USF addresses future of coach Alex Golesh, linked to Arkansas football vacancy

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FAYETTEVILLE — Arkansas football is closing in on its next head coach, with smoke now swirling around South Florida’s Alex Golesh.

Trey Schaap, with the Arkansas radio station 103.7 The Buzz, reported Golesh had accepted an offer to become the Razorbacks coach on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

The Southwest Times Record can confirm Golesh is one of the Razorbacks’ final candidates, but no official announcement has been made about a potential move to Fayetteville.

Rob Higgins, the CEO of South Florida Athletics, subsequently released a statement on ‘X’ about Golesh’s status with the Bulls.

“Since Saturday’s game, Coach Golesh has been presented with outside opportunities that he has been transparent about with us,” Higgins said. “We are respectful and supportive of Coach and his family in their decision-making process. We’ll remain in constant communication. Bulls Nation, rest assured, we are ultra prepared for every scenario that could unfold in the coming hours/days. Our commitment and investment has never been higher and we’re also laser focused on being great stewards of our resources.”

On3’s Brett McMurphy reported Golesh has not accepted any offers to leave South Florida. In addition to Arkansas, Golesh is rumored to be a potential candidate at Ole Miss if Lane Kiffin decides to leave for either LSU or Florida.

Golesh, 41, is in the midst his third season at South Florida. The Bulls are 8-3 and had a pair of top-25 upsets over Boise State and Florida during the first two weeks of the season. They sit in fourth place in the American Conference.

South Florida was 4-29 in the three seasons before Golesh’s arrival. The Bulls experienced immediate improvement with back-to-back 7-6 seasons from 2023-24. They also went 2-0 in bowl games.

Stints at Illinois and Iowa State helped Golesh become the co-offensive coordinator at UCF in 2020. He then followed Josh Huepel to Tennessee, where he spent two seasons as the Volunteers’ offensive coordinator and tight ends coach.

Jackson Fuller covers Arkansas football, basketball and baseball for the Southwest Times Record, part of the USA TODAY Network. Reach him at jfuller@usatodayco.com or follow him @jacksonfuller16 on X, formerly known as Twitter. 

This article originally appeared on Fort Smith Times Record: USF addresses future of coach Alex Golesh, Arkansas football target

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