Alex Golesh leaves South Florida football. What's next for Bulls?
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Alex Golesh denied a report two weeks ago that he communicated with Oklahoma State about its head coaching vacancy; and the Cowboys eventually chose another American Athletic Conference boss, North Texas’ Eric Morris.
But calls kept coming for South Florida’s third-year coach, and eventually an opportunity too enticing to pass up.
Golesh accepted the position at Auburn on Sunday, Nov. 30 — a day after the Bulls finished 9-3 by throttling Rice, a season highlighted by top-25 wins over Boise State and Florida during the opening two weeks. According to Yahoo's Ross Dellenger, Golesh signed a six-year contract worth $7.4 million annually.
South Florida controlled its own destiny for an elusive conference championship into mid-November, but fell 41-38 at Navy and were left on the outside looking in. Tulane, who is set to lose Jon Sumrall to Florida, and North Texas will square off Dec. 5 in New Orleans for a berth into the College Football Playoff.
Asked about his future in a press conference late Saturday, Golesh responded, “That’s an awesome question. I told our team on (Nov. 26) when all that stuff came out that all I ask is for an opportunity to finish the season the right way, finish the season in a first-class manner, finish the season with a win and then give me the time to sit down with my family and figure this whole thing out. I’ve stressed like crazy, and I’ve said this 100 times, that I’m not smart enough to be able to focus on two things at once. I’m so process-driven, I’m so locked into what’s going on that I’ve not had the opportunity to process any of it. I really haven’t.”
Three South Florida players — defensive lineman Josh Celiscar and safeties Tavin Ward and Fred Gaskin — each said Golesh had not discussed a potential exit to that point. Gaskin, a sophomore from Ocala, added that Golesh always kept an open line of communication during his two years at USF and during his time as an accomplished recruit at Vanguard High School.
“What people may or may not know is that he’s the all-around head coach,” Gaskin said. “Since I’ve been here and gotten recruited by him, he’s been a phone call away. Any one of his players always knows that if you need him, he’s there – for any sort of thing. If you need to come to him about personal things, he’s always there.
“When it’s about football, it’s about football. He’s as locked-in as it gets. He’s a big competitor, never wants to lose. He’s always been the realest. He’s never said something and not meant it or went back on his word.”
With Golesh’s move to The Plains confirmed, let’s evaluate the fit with Auburn and the future ahead for the Bulls.
Why did Auburn target Alex Golesh?
Auburn has been stuck in a rut since moving on from Gus Malzahn in 2020. The Tigers have endured five consecutive losing seasons, leading to subsequent firings of Bryan Harsin and Hugh Freeze.
Golesh’s track record as an offensive mind appealed to Auburn, which finished in a tie for 70th nationally in scoring (27.4 points per game) and 81st in total yards (370.5 yards per game). By contrast, South Florida finished fifth (42.0 ppg) and third (497.0 ypg) in those categories in 2025.
Auburn lauded Golesh’s prior work in developing quarterbacks as a coordinator and head coach, including Dillon Gabriel at UCF, Hendon Hooker at Tennessee and Byrum Brown at USF. He’s landed quality high school talent throughout Florida and the Southeast, holding prior Power Four experience as a recruiting coordinator at Illinois and Iowa State.
Brown has another year of eligibility remaining, so it’s possible he could head to Auburn as a package deal. Ashton Daniels, who started Saturday’s Iron Bowl against Alabama, could return next season and former five-star prospect Deuce Knight concluded his freshman year.
And he’s shown the ability to turn around a consistently struggling program. When Golesh arrived in 2023, the Bulls had won eight games in the prior four seasons combined.
“He has produced wins and record-setting results throughout his entire career, including over the last three seasons at USF,” Auburn athletic director John Cohen said in a statement. “Alex is known nationally for his player development prowess, ability to shape creative and explosive offenses, and his relentless approach to building winning programs. I was also struck by his coaching experience on both sides of the ball. In our conversations, he showed the determination and edge that this program demands of its head coach. I want to welcome Alex, his wife Alexis and children Corbin and Barrett to the Auburn Family.”
South Florida head coaching candidates
Rob Higgins, USF’s CEO of athletics, posted onto social media that he did everything “within reason” to keep Golesh in Tampa, and that he has “stayed ready for every scenario.”
Higgins added: “We will be cheering them on always! Here’s the best part…we’re not only fired up for the Golesh’s, we are also really fired up for USF! It’s okay for both to be true! Bulls Nation, our next head coach will build upon what Coach Golesh and his staff have helped start. We will all help take our USF Football program to championship heights as quickly as possible together! The search for our next leader is already underway.”
Defensive line coach Kevin Patrick will serve as USF’s interim head coach for the team’s bowl game, Higgins said. Patrick is in his third stint as an assistant with the Bulls.
With Golesh’s departure, South Florida’s players can enter the transfer portal immediately, jumping the Jan. 2 official date. Every moment it takes Higgins to find a replacement, the harder it will be for the incoming hire to retain the Bulls’ top talent and keep the No. 59 high school recruiting class together — even with a stated commitment to spend to the revenue-sharing cap under the House settlement.
As for potential candidates, The Athletic’s Matt Baker suggested Florida International’s Willie Simmons is a name he has “already heard a couple times.” Simmons, previously Florida A&M’s head coach and Duke’s running backs coach, guided the Panthers to their most wins since 2018 in his debut on the Pitbull Stadium sidelines.
He’s not the only sitting Group of Five head coach that could see major potential in USF. Charles Huff has a 39-25 overall record across five years at Marshall and Southern Miss. GJ Kinne, at age 36, has Texas State bowl-eligible for the third straight season, though he signed a seven-year contract last November.
What about coaches in search of a bounce-back? Billy Napier failed at Florida, but he notched three straight double-digit win campaigns at Louisiana. Jimbo Fisher, who won a national championship at Florida State and holds .727 career winning percentage, is available and believed to be seeking a fresh start.
Then there’s, perhaps, the ultimate wild card: longtime Tampa Bay Buccaneers coach Jon Gruden, who still lives near Tampa, and even appeared at the Bucs’ home game against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Gruden told CBS Sports in September 2024 that he was “very interested in coaching at any level, period."
Expect South Florida to be one of the most intriguing openings among the second spin of the coaching carousel.
This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: Alex Golesh leaves South Florida football. What's next for Bulls?
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