I find myself at "work" for this game and apparently I have to "do things" when I'm here, so we'll see how much I can pay attention.

Jayden Reid led the Bulls with a 19-point effort, his 22nd game in double figures



FORT WORTH, Texas, March 13, 2025 – The No. 9 seed University of South Florida men’s basketball team battled the No. 8 seed Wichita State for 40 minutes in the American Athletic Conference Championship Second round on Thursday. Jayden Reid led the team with 19 points, but the Bulls (13-19) fell to the Shockers (19-13), 73-68.



A season that was all about resilience and grit was on display again on Thursday. The Bulls were down by as many as 16 points but still battled and cut the deficit to four down the stretch.



Reid recorded his 22nd game in double figures with his 19-point effort. It was his eighth consecutive game in double digits. He posted a team-high three assists to go along with one steal. Kobe Knox led the team with nine rebounds and had a career-high four steals. He added 15 points. Brandon Stroud closed out the double-digit scorers with 10 points. He added seven rebounds, one steal, and one block. Jamille Reynolds posted a team-high three blocks and brought down eight rebounds.



The Shockers opened the game with a 17-6 run. The Bulls answered with a 7-0 and cut the deficit to 17-13 with 9:45 left in the opening stanza. With the score 24-14, USF went on a 10-2 run and closed the gap to two, 26-24.



Wichita State made a run at the end of the half and took a 38-28 lead into the break. The Bulls shot 50.0 percent from 3-point range in the first half.



The Shockers extended their lead to 16, 56-40, with just over 11 minutes left in regulation. The Bulls were unfazed and rattled off nine-straight points to cut the deficit to seven, 56-49. South Florida continued to fight and cut the deficit to four, 64-60. The Shockers held off the charging Bulls and won 73-68.



Key Stats:

• The Bulls brought down 14 offensive rebounds, which led to 15 second-chance points.

• South Florida recorded seven steals that resulted in 14 fastbreak points. The Bulls came into the game 10th in the NCAA and finished just shy of the season average of 15.39.



Notables:

• Jayden Reid tallied his 22nd game in double figures with 19 points. It was his eighth straight game in double digits.

• Kobe Knox recorded a career-high four steals to go along with 15 points. It was his 18th game in double figures.

• Brandon Stroud finished in double digits for the 11th time this season with 10 points.

"The American Athletic Conference will require each member except Army and Navy to provide athletes with at least $10 million in additional benefits over the next three years, making it the only league so far to set a minimum standard with revenue sharing expected to begin in Division I sports in July."

Interesting approach to the House settlement.

The Bulls open their 11th AAC Championship as the No. 9 seed



Game Details: Thursday, March 13, Time: 12:30 p.m. ET
TV: ESPNU
Bulls Unlimited: Listen
Live Stats: Stats

Tickets: Ticketmaster.com



FORTH WORTH, Texas, March 12, 2025 – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team will be the No. 9 seed in the American Athletic Conference Men’s Basketball Championship. South Florida opens the tournament on Thursday, March 13, against the No. 8 seed Wichita State. The Bulls (13-18, 6-12) and the Shockers (18-13, 8-10) are scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. ET tip on ESPNU and Bulls Unlimited.



Setting The Stage:

Earlier this week, the AAC announced its yearly postseason awards. Jamille Reynolds was named to the All-AAC Second Team, while CJ Brown earned a spot on the AAC All-Freshman Team. USF is competing in its 11th AAC tournament. The Bulls are 3-10 in AAC tournament games. South Florida has lost its last four games, while Wichita State lost its previous contest.



Series History:

The Bulls and Shockers will meet for the 14th time on Thursday. The two squads split the two meetings during the regular season as each team won as the visiting team. Wichita State won the last meeting 75-70 in Tampa on Feb. 9. The Shockers lead the series 10-3. Wichita State won the only meeting in the AAC Championship on March 12, 2021, 68-67.



Note-A-Bulls:

In his freshman campaign, CJ Brown has tallied 76 assists, 65 rebounds, 38 steals, and 17 blocks. He joins VJ Edgecombe (Baylor), Cooper Flagg (Duke), and Dylan Harper (Rutgers) as the four NCAA freshmen to record at least 75 assists, 60 rebounds, 35 steals, and 15 blocks this season.



Jamille Reynolds is one of just four USF men’s basketball players to record at least 350 points, 200 rebounds, and 40 blocks in a season. He joined Solomon Jones (2006), McHugh Mattis (2007), and Kentrell Gransberry (2008) to achieve the previous statline.



Additional Notes:

South Florida is 10th in the nation and is second in the conference with 15.39 fastbreak points per game. The Bulls are tied for 40th in the NCAA and second in the AAC with 8.3 steals per game. South Florida has recorded nine or more steals in its last five games against conference opponents. That is the longest streak for the Bulls since a five-game run in February 2000.



The Bulls have scored at least 80 points in their last two conference tournament games. The last time they did that was a three-game run in the 1990 Sun Belt Conference Tournament.

Hope for a similar result playing second seed North Texas tonight. Was surprised to see the practice players travel with the team.

Well it is time to go all out talking about the next USF head Basketball Coach. There are several candidates that I like and will give my take on the pros and cons of each guy. I want to start with Kennesaw State Head Coach Antoine Pettway.

Why he makes sense:
1) He is the same kind of hard working head coach that CAAR was and will bring that same vibe to unite the students and home base. People thought it was strange to see a HC make such an effort connecting with fans and students on campus and around Tampa the way CAAR did. It wasn't strange, it was very calculated by CAAR to make the students and local residents become interested in supporting the program. CAAR made promises and worked harder than any other HC to not only be seen on GameDay coaching, but been seen around the campus, city, and on social media. That was the start of building tradition and making USF men's basketball the pro team of Tampa and people excited to go and support their Bulls. Coach Pettway is doing those same things at Kennesaw. He is their people's head coach. He's on social media, he is seen around town, he is buying students and fans breakfast and lunch, etc.

2) He is an elite recruiter! Antoine Pettway has a great eye for talent and he is at least as good of a recruiter as CAAR was. The case can be made that he is even a little better based on him signing a top 25 freshman class to KSU. At the same point in their careers, Coach Pettway is actually ahead of CAAR at KSU imo. It is very impressive what he is doing with one of the youngest teams in the nation. Kennesaw moved from the A-SUN to CUSA which is easily a tougher league. His young team just beat the current 1st and 2nd place teams on the road in back to back games. His freshmen are developing as the season goes on which is another sign of a good coach.

3) USF will need a head coach that can possibly bring players with him like CAAR did to jump start the program. Well this is Coach Pettway's trump card over any other possible head coaching candidate that anyone else mentions. No other candidate the Bulls could be thinking about can deliver in this department like Pettway.

4) Adrian Wooley is a true freshman and Pettway got him out of Alabama away from the Tide. Pettway was on Nate Oaks staff and the best recruiter of an outstanding coaching staff there. The Arkansas State HC that is another possible name for USF was also on Oaks' staff. Wooley is arguably one of the best freshmen in all of Men CBB. He is the only freshman in the nation to average at least 18 pts and shoot over 50% from the field. He is very similar to PJ Haggerty who played at Tulsa and now stars for Memphis. Wooley is a better outside shooter as a freshman. What a great coach and player combination that can be for USF. It's possible up to 5 players will follow Pettway to USF is he were to become the HC.

5) Money saving for USF. Getting Pettway now instead of maybe a year from now could save USF a lot of money. KSU is not a favorite to win CUSA tournament but you never know since they just beat a 25 win and a 21 win first and second place team on the road. Basically outside of winning their tournament, Kennesaw's season will end with their next loss. It has already been a very successful league run for Pettway's bunch. They were the unanimous pick to finish in last place, but ended up finishing 4th on the strength of those younger players, coaching, and developing. This is a buy low, high ceiling opportunity for USF if they are smart.

Reasons why it doesn't make sense.

1) He will not be an immediate hit with a fan base that is not comprehensive knowledgeable on college basketball. KSU is not making the NCAAT without winning the CUSAT, so he will not be some hot name floating around March Madness. People might not understand all the positives of hiring Pettway, instead focusing on the perceived negative that his young team that, he rebuilt after CAAR departed, has not yet reached their full potential, and will miss March Madness. ADMK might not fully understand how he can sell Pettway to the fan base who want the hottest name.

2) Why is does appear the Antoine Pettway has fully adopted the ways of "LOVE WINS" and is actually doing a great job early in his head coaching career, their is still no guarantees that he will develop into the next great USF basketball coach. Can Coach Pettway quickly rebuild USF? Potentially yes, but again it is all potential.

3) I don't have any more cons for Pettway because for me, he should be one of the 2 finalists for the USF head coaching job.

Don't throw hate at me, it's slow, and I'm finally starting to feel well enough to at least function at 85% so I'm just thinking of random things while watching last Night's Football game between the Ravens at Chargers, the battle of the Harbaugh brothers got me to thinking about head coaches. USF just so happens to have an opening at an important spot and at an important time.

Looks like we are in for another exciting season of CBB as it will be wide open again with some very good teams, great players, and up and coming coaches. That last statement is where USF comes in. I have 3 potential hires for USF to consider that has a chance to continue on the path that the late CAAR had started just over a year ago.

1) Current Interim HC Ben Fletcher
Pros: Fletcher was one of CAAR top assistant coaches for the last 5 seasons between Kennesaw and USF. Coach Fletcher has a familiarity with the culture here at USF, the administration, and with all the current players. Given that he was on staff already, he gets the first and best chance to impress the Administration and donors to make his case that he wants to be the Head Coach going forward, and will have a whole season to show what he is capable of doing. Seems to be genuinely liked by those who know him.

Cons: Ben Fletcher has no prior head coaching experience at any level. Ben Fletcher has no reputation as a bull dog recruiter, even though he has been a part of a decent level of talented players at Kennesaw and at USF. By having no prior experience as a Head coach, Ben Fletcher has not done anything outside of practice courts and player drills that a Head coach has to do, like interacting with administrators, donors, media, and all other ambassador like duties that the University requires of their coaches. Ben Fletcher does not have a track record to sell his vision on the future of USF hoops to prospects, administrators, or fans just yet.

2) Tom Crean
Pros: Large profile and Big reputation as a Head Coach. Known as Tom Izzo's best assistant coach that became a Head coach, Crean spent 4 seasons with the future HoF head coach at Michigan State. Been a Head coach at 3 high majors, Marquette, Indiana, and Georgia. Elite recruiter and talent evaluation that has helped Crean have a reputation of getting players to the NBA, thar includes Dwayne Wade, Steve Novak, Wesley Matthews, Victor Oladipo, Cody Zeller, and Anthony Edwards. Would bring instant credibility to the University of South Florida and be the highest profile head coach ever. Crean runs a high pace motion offense with lots of set plays and teaches proper fast breaking principles and pressure defense. Tom Crean Lives in Tampa or near Tampa so he would be at home. It is believed that Tom Crean has the fire in the belly again, that maybe if the right opportunity came he would get back into coaching. Crean should be extra energized to keep CAAR dreams alive for USF while being home at the same time. Should be able to entice all the top 100 level talent in the Tampa area to stay home. Would be able to raise more money for the program based on his profile alone. If he wins USF, he would not have a desire to seek a higher profile job.

Cons: 58 years old and has been out of coaching for a few years. Does the fire still burn?

3) Antoine Pettway
Pros: High Ceiling! Known as a tireless worker as a player at Alabama where he went from being a walk on an academic scholarship to earning an athletic scholarship, to being the starting PG on some exciting Crimson Tide basketball teams. Became an assistant coach on Alabama's staff starting with Anthony Grant and ending with Coach Nate Oaks for 12 years after spending 2 years as an assistant coach on the staff at Jacksonville State. Pettway quickly earned the reputation as an ACE recruiter and helped bring in and develop 8 NBA players. Pettway took over for CAAR at Kennesaw after he became the Head Coach at USF. Even after getting a late start and having to replace many of KSU best players, CAP recruited several young players including convincing a kid that was headed to Alabama to follow him. Pettway really showed his ability to recruit this past off-season by signing the #27th ranked class to play at Kennesaw. Pettway continues to prove that he is more than just a recruiter, despite having one of the youngest teams in the nation, his team just defeated a very talented #24 ranked Rutgers that features what many believe will be the #1 player that will be drafted in the upcoming NBA, Ace Bailey. Pettway and CAAR developed a strong relationship and he has dedicated this Kennesaw season in honor of CAAR. Pettway does a lot of the same things and interactions with fans that CAAR was so good at. Pettway is only 42 years old. If Pettway is successful at USF, he will likely be the Head Coach for a long time with only Alabama being able to lure him away which is not going to have an opening for years to come.

Cons: Timing. If ADMK is to get Pettway he will have to get him after the season, before his star gets too bright and large. CAAR had 1 winning season at KSU and the timing was perfect for USF, because they would not have gotten him any other time. Could the timing for USF to go shop at Kennesaw be lining up again?

Apparently Bobby Hurley is interested in the job. Russ would like roll over in his grave if they hired Bobby Hurley.

IRVING, Texas – The American Athletic Conference has announced the winners of the league’s men’s basketball honors for the 2024-25 season. The selections were made by the conference’s 13 head coaches.



Memphis, the No. 1 seed for the 2025 American Men’s Basketball Championship, earned three awards. Redshirt sophomore guard PJ Haggerty was named the Player of the Year, while redshirt senior forward Dain Dainja was selected as the inaugural Newcomer of the Year. Tiger head coach Penny Hardaway was picked by his peers as the Coach of the Year, while the late South Florida head coach Amir Abdur-Rahim was named honorary Coach of the Year.



UAB senior forward Yaxel Lendeborg repeated as the league’s Defensive Player of the Year, while Florida Atlantic center Matas Vokietaitis was the Freshman of the Year and North Texas junior forward Brenen Lorient was named the Sixth Man of the Year.



Florida Atlantic redshirt junior forward Tre Carroll was honored with two distinctions. He was selected for the Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportmanship Award and was picked, along with North Texas senior forward Moulaye Sissoko, as the Most Improved Players.




Haggerty leads The American and is fifth in Division I scoring with 21.2 points per game. He is also third in the league in steals (1.8 per game) and ninth in assists (3.8). He was unanimously selected as the conference’s Freshman of the Year in 2023-24. Haggerty becomes the second Tiger to win American Player of the Year, joining Precious Achiuwa in 2019-20.



Dainja is averaging 13.7 points for the season, but that rose to 15.7 points per game in conference play, including three double-doubles in Memphis’ last five games.



Hardaway has led the Tigers to a 26-5 overall record and 16-2 mark in conference play on the way to Memphis’ first regular-season championship as part of The American.



Lendeborg won his second Defensive Player of the Year honor and leads the conference in rebounding at 10.5 per game and blocks with 1.8 per contest.



Vokietaitis earned Florida Atlantic’s first Freshman of the Year honor in the league and is averaging 9.5 points and 5.3 rebounds per game.



Carroll was honored with the renamed Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award for best exemplifying the qualities of sportsmanship, fair play and leadership. Abdur-Rahim tragically passed away on October 24, 2024. In only five years as a head coach, Abdur-Rahim established himself as one of the best in college basketball, winning championships in two conferences and taking both South Florida and Kennesaw State to unprecedented levels of success.



Carroll and Sissoko became the first players from Florida Atlantic and North Texas to earn the Most Improved Player honor. Carroll saw his points per game rise from 4.0 in 2023-24 to 12.2 this season, while Sissoko has seen his points improve 4.6 points per game year-over-year.



Lorient was named the Sixth Man of the Year after averaging 12.3 points and 4.7 rebounds while coming off the bench for the Mean Green.



Memphis had three members of the 10-person All-Conference First Team, including Dainja, Haggerty and senior guard Tyrese Hunter. East Carolina had two, including senior guard RJ Felton and graduate forward C.J. Walker, as did North Texas with Lorient and senior guard Atin Wright. Also on the first team was Lendeborg, Tulane redshirt sophomore guard Rowan Brumbaugh and Wichita State senior guard Xavier Bell.



The 2025 American Men’s Basketball Championship begins Wednesday, March 12 at 1 p.m. ET/noon CT with Rice and Charlotte competing in the first-round game at the Super Pit in Denton, Texas. The Championship runs through Sunday, March 16 and the remainder of the games will be played at Dickies Arena in Fort Worth, Texas.



2024-25 American Men’s Basketball Honors



Player of the Year

PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis



Coach of the Year

Penny Hardaway, Memphis

Amir Abdur-Rahim, South Florida - Honorary



Newcomer of the Year

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis



Defensive Player of the Year

Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB



Freshman of the Year

Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic



Amir Abdur-Rahim Sportsmanship Award

Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic



Most Improved Players

Tre Carroll, R-Jr., F, Florida Atlantic

Moulaye Sissoko, Sr., F, North Texas



Sixth Man of the Year

Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas



All-Conference First Team

Yaxel Lendeborg, Sr., F, UAB*

RJ Felton, Sr., G, East Carolina*

C.J. Walker, Gr., F, East Carolina

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*

PJ Haggerty, R-So., G, Memphis*

Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis

Brenen Lorient, Jr., F, North Texas

Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas*

Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane

Xavier Bell, Sr., G, Wichita State



All-Conference Second Team

Alejandro Vasquez, Sr., G, UAB

Tre Carroll, Florida Atlantic

Kaleb Glenn, So., F, Florida Atlantic

Baba Miller, Jr., F, Florida Atlantic

Jamille Reynolds, Sr., F, South Florida

Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

Primo Spears, UTSA

Kaleb Banks, Jr., F, Tulane

Dwon Odom, Gr., G, Tulsa

Corey Washington, Jr., F, Wichita State



All-Newcomer Team

Dain Dainja, R-Sr., F, Memphis*

Tyrese Hunter, Sr., G, Memphis

Atin Wright, Sr., G, North Texas

Jamal Mashburn Jr., Gr., G, Temple

Rowan Brumbaugh, R-So., G, Tulane



All-Freshman Team

Matas Vokietaitis, C, Florida Atlantic*

CJ Brown, G, South Florida*

Aiden Tobiason, G, Temple

Kam Williams, G/F, Tulane*

Ian Smikle, F, Tulsa



* denotes unanimous selection

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Good LB from a school that produces a lot of talent.

The men's basketball tournament gets started Thursday and USF is locked into the #9 seed regardless of what happens in the final day of conference play Sunday by virtue of their 2-0 record against Tulsa and UTSA. They'll play the #8 seed on Thursday at 12:30pm EDT ESPNU.

The Bulls opponent will be based on the outcomes of today's games (odds in parenthesis). Wins by:

FAU & UNT & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Temple (42%)
FAU & UNT & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (7%)
FAU & Temple & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (23%)
FAU & Temple & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (4%)
ECU & UNT & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Temple (13%)
ECU & UNT & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (2%)
ECU & Temple & WSU = #9 USF vs. #8 Florida Atlantic (7%)
ECU & Temple & Tulsa = #9 USF vs. #8 Wichita State (1%)

There is a 55% chance we play Temple, 38% chance we play Wichita State and a 7% chance we play FAU in the Second Round.

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If anyone from the board is interested in joining our 2025 Faintasy Basball Keeper League feel free to reach out to me. Its a 7x7 category league with a buy-in of $125 where we also give away monthly prizes that include rookie cards, memorabilia cards and signed baseballs. We have a couple of people from this board in the league and are always looking to add more

With all 3 settling their lawsuits Nad agreeing on revised revenue sharing and exit fees it looks like 2029-30 is when we will.see the last big round of conference expansion as TV deals start to come up.

Whatever USF is going to do they have 3-4 years to do it and recency bias is a real thing. Best case scenario IMO is the ACC losing a few teams to the P2, the Big 12 picking off a few more with USF, Memphis and Tulane landing in a watered down ACC with their leftovers.

The Bulls conclude the regular season with their 14th game on national TV



Game Details: Friday, March 7, Time: 9 p.m. ET
TV: ESPN2
Bulls Unlimited: Listen
Live Stats: Stats

TAMPA, Fla., March 6, 2025 – The University of South Florida men’s basketball team returns to the road for the final time of the regular season with a matchup against No. 16 Memphis, who has already secured a share of the American Athletic Conference regular season title. The Bulls (13-17, 6-11) and the Tigers (25-5, 15-2) are scheduled for a 9 p.m. tip on ESPN2 on Friday, March 7. The game can also be heard on Bulls Unlimited.



Setting The Stage:

The Bulls have seven different players this season with at least 200 points and 20 assists, tied for the most in Division I. The only other AAC team to have that many such players in a season all-time was Temple in 2023-24 (also seven). The Tigers secured the No. 1 seed in the 2025 American Championship.



Series History:

South Florida and Memphis will meet for the 42nd time on Friday. The Tigers lead the series 33-8. Memphis won the previous meeting this season, 80-65, in Tampa. The Bulls are 4-15 against the Tigers in Memphis.



Note-A-Bulls:

In his freshman campaign, CJ Brown has tallied 72 assists, 38 steals, and 17 blocks. He is one of just three AAC freshmen to record at least 70 assists, 35 steals, and 15 blocks, joining Jalen Adams (UConn, 2016) and Dedric Lawson (Memphis, 2016).



Jamille Reynolds has totaled 349 points and 43 blocks in 2024-25. The last USF player to have at least 300 points and 40 blocks in a season was Kentrell Gransberry in 2007-08. Reynolds leads the team with 12.9 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, as well as 43 blocks. His 6.00 defensive rebounds per game are tied for 47th in the NCAA and second in the AAC.



Additional Notes:

South Florida is 15th in the nation and is third in the conference with 15.33 fastbreak points per game. The Bulls are tied for 45th in the NCAA and second in the AAC with 8.2 steals per game. The Bulls are 34th in the NCAA and second in the AAC, averaging 27.90 bench points per game. The USF bench has only been outscored six times this season. South Florida is holding opponents to 18.83 bench points per game.

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So this is an interesting schedule and other than the first three games it sets up nicely for the Bulls.

The fact the Boise State game was moved to Thursday night is huge for USF. That basically takes quite a bit of prep away for the Broncos going into the game and gives USF a national showcase game against a team coming off the playoffs with an overhauled roster minus their Heisman finalist RB. They'll be able to host recruits as well that day on what is typically a light HS prep day before Friday games. My plan is to come down for that game.

The next two are the two hardest games on the schedule IMO, at Florida who seemed to finally figure out the offense with DJ Lagway and at Miami who is a giant wild card with questions at QB. I think Florida will be tough in the swamp, but I think the Canes are gettable. Carson Beck's elbow is a mess and it isn't even clear what his timeline looks like and when he will able to take over that offense. Mario Cristobal is the king of losing games through horrendous in-game coaching decisions as well. Their entire team leaned super hard on Cam Ward's ability to make up bullshit plays essentially like a Lamar Jackson or Mike Vick. Beck really can't do that very well and Emory Williams and Luke Nickel don't strike fear into the hearts of opponents at QB. Their still have quality skill guys and a lot of portal dudes, but the Canes could be this year's FSU if they start slow.

SC State is the easy FCS game

Charlotte is in a full rebuild so that is probably a penciled in win.

at North Texas is interesting and a game I'd like to go to as well. That is a toss up game that USF would have an edge on paper in IMO.

FAU is another wild card game with a new and first-time HC who is very good at offensive coaching, but who knows what the heck they look like. I like that as a win for USF.

At Memphis should be a tough game and USF has dropped four straight to the Tigers, that is my first conference loss on paper.

UTSA is another good offense bad defense team with Jeff Traylor and that is a toss up game.

I'm curious about the game at Navy. They were much better than expected last year, that will be a tough game and possible loss because of the variations in styles. USF has to be able to sustain some drives against them to give the D a break.

At UAB should be another win, Trent Dilfer is running on fumes there.

I think Rice is another win.

So I have 5 locks, Boise State, Miami, North Texas and UTSA as toss-up games and then I think three road losses to Florida, Memphis and Navy.

What say you?

Tim Pernetti said in an interview that in order for the AAC to be a multi-bid conference schools need to schedule better in the non-conference, including USF.

He referenced guidance given to member schools on how they are expected to schedule non-conference games and USF, along with some other member schools, are not adhering or meeting that guidance.

USF Football Names Harper Executive Director of Recruiting and Personnel

Former Vanderbilt player has worked at Alabama, Colorado, Houston and Vanderbilt



TAMPA, FLA., MARCH 5, 2025 – University of South Florida Football Head Coach Alex Golesh has announced the addition of Harding Harper as executive director of recruiting and personnel for USF Football.



“We’re excited to welcome Harding to the USF family,” Golesh said. “He has experience at several high-level programs and possesses the leadership qualities to continue to build our recruiting efforts. He is an elite addition to our staff as we continue to build a roster to compete with anyone in the country.”



A former linebacker at Vanderbilt (2012-15), Harper comes to USF after stops at Alabama, Colorado, Houston and his alma mater.



He served the 2024 season on the staff at Vanderbilt as director of college scouting as the Commodores went 7-6 and won the Birmingham Bowl.

He returned to Nashville following one season as assistant director of player personnel at Alabama, where he helped the Crimson Tide secure the nation’s No. 2 recruiting class in December 2023. He also served as assistant director of player personnel at Houston in 2022 following the 2021 season at Colorado in scouting.

Harper also spent time at Lycoming College (linebackers coach), Missouri (graduate assistant) and Centennial High School in Atlanta where he was assistant defensive coordinator, coached linebackers and served as the school’s recruiting coordinator.

He played linebacker for the Commodores from 2012-15. His freshman and sophomore seasons were two of the most successful in school history, with the Commodores winning nine games and a bowl game each season.

In 2024, USF capped its second-straight winning season with a second-straight bowl victory, downing San Jose State 41-39 in a five-overtime thriller in the Hawai’i Bowl on Dec. 24. The Bulls are one of just 15 teams to have posted a bowl or College Football Playoff win in each of the past two seasons and the only one to have scored 40 or more points in each of those victories.



Up Next:

The Bulls open spring practice on March 25 with the annual USF Pro Day following on March 26. The USF Spring Game is set for April 26at Corbett Stadium on the USF campus.

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