense in FBS football each year. His first Tennessee offense shattered eight team single-season records, including points (511), total offensive yards (6,174), touchdowns (67) and passing efficiency (167.10), and has surpassed all those marks again in 2022 with games remaining. Golesh and the Vols improved a scoring offense that skyrocketed 107 spots from 108
th in the country in 2020 to seventh in 2021 and first in 2022.
Player development highlights under Golesh include quarterback Hendon Hooker shattering Tennessee single-season records for completion percentage (68.0) and passing efficiency (181.41) in 2021 and surpassing the completion percentage mark in 2022 (69.6) while becoming a Maxwell Award finalist as the top player in college football. He threw for 3,135 yards and 27 touchdowns and ran for 430 yards and five touchdowns to close within 224 yards of Peyton Manning’s school season total offense record (3,789) before suffering an injury in the Vols’ 11
th game that ended his 2022 season.
Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt became the first Tennessee player ever to win the Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver in 2022 as he is tied for the lead in FBS football in receiving touchdowns (15) and ranked third with 1,267 yards (18.91 ypc) on 67 catches in 2022. UCF’s Marlon Williams was also a Biletnikoff Award finalist in 2020 in Golesh's offense after ranking third in the nation with 8.9 receptions per game and fifth with 129.9 yards per game.
Golesh’s teams have made 12 bowl game appearances and he has coached five players that have been selected in the NFL Draft. He was named to the prestigious American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 class of 2019. The program is aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Golesh made an immediate impact as Tennessee’s offensive coordinator and tight ends coach. In one of the most remarkable transformations in the sport, Golesh implemented a tempo-based offense that allowed skill positions to flourish. In 2021, no team in the country ran more plays per minute than Tennessee at 2.99, a sharp contrast from the 1.61 a year prior to his arrival.
As part of Josh Heupel’s first UT staff, Golesh and the Vols won seven games – four better than a season prior to their arrival – and beat six teams by at least 24 points while earning a berth to the Music City Bowl. Perhaps no offense in the nation owned a greater identity, as UT shattered eight team single-season records, including points (511), total offensive yards (6,174), touchdowns (67), point after touchdowns made (67), total first downs (316), rushing first downs (164), fewest interceptions thrown (3) and passing efficiency (167.10).
Golesh and the Vols average 39.3 points per game, which finished second in modern school history. Tennessee increased its total offense by 128.7 yards per game, putting up 474.9, a mark that ranked ninth in the FBS. The Vols tallied 6.5 yards per play, the program’s best since 1993.
Hooker shattered school single-season records for completion percentage (68.0) and passing efficiency (181.41) and the Vols produced their first 1,000-yard receiver since 2012. Cedric Tillman finished the year with 1,081 receiving yards – fourth in school history – to go along with 64 catches and 12 touchdowns. All-SEC wide receiver Velus Jones Jr. became the 2021 SEC Co-Special Teams Player of the Year, logging 62 receptions for 807 yards and seven scores before being selected in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Chicago Bears. Both Tillman and Jones Jr. finished in the UT single-season top 10 annals for catches.
Golesh’s tight end unit became a key cog, combining for 37 catches for 406 yards and four touchdowns. A year prior to Golesh’s arrival, UT tight ends combined for 18 catches for 176 yards and two scores. The 37 receptions and 406 receiving yards were the most by Vol tight ends since 2016, while the four scores were the most by UT tight ends since 2012.
Golesh served one season on Heupel’s staff in the same role at UCF in 2020. UCF earned a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl and multiple players earned postseason award recognition. Marlon Williams was tabbed a third-team All-American by Pro Football Focus and a semifinalist for the Biletnikoff Award after averaging 129.9 receiving yards per game, good for fifth in the FBS. He also tallied 10 receiving touchdowns, which ranked seventh nationally.
Quarterback Dillon Gabriel was a second-team All-AAC selection and a three-time AAC Offensive Player of the Week recipient. Gabriel ranked second in the FBS in total offense per game at 373.9, while leading the nation in passing yards per contest at 357.0.
Golesh also mentored a pair of NFL Draft picks at UCF. Wide receiver Jacob Harris, a former walk-on, blossomed into a top-level pass catcher for the Knights by his senior season. He finished the year with 30 catches for 539 yards and eight touchdowns. Harris was selected as a tight end in the fourth round of the 2021 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Rams. Meanwhile, wide receiver Tre Nixon was taken in the 2021 seventh round by the New England Patriots.
Golesh spent four successful seasons as the tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator at Iowa State (2016-19). Behind Golesh's efforts, Iowa State's recruiting climbed sharply. Golesh was selected to the prestigious American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) 35 Under 35 class of 2019. The program is aimed at identifying and developing premier, future leaders in the football coaching profession.
Golesh mentored all-conference performers at tight end in 2017, 2018 and 2019, as the Cyclones recorded a pair of 8-5 seasons and back-to-back bowl berths in 2017 and 2018. In 2018, Iowa State broke its school record for conference victories in a season (six), tying for third in the Big 12 for the best conference finish 40 years. In 2019, the Cyclones ended 7-6 after an appearance in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, for their third consecutive bowl invitation.
In the season before Golesh came to Ames, Iowa State tight ends caught a combined five passes. In 2019, Cyclone tight ends caught 75 passes under his direction and played a pivotal role in the team’s success. Sophomore tight end Charlie Kolar caught 51 passes for 697 yards (most yards all-time by a Cyclone tight end in a season) and seven touchdowns, helping him earn second-team All-America honors from Pro Football Focus and first-team All-Big 12 recognition, as well as first-team Academic All-America notice. He also was a semifinalist for the Mackey Award as one of the nation’s top tight ends. Teammate Chase Allen earned second-team All-Big 12 honors as Golesh’s unit completed the rare feat of sweeping both All-Big 12 tight end awards. The tight production helped Iowa State rank 11th nationally and second in the Big 12 in passing offense at 311.3 yards per game.
Kolar as a freshman was a second-team All-Big 12 pick during the 2018 campaign, while Allen was a second-team All-Big 12 selection in 2017. Kolar went on to be selected in the fourth round of the 2022 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, representing Iowa State’s first tight end draftee in 20 years.
Golesh previously was the tight ends coach at Illinois from 2013-15 and worked with the Illini running backs and tight ends in 2014. He was Illinois’ recruiting coordinator from 2012-14, the special teams coordinator in 2015 and worked with the specialists all four years.
Golesh was on staff at Toledo for three years from 2009-11, serving as both tight ends coach and recruiting coordinator. Golesh aided the Toledo program in securing the No. 1 recruiting class in the Mid-American Conference in consecutive years. The 2010 Rocket class was No. 1 in the league according to Rivals.com, while both Rivals and Scout.com rated the 2011 class No. 1. Toledo recorded back-to-back bowl appearances in his final two seasons.
Golesh spent three seasons as a graduate assistant coach – two at
Northern Illinois (2006-07) and one at
Oklahoma State (2008), working with the OSU outside linebackers and helping the program to a 9-4 record and Holiday Bowl berth. At NIU, Golesh worked for one season with the secondary and one with the offensive line, helping the Huskies make the 2006 Poinsettia Bowl.
He started his career as a student assistant coach while attending
Ohio State as an undergraduate and spent two and a half years aiding the Buckeyes' defensive coaches and working with the
defensive line as the Buckeyes claimed the 2005 Big Ten championship and went on to earn a victory in the Fiesta Bowl over Notre Dame. Golesh also spent one year as a defensive line coach in a first-year football program at the newly opened Westerville Central (Ohio) High School in 2003.
Golesh was born in Moscow, Russia, but grew up in Brooklyn, New York, and Dublin, Ohio, where he was a three-year letter winner in football at Dublin Scioto High School. He earned a bachelor's degree in education from Ohio State in 2006.
Golesh and his wife Alexis, have one daughter, Corbin, and one son, Barrett.
Year-by-Year
Year School Position
2023- USF Head Coach
2021-22 Tennessee Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
2020 UCF Co-Offensive Coordinator/Tight Ends
2016-19 Iowa State Tight Ends/Recruiting Coord.
2015 Illinois Tight Ends/Special Teams Coord.
2014 Illinois Running Backs/Tight Ends/Recruiting Coord.
2012-13 Illinois Tight Ends/Recruiting Coord.
2009-11 Toledo Tight Ends/Recruiting Coord.
2008 Oklahoma State Graduate Assistant
2006-07 Northern Illinois Graduate Assistant
2004-05 Ohio State Student Assistant
BE WHO YOU SAY YOU ARE
“I don’t want anybody to be somebody they’re not. I just want them to be the best version of them. And that’s what be who you say you are is.”
- Alex Golesh (2023)
QUOTES ON ALEX GOLESH
"It's the approach and attitude, he gives them swagger. There's a lot of reasons to have positive vibes in this program."
- ESPN's Joe Tessitore (2024)
"He's extremely detailed and the most hard-working person I've ever been around in my life. You just try to match that level of detail, that leve of intensity, that level of work. When you have someone like that leading an organization – the first to arrive, the last to leave – that is going to inspire everyone to give all they have."
-
Jack Taylor, USF tight ends coach (2024)
“When you ask him something, he’ll tell you the truth. He isn’t going to sugarcoat anything.”
-
safety Logan Berryhill (2023)
“I just see him in the building all day, every day."
-
offensive lineman Donovan Jennings (2023)
Rhea Law, President of the University of South Florida
“I thank Michael Kelly for conducting a thorough search that led us to a coach who shares our vision of providing a successful college experience for our student-athletes and winning football games consistently. Coach Golesh joins a university that’s strongly committed to supporting our football program and taking USF Athletics to the next level, including building a transformational on-campus stadium.”
Michael Kelly, Vice President of Athletics, University of South Florida
“We are thrilled to welcome Coach Golesh as the new leader of our program. He is a dynamic coach and recruiter who is relentless in pursuit of excellence, as evidenced by his outstanding track record of elevating numerous programs. He also happens to be one of the most creative and successful offensive minds in college football. Alex has worked his way up through the college ranks, been a key part of successful program-building at numerous stops and has developed perhaps the most fearsome offensive attack in college football today."
Mike Vrabel, Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans
“Alex has always taken the philosophy of ‘no job too small to help the team win’ at every stop along his journey. He has remained steadfast in doing what was best for the team, putting the players and his family first and remaining humble as he has climbed through this hectic profession. I am excited to watch his success.”
Jim Tressel, President, Youngstown State University
and Former Head Football Coach, Ohio State University:
“So excited for Alex and his family. His tireless work ethic and passion for student-athletes will serve USF very well for years to come.”
Matt Campbell, Head Coach at Iowa State:
“Alex is a gifted leader of people. He is articulate, smart, charismatic, and he most importantly cares about the lives of his players. Alex and his amazing family will be great ambassadors and leaders for the University of South Florida and the future of its football program.”
Marcus Freeman, Head Coach at Notre Dame:
“I’ve been fortunate to see Alex from a player and coach’s perspective. He has an unbelievable ability to maximize every individual he comes into contact with. That is a result of his ability to earn their trust and because he is a man of character. Alex will do a great job building the program at South Florida.”
Gallery: (1-14-2025) Alex Golesh (2023-24)
