USF football is the Bulls’ biggest summer ever, says Golesh. He is right.

TAMPA First-year USF football coach Alex Golesh was forthright about the challenge ahead of the Bulls after Friday’s spring game.

It’s the biggest summer for us in the history of the football program, Golesh said.

Sounds hyperbolic. But that doesn’t mean it’s wrong.

While not at a crossroads, the Bulls are at a turning point in their relatively young history. Golesh has brought a new coaching buzz to campus. It turned out to be such a large crowd that fans had to be turned away from Corbett Stadium.

Filling a football stadium is, of course, different than filling Raymond James Stadium or a proposed on-campus stadium a short walk away. But that’s part of why the next four months are so big.

We need to strengthen the investment in this program, Golesh said.

That investment will eventually have to translate on the field in a way it didn’t on Friday night.

The Bulls looked like a 1-11 team with a first-time head coach. There are extenuating circumstances, and it’s risky to make big announcements after a glorified fight. But the Bulls have a lot of work ahead of them.

Golesh said his offense was down five receivers that would be two deep. The unit was so thin that running back Kelley Joiner moved to the slot on Tuesday and then led the team with seven catches on 10 carries for 65 yards and a touchdown.

Golesh rightfully praised Joiner for the unselfish exchange. But the fact that the coach who coordinated Tennessee’s top-10 passing last year needed USF’s leading rusher to switch positions in 2020 is a sign of the state of his roster. And what lies ahead for the next four months.

Golesh said he and his staff will have to have difficult discussions about the players’ futures over the next 72 hours. Translation: expect a lot of wear and tear in the coming days.

Expect lots of additions as well. He joked (?) that some alumni played in the halftime flag football game that he would have liked to have added. Asked how active the Bulls will be when the transfer window opens on Saturday, Golesh responded with one word: Very.

We have to put together a team that wins as fast as we can, Golesh said.

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As this staff assembles the team, the remaining players must continue to build the kind of culture that Golesh believes is necessary. One, Golesh says, is focused not on individual success, but on getting USF back where it belongs, which is certainly at the top of this conference, but in the national conversation.

It’s unrealistic to expect the Bulls to get there this season. If Friday night was any indication, this will look more like a Year 0 reset than a Year 1. Golesh quietly acknowledged that when he said the validation doesn’t necessarily come in the ranking, but in laying the foundation for a sustainable program with a sustainable culture and a sustainable vision.

How we come together in the next four months, Golesh said, I think sets this program up one way or another for the next eternities, probably too infinite, but for the foreseeable future.

No pressure.

Two other takeaways:

NayQuan Wright was a great pickup

NayQuan Wright ripped off a 70-yard touchdown run and had 24 yards on three other carries. It’s not a surprise. He was an effective defender with the Florida Gators, but simply found himself in a crowded room behind two stars (Montrell Johnson and Trevor Etienne). His move seems to be paying off for him and his new team.

The Bulls’ quarterback competition continues

Byrum Brown had a better showing (14-of-22 for 121 yards and a touchdown) than Coastal Carolina transfer Bryce Archie (8-of-13 for 41 yards and two interceptions). But Gerry Bohanon remains in the mix; he didn’t play but has started throwing the football again while recovering from a shoulder injury. Golesh said he has yet to lean into a passerby.

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