TAMPA, AUG. 8, 2024 – Record-breaking South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C.) added his third appearance on a national award watch list on Thursday when he was named to the Davey O'Brien National Quarterback Award Preseason Watch List.
The oldest and most prestigious national quarterback award, it has been presented since 1981 when it was awarded to BYU's Jim McMahon.

Brown was earlier named to the Walter Camp and Maxwell award watch lists, both presented annually to the college football player of the year. The most recent announcement brings USF's total to seven national awards watch lists that Bulls appear on entering the 2024 season.

Brown was one of three American Athletic Conference players named to the Walter Camp Watch List, joining Memphis quarterback Seth Hennigan and UAB quarterback Jacob Zeno. Brown will face both in clashes in Raymond James Stadium when USF takes on AAC conference preseason pick Memphis in a Friday, primetime ESPN game on Oct. 11 and faces UAB on Sat., Oct. 19 for homecoming.

Brown is one of five players from Florida universities named to the Davey O'Brien Watch List. He will face one of the others, Miami quarterback Cam Ward, when USF takes on Miami in Raymond James Stadium on Sat., Sept. 21.

Tickets for USF football games can be purchased at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-GoBulls.

The sophomore quarterback set USF season marks for passing yards (3,292), touchdowns (26), completions (276), and completion percentage (64.6%) and tied the Bulls game record for touchdown passes with five at Memphis in his first season in head coach Alex Golesh's offense. He also led the Bulls with 809 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, joining 2023 Heisman Trophy and Davey O'Brien Award winner Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only players in FBS football to register 3,000-plus yards passing and 800-plus yards rushing.

Brown's 4,101 total yards in 2023 are the second-best season total in program history behind only Quinton Flowers, and he enters the 2024 season standing sixth on the Bulls' all-time career passing chart (3,696). Honored by the AAC six times in the conference weekly awards in 2023, Brown was key to the Bulls' program-best, six-game win improvement capped by a 45-0 victory over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. He led the Bulls to come-from-behind wins at UConn and Navy, and his 517 total yards in a victory over Rice (including 435 passing) rank as the second-best total in program history.

USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best six-game turnaround) and claiming a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse in 2023.

The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

The Bulls open the season Aug. 31 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium before road games at Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home clash with Miami (Sept. 21).

BULLS ON PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS (7)
Maxwell Award Byrum Brown, QB
Walter Camp Award Byrum Brown, QB
Davey O'Brien Award Byrum Brown, QB
Biletnikoff Award Sean Atkins, WR
Come Back Player of the Year Jason Vaughn, DE
Doak Walker Award Nay'Quan Wright, RB
Outland Trophy Zane Herring, OG

I figured you all would enjoy hearing some insight on how things are going in camp.

First off the staff feels like they hit it out of the park with the secondary additions whether it is an experienced guy like Brett Austin or De'Shawn Rucker who came via the portal or someone like Fred Gaskin who should be in the rotation this fall in the secondary. Check out the pick videos USF put up today of Gaskin. That kid was a STEAL for USF.



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Here is James Chenault getting one as well.

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The secondary should look significantly better with the mix of returning players, the transfers and the freshmen pushing on the older guys. They have some actual depth now as well.

The front six starting at LB is better than people gave them credit for last year, they just need to be healthy up top. The DL they think will be much better this year and they will have more of a consistent pass rush as they get another year working with Coach KP under their belts.

On the opposite LOS the right side and center spots are locked down Lofton, Herring and Bowman, but the left side, Byrum Brown's blindside is the open competition in camp. If I were betting on it, I would put my money on Andrew Kilfoyl at LG over Cole Skinner and Deonte Bowie, but the LT spot could go in multiple directions with RJ Perry as the most experienced USF guy back, but they went out and got Jack Wilty and you have James Jenkins and Garrett Lanning also in the mix there. You could see some more cross training and the competition roll up to the first game in terms of the left side as they try to find the best combo. Those two OL spots are the biggest question going into the first game of the season and could really determine the ceiling for the offense.

The RB position is stocked and they are better in the TE room now with Payten Singletary (Cincy transfer) to add older depth and Jonathan Echols the freshman who could be an X-factor guy.

WRs is 100% about being healthy and not having to overwork Sean Atkins. They have enough options now and young guys who can give them some quality depth at that position. That is a spot where you could also see young guys like Brandon Winton get some burn.

The QB room is obviously Brown's, but I'm curious how the competition for QB2 goes with Izzy Carter and Bryce Archie. Does that turn into a really intense competition in camp? That I am curious about.

They feel good about the kicking and punting game options, obviously, they have a good punter back and the snapping thing will be an open competition. They have four guys in camp competing there including Trey Dubac who they signed in the 2024 class and a summer transfer walk-on Garrett Cates from Charleston Southern.

The 2024 class signings have meshed very well over the summer and through OTAs and the early part of camp and the staff are very excited about the future of the program and seeing a few of the younger guys play a role this fall. How many, that is what the scrimmages and practices over the next two weeks will sort out.

Senior B-Backer returns after missing most of 2023 season with a knee injury



TAMPA, AUG. 7, 2024 – South Florida football continued to see its national award watch list tally grow on Wednesday morning when senior b-backer Jason Vaughn (Miami, Fla.) was named to the College Football Comeback Player of the Year Award Watch List. The award has been presented since 2018 by College Sports Communicators (CSC), Associated Press and the Fiesta Bowl.



Vaughn suffered a knee injury in 2023 and was able to compete in just four games before ending his campaign. He started seven games in 2022 and led the team with 8.5 tackles for loss and five sacks while posting 35 tackles. Vaughn, entering his sixth season at USF, has played in 42 games for the Bulls and brings 89 career tackles, 16 tackles for loss and 7.5 sacks into his 2024 campaign.



Michigan’s Blake Corum, Holy Cross’ Jacob Dobbs and Virginia’s Mike Hollins were named the winners of the Comeback Player of the Year Award in 2023.



USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best six-game turnaround) and claiming a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse in 2023.



The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Byrum Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.



The Bulls open the season Aug. 31 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium before road games at Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home clash with Miami (Sept. 21).



BULLS ON PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS (5)

Maxwell Award Byrum Brown, QB

Walter Camp Award Byrum Brown, QB

Comeback Player of the Year Jason Vaughn, B Backer

Doak Walker Award Nay’Quan Wright, RB

Outland Trophy Zane Herring, OG

TAMPA, AUG. 7, 2024 – South Florida football saw its national award watch list tally grow to five on Wednesday when senior wide receiver Sean Atkins(Viera, Fla.) was named to the Biletnikoff Award Watch List. The Biletnikoff Award recognizes FBS football's most outstanding receiver at any position and has been awarded since 1994.

Atkins, who was a 2023 semifinalist for the Burlsworth Trophy awarded to the nation's top current or former walk-on college football player, is returning after a record-breaking season in which he became the first Bulls' receiver to post a 1,000-yard season. Atkins set program records with 92 catches for 1,054 yards and added seven touchdown catches, which rank second all-time in a season at USF.

Atkins earned Second Team All-AAC honors after posting seven straight games with at least seven catches and two 100-yard receiving games on the year. He posted two catches for 93 yards and two touchdowns in a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl rout of Syracuse and posted a career-best 10 catches at UTSA and 169 receiving yards in a win over Temple.

Atkins was named a preseason All-American by Phil Steele as well as First Team All-AAC by Steel and Athlon Sports and Second Team All-AAC by Lindy's.

Ohio State's Marvin Harrison, Jr. won the Biletnikoff Award in 2023.

USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best six-game turnaround) and claiming a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse in 2023.

The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Byrum Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

The Bulls open the season Aug. 31 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium before road games at Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home clash with Miami (Sept. 21).

BULLS ON PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS (5)
Maxwell Award Byrum Brown, QB
Walter Camp Award Byrum Brown, QB
Biletnikoff Award Sean Atkins, WR
Doak Walker Award Nay'Quan Wright, RB
Outland Trophy Zane Herring, OG

Senior running back is coming off a career-best year in his first season with the Bulls in 2023.



TAMPA, AUG. 6, 2024 – South Florida football continued to see players recognized nationally on Tuesday when senior running back Nay’Quan Wright (Opa-Locka, Fla.) was named to the Doak Walker Award Watch List. The Doak Walker Award has been presented to the nation’s most outstanding college running back since 1990.



In his first season at USF after transferring from Florida, Wright started all 13 games and posted a career-best year with 797 yards and eight touchdowns rushing. He logged three 100-yard games on the year, including a career-best 186 yards on 26 carries and a touchdown in a win at UConn. He also caught eight passes for 23 yards on the year and scored a touchdown in the Bulls’ 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.



Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II won the Doak Walker Award in 2023.



USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best six-game turnaround) and claiming a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse in 2023.



The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.



The Bulls open the season Aug. 31 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium before road games at Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home clash with Miami (Sept. 21).



BULLS ON PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS

Maxwell Award Byrum Brown, QB

Walter Camp Award Byrum Brown, QB

Outland Trophy Zane Herring, OG

Doak Walker Award Nay’Quan Wright, RB

Sophomore quarterback appears on second national player of the year award watch list;

Brown will clash with two other QBs on the Watch List this season in contests in Raymond James Stadium



TAMPA, AUG. 5, 2024 – Record-breaking South Florida quarterback Byrum Brown (Raleigh, N.C.) gained recognition on another national player of the year award watch list Monday, as he was named to the watch list for the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award. The Walter Camp Award has been presented annually to the college football player of the year since 1967.



Brown, entering his second season as a starter, was earlier named to the watch list for the 2024 Maxwell Award, presented annually to the college football player of the year.



He was one of two American Athletic Conference players named to the Walter Camp Watch List, joining Memphis quarterback Seth Hennigan. The pair will clash when USF takes on AAC conference preseason pick Memphis in Raymond James Stadium in a Friday, primetime ESPN game on Oct. 11.



Brown is one of three players from Florida universities named to the Walter Camp Watch List, joining Florida State quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and Miami quarterback Cam Ward. Brown and Ward will clash when USF takes on Miami in Raymond James Stadium on Sat., Sept. 21.



Tickets for USF football games can be purchased at USFBullsTix.com or by calling 1-800-GoBulls.



The sophomore quarterback set USF season marks for passing yards (3,292), touchdowns (26), completions (276), and completion percentage (64.6%) and tied the Bulls game record for touchdown passes with five at Memphis in his first season in head coach Alex Golesh’s offense. He also led the Bulls with 809 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, joining 2023 Heisman Trophy winner and Walter Camp Award winner Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only players in FBS football to register 3,000-plus yards passing and 800-plus yards rushing.



Brown’s 4,101 total yards in 2023 are the second-best season total in program history behind only Quinton Flowers, and he enters the 2024 season standing sixth on the Bulls’ all-time career passing chart (3,696). Honored by the AAC six times in the conference weekly awards in 2023, Brown was key to the Bulls’ program-best, six-game win improvement capped by a 45-0 victory over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl. He led the Bulls to come-from-behind wins at UConn and Navy, and his 517 total yards in a victory over Rice (including 435 passing) rank as the second-best total in program history.



USF returns 19 starters in 2024 (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6 (a program-best six-game turnaround) and claiming a 45-0 Boca Raton Bowl victory over Syracuse in 2023.



The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.



The Bulls open the season Aug. 31 vs. Bethune-Cookman in Raymond James Stadium before road games at Alabama (Sept. 7) and Southern Mississippi (Sept. 14) and a home clash with Miami (Sept. 21).



BULLS ON PRESEASON NATIONAL AWARD WATCH LISTS

Maxwell Award Byrum Brown, QB

Walter Camp Award Byrum Brown, QB

Outland Trophy Zane Herring, OG

I purchased the game on Thursday and have been playing around with USF. Here are some thoughts.

I thought the offense is pretty similar to a lot of the stuff they run and you can use tempo and all the stuff that Golesh and his staff like to do.

On the QB room, Byrum Brown is an 84 overall out of 100 (if you don't know the game ranking system) and USF has a very highly rated offense overall. Izzy Carter is the #2 by default though he has the same rating as Bryce Archie (73) and Marcelis Tate is on the team as well

What's interesting to me is the RB room because there is no Nay'quan Wright. I guess he opted out of the game which players can do and passed up his $600 or whatever it was and a free copy of the game. Ta'Ron Keith the WKU transfer is instead the starting RB at 81 rating, Kelley Joiner is #2 at 79 and K'Wan Powell is RB3. Jaylen Johnson and Alvon Isaac are in the game as well.

At WR Sean Atkins is the top offensive player overall with an 87 rating, Naiem Simmons and Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen are the other two starters and Michael Brown-Stephens plays a lot as well all are in the high 70s, Jaden Alexis and Jeyquan Smith round of the main WRs. Cade Roberts and KeShaun Singleton are not on the roster, but Joshua Cobbs the former Houston/Wyoming WR is.

At TE, former Cincinnati TE Payten Singletary is the top player in that room at 78 and Weston Wolff, Gunnar Greenwald and Jonathan Echols round out the options along with LS Trey Dubuc who they have to list as a position due to a weird EASports thing with snappers.

The OL is pretty suspect in the game which could be a problem or a strength this upcoming season depending on health and other factors. RJ Perry is the starting LT in the game, he is backed up by CPU generated players (never a good sign). Cole Skinner is starting at LG at just a 71 which is BAD, Kilfoyl is his backup and James Jenkins behind him. Mike Lofton (75) and Cole Best are the two centers. Zane Herring is the RG with the highest OL grade 80 and is backed up by Deonte Bowie. At RT you have Derek Bowman, Junior Uzebu and Nikola Milovac.

On the defensive side, Jason Vaughn is one end at a 77 with Michael Williams II as his backup and then a CPU guy and Dinellson Exume. At the other end you have D.J. Harris, JUCO Jaylen Pettus, Bernard Gooden, Chenellson Exume and Ashton Mosley.

Inside the ratings are better with Rashad Cheney having an 80, Doug Blue-Eli at 79 and Immanuel Hickman at 78 and Decarius Hawthorne at 77. Jacquez Williams is the other DT at 72.

Freshman Zavier Hamilton is the placeholder at LOLB (SAM) which they don't use but have to have a person there for the game. At MIKE they have Mac Harris at 77 and DJ Gordon IV just behind him and a really highly rated CPU generated player followed by Rodney Hill. At the weakside backer they have Jhalyn Shuler, Jamie Pettway and another CPU generated dude.

They have a shit ton of CBs, Aamaris Brown at 84 leads the group, Tavin Ward at 77 is 2 and De'Shawn Rucker is third at 76, Brent Austin, a CPU generated dude, Jarvis Lee, another CPU guy, Ben Knox and two more CPU guys.

The FS is Kajuan Banks at 75, Logan Berryhill also is at 75, D'Marco Augustin is at 74 and more CPU generated dudes. The SS is Jaelen Stokes with a CPU generated backup and then Tawfiq Byard.

They've got John Cannon kicking and Nico Gramatica in the game as the backup K and Andrew Stokes as the punter.

The offense is fun to play with the defense is hard as shit and the game play should be better, it is not an A, but it is probably a B game and USF is pretty well represented.

The in-state showdown will take place on Nov. 4 in Jacksonville for the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational



TAMPA, Fla. (July 31, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team will begin the 2024-25 campaign with a neutral-site matchup against Florida on Nov. 4 at the Jacksonville Sports Foundation Invitational. The Bulls and Gators will play at VyStar Veterans Arena in Jacksonville.



Game time, television designation, and ticket details will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans interested in ticket presale access, as well as receiving additional event news, can register at arena.jaxevents.com.



It was a historic season for the South Florida Bulls in 2023-24 as the program finished with a school-record 25 wins and claimed its first conference regular season title in program history in head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim’s first season with the program. The Bulls return three players who started at least 13 games last season, including Kobe Knox, who started all 33 games, and Jayden Reid, who was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team.



November’s matchup will be the 25th all-time meeting between the two programs. Florida holds a 19-5 advantage in the series. The last meeting was on December 18, 2021.



Founded in May of 2024, the Jacksonville Sports Foundation’s mission is to elevate Jacksonville into a vibrant hub for sports tourism. Intersport, a Chicago-based agency with an expertise in event development and creation, has partnered with the Jacksonville Sports Foundation with the goal of bringing impactful events that help raise the status of the city as a sports tourism destination.



“The Jacksonville Sports Foundation is thrilled to bring these two Florida basketball powerhouses to Florida’s Championship City this November. This game is a great way to kick off the college basketball season, and we are excited for the opportunity to host this high-caliber sporting event here in our City at the VyStar Veterans Memorial Arena,” said Michael Corrigan, President, Jacksonville Sports Foundation.



“Intersport has a demonstrated history of building legacy sporting events, including immensely popular events like the Fort Myers Tip-Off, which will be entering its seventh year this season, among others,” said Mark Starsiak. “We have cemented ourselves as a leader in creating meaningful and impactful events, and we look forward to an exciting in-state matchup and helping the Jacksonville Sports Foundation build a tentpole event in their city to tip off the college basketball season.”

I hadn’t really looked closely at the schedule and decided to look this morning.

First game is 4 weeks from tomorrow, and 5 weeks until Bama game.

Schedule is a bit odd in that 5 games before the end of sept, only 2 in Oct, then 5 in Nov

With so many games pushed together like that injuries could play a factor.

Here are the non-USF commit written offers that are public right now:

Among the most interesting ones was Keon Young who the Bulls continue to pursue.

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He is on commitment #3 after USF and Florida to Ole Miss. He could flip again or could be a rebound play for the future.

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USF didn't finish in his final top group of schools, but I feel like this is setting up the rebound play in the future.

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Another former USF commit who is now committed to Duke

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another former USF commit who is committed to Auburn

South Florida opens 2024-25 campaign against Florida in Jacksonville

TAMPA, Fla. (August 1, 2024) – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team and Head Coach Amir Abdur-Rahim announced the 2024-25 non-conference schedule.

It was a historic season for the South Florida Bulls in 2023-24 as the program finished with a school-record 25 wins and claimed its first conference regular season title in program history in head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim’s first season with the program. The Bulls return three players who started at least 13 games last season, including Kobe Knox, who started all 33 games, and Jayden Reid, who was named to the AAC All-Freshman Team.

The Bulls will meet the Gators in the season opener on November 4 in Jacksonville. South Florida and Florida will meet for the 25th time. UF is coming off an NCAA Regional Final after reaching the SEC Championship game.

South Florida makes its first road trip to South Carolina for a contest with the College of Charleston on November 8. The Cougars won the CAA Championship before losing in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

The Bulls will face the Arkansas-Pine Bluff Golden Lions in the home opener on November 12. South Florida stays at the friendly confines of the Yuengling Center for a matchup with West Georgia on November 15. The Wolves enter their first season in the ASUN, after spending last season as an NCAA Division II program. West Georgia won the Gulf South Conference Tournament and reached the second round of the NCAA DII Tournament.

The Bulls will head back to South Carolina for the 2024 Myrtle Beach Invitational on November 21, 22, and 24. South Florida will be joined by Bradley, Middle Tennessee, Ohio, Portland, Princeton, Texas State, and Wright State. Matchups and game times will be announced at a later date.

South Florida opens the month of December with a home contest with in-state foe Stetson on the 3rd.

The Bulls are on the road for their next two contests, first against the Loyola Chicago Ramblers on December 7, followed by a trip west to Utah and a matchup with the Utah State Aggies on December 14. Last season South Florida knocked off Loyola Chicago, 77-64, in Tampa. The Ramblers lost in the first round of the NIT. Utah State lost in the Mountain West Championship game but earned a spot in the NCAA Tournament, where the Aggies reached the second round.

The Bulls finish the non-conference portion of the schedule with three home games. South Florida welcomes Bethune-Cookman on December 18 and Texas A&M Commerce on December 21. The Bulls wrap up with the Webber International Warriors on December 28. The Warriors ended last season in the NAIA National Tournament after a historic 20-11 season.

South Florida will play 18 games in the American Athletic Conference. The Bulls will play six opponents on the road and at home, while the other six opponents are played just once.

2024-25 AAC home and away opponents: Memphis, Florida Atlantic, UAB, Temple, Wichita State, and East Carolina.
2024-25 AAC home-only opponents: North Texas, Tulsa, and Rice.
2024-25 AAC away-only opponents: Charlotte, Tulane, and UTSA.

The complete 2024-25 men’s basketball composite schedule with dates, times, and broadcasts will be announced at a later date. The first play date for league play is Tuesday, December 31, 2024, with the final day of league play taking place on Sunday, March 9, 2025, ahead of the 2025 American Men’s Basketball Championship, to be held at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas, March 12-16.

Standout representatives from baseball, football, men’s golf and men’s soccer are to be inducted this fall



TAMPA, Aug. 1, 2024 – Three standout student-athletes from USF men’s soccer, football and men’s golf have been selected for induction into the USF Athletic Hall of Fame as the Class of 2024, the 10th to be inducted since the first Hall of Fame class was enshrined in 2009.



The 2024 Hall of Fame class of Eddie Cardieri (baseball head coach, 1986-2006), Jeff Cunningham (men’s soccer, 1994-97), Matt Grothe (football, 2004-09) and Chase Koepka (men’s golf, 2012-16), includes the winningest coach in USF baseball history, a Major League Soccer All-Star, a beloved Bay Area quarterback and the first men’s golf student-athlete to join the Hall of Fame. They will be inducted in Tampa during a football game weekend this fall. Details and ticket information for the event will be provided at a later date.



Cardieri becomes the fifth head coach inducted into the Hall of Fame and first since Bobby Paschal (men’s basketball, 1986-96) in 2013. He is the third person associated with USF baseball to be inducted, joining Chris Heintz and Ross Gload.



Cunningham will be the second-straight and third overall men’s soccer player to be inducted, with goalie Jeff Attinella’s (2007-10) induction last year. Grothe, who led the Bulls to a No. 2 national ranking in 2007, is the fifth football player and third quarterback inducted as he joins Marquel Blackwell (1999-2002) and Quinton Flowers (2014-17) in the Hall of Fame. Koepka, who led the Bulls to two NCAA Championship appearances and is still playing professionally, becomes the first men’s golfer to be inducted a year after Kelly Lagedrost (1997-2001) became the first women’s golfer to be enshrined.



“There are so many outstanding performers in the history of USF Athletics and it is always exciting to recognize a new class of inductees that rise to the top for enshrinement in the Hall of Fame,” Vice President for Athletics Michael Kelly said. “Coach Cardieri and these three former student-athletes certainly left their marks on the history of Bulls athletics and in the hearts and memories of Bulls fans. We are excited to welcome them back to campus this fall and celebrate their many accomplishments and contributions to the tradition of USF Athletics.”



The USF Athletic Hall of Fame, which inducted its first class in 2009, will swell to 38 individuals and one team representing 17 sports and three athletic directors among its honored members of outstanding contributors to Bulls athletics. The 2024 class will be the fifth to be inducted since 2013.



USF Athletic Hall of Fame inductees and their biographies may be found HERE.

Orlando said they had a good summer and Geo (George Courides) and his staff get a lot of credit for gains, body comps are good and I'm excited to get going.

On newcomers standing out, we got a couple of CBs we feel good about, James Chenault and Deylen Platt and other DBs Freddy (Gaskin) is here and Lex Long , a handful of guys we are excited about and to watch to work with to see where they are at. This is their first time going through the whole thing, they have to be patient with guys, but they will look at them early in camp and see if they can win with them.

On the portal, they've done a good job in the portal and I feel like we hit on every one of them. Most of them were in the ones or twos by the end of spring and get into the summertime and it was the same way we should have some incredible competition and that is a great way to motivate, having someone come in who can take their job and that is what we have now in comparison since last year.

He was asked about Byrum Brown and he said you really see the maturity from him and how much has has grown not just schematically but with everything put on him. Everyone in the building, he has to be buttoned up 24/7 and there is a movement to bring the team together. I talk to him and the DC is trying to stop you, I don't see it that way, he represents me and everyone else in the building. He can impact the whole building and he is a great football player, but he is an incredible human being and he can bring people together and I'm going to continue to ask him to do that. I know he will throw TDs on us and run, but also getting into a defensive huddle and tell the guys to compete their tail off. From the time I've been around him, I'd run through a wall for him and he is everything you want from a big time QB.

On defensive leaders, Rashad Cheney is the guy and he has been through it. I just feel like he is one of your go-to guys and he is an older guy who understands how it should be played and he is real tough not phony tough, he knows how the game should be played. There are a handful of other guys as we continue to grow. As AG talked about we are past the point of teaching everybody everything and teaching, it was fast last year and fast figuring out what we have, now we know what we have and we have to get the guys to the next level. We can't think about what is the best in this building, we have to think about being the best in the country and we have to process that way and work that way. Now things are slowing down and Geo and his staff have our guys bigger, faster and stronger and the whole building to the admin, we have to think that way and we will have big results.

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So... the House ssettlement is going to increase scholarship limits FOR ALL SPORTS.

The new limits will allow USF to offer 230 MORE scholarships.... (Teams do not have to offer the full limit of scholarships).

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There is a very cool sense of excitement right now and I'm excited to go coach football and I couldn't sleep last night because I get to coach football. No more watchlist. I'm excited to have all 3 coordinators back and everyone knows the standards and it is our job to uphold the standards.

There are expectations now after last year and we've put South Florida back in the conversation. The hardest part is living up to living up to expectations. Nothing else matters outside of our room and we have to focus on our process day-to-day.

We are going to talk about tonight as a what does success look like. It is about being the best version of us and this is year two and this is the next step in that process. I'm not diminishing expectations, but this is a process. We aren't just building a team, we have a very solid team coming back, but we want to build something sustainable and something that is special year in and year out and we need to perform year to year and we couldn't do that week to week last year.

We brought back a QB room that is back and we are good there.

We attacked getting better in the secondary and we did that. We needed to get better on the D-line and we attacked and that at LB.

We returned a bunch of OL and we need to find the first five and the next three up and replace Donovan Jennings at OT who is fighting for a NFL job.

At RB we have a ton of depth and we added Ta'ron Keith who added some depth there.

At TE we needed to get older and we needed to add there, plus we have Jonathan Echols who will have his first practice after missing spring.

at WR we have a lot of depth last year was a Chinese fire drill that impacted Byrum with injuries, we need to stay healthy there.

The specialists, the punting situation we feel good about Stokes and it is John Cannon's job to lose at PK, but he has two guys pushing him and the LS situation and those guys are competing.

I'm excited but we have to stay healthy and we spent a lot of money on science and working on player loads and we need to stay healthy and hopefully we will. Our S&C, nutrition staff did an amazing job, we did a good job of looking good but now we have to go and play and I'm as energized to coach football