USF coach Golesh offered 'outside opportunities.' Is he headed to Arkansas?

The media reports on Wednesday blared from Fayetteville to Tampa, with various “sources” asserting the South Florida football coach Alex Golesh was moving onto the University of Arkansas.

At least two reports, by Trey Schaap and Josh Bertaccini, said Golesh accepted an offer to coach the Razorbacks. Football Scoop’s John Brice reported Arkansas was negotiating with Golesh and notifying other candidates they did not get the job. Other outlets reported Golesh was only offered the position but had not accepted.

There has been no official announcement from the parties involved, but by midafternoon, USF Athletics CEO Rob Higgins provided a social media post that gave backbone to the reports, confirming the third-year coach was “presented with outside opportunities.” It was just enough information to keep fans of both universities in limbo just a little bit longer.

“Since Saturday’s game, Coach Golesh has been presented with outside opportunities that he has been transparent about with us,” wrote Higgins, referring to the Bulls' 48-18 victory at Alabama-Birmingham. "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. Most importantly, the future of USF Football has never been more bright!"

If the reports are accurate, Arkansas, a Southeastern Conference school, is jumping on Golesh's quickly built resume as an offensive innovator and strong recruiter who has demonstrated the ability to turn around struggling teams.

He took over a moribund USF program ahead of the 2023 season and produced a 22-15 record and two bowl victories over three seasons. At 8-3, the Bulls have qualified for another bowl bid this year after flirting with the possibility of getting into the College Football Playoff.

The Bulls close the regular season on Saturday night against Rice at Raymond James Stadium. A win over that American Conference foe and the bowl game would give USF double-digit wins for only the third time in the program's 29 seasons.

At Arkansas, Golesh would replace interim coach Bobby Petrino, who took over for the fired Sam Pittman in late September. The Razorbacks are 2-9, 0-7 in SEC, with the finale on Saturday against Missouri.

Formula involves culture, recruiting and 'process'

USF had four victories in the three seasons before Golesh came in and engineered a rapid turnaround. He was 7-6 in both of his first two years after signing a reported six-year deal worth more than $15.3 million annually.

For a week in November, the Bulls were listed for the first time in the CFP rankings and back in the AP Top 25 for the first time in seven seasons. Now 5-2 in the American Conference, USF’s postseason hopes ended after heartbreaking losses to league rivals Memphis and Navy.

Throughout his tenure, Golesh has emphasized culture, recruiting and dedication to the “process” in returning USF’s program to national relevance, despite its affiliation with a Group of 6 conference.

The American is one of six mid-major leagues in the NCAA’s Football Bowl Subdivision, a step below the Power 4 conferences SEC, Big 12, Atlantic Coast and Big Ten, which wield superior financial resources, recruiting potential and media exposure. Yet, in the current CFP setup, a Group of 6 team can earn a bid in the 12-team postseason tournament for a national title.

USF’s rise this year was pushed by signature early season wins over Boise State and Florida, both ranked by AP at the time, and a conference win against North Texas, which is currently No. 24 by AP at 10-1 (6-1 in the American). On Tuesday, Mean Green coach Eric Morris was hired by another Power 4 school, Oklahoma State of the Big 12.

'Focused and locked in on this program'

Golesh, previously rumored to be in the running for the Oklahoma State job, said Nov. 18 that he was not talking to other schools about openings.

"I'm so focused and locked in on this program, this team, and we've got so much work to do. But I am not trying. I try to stay away from the social media piece," he said. "I said a couple of weeks ago, it's humbling that people bring your name up. It's because these guys (players) have done an elite job of building this place to where people are taking notice, Credit to our kids, credit to our staff."

The next day, Higgins turned to social media to address national reports that Golesh was under consideration by several Power 4 programs.

“Coach Golesh’s representatives and I continue to have a lot of great conversations and both they and Coach Golesh know how fully invested we are in his long-term future at USF. We won’t discuss the details of those conversations publicly,” he wrote. “We all appreciate how totally locked in Coach Golesh has stayed on our program and student-athletes throughout this season, despite what a lot of the false reports that continue to circulate online suggest. Go Bulls!”

Golesh would not be a stranger to coaching in the elite SEC. He came to USF after three years as the offensive coordinator at Tennessee, and his 2022 Volunteers' offense was ranked No. 1 in the nation in yards per play (7.35) and scoring (47.3 points per game).

At USF, he installed a fast-break, no-huddle offense that went into a higher gear this season behind a healthy Byrum Brown, a 230-pound quarterback who needs 117 yards passing and 96 on the ground to become only the 12th FBS player to reach the 3,000/1,000 mark in a season.

Brown, who has a year of eligibility remaining, could opt to join Golesh or even decide to enter the NFL draft. It also would not be a surprise for other USF players to follow Golesh through the transfer portal - if he moves on.

Appreciation for university's commitment

Under Golesh and the recently hired Higgins, the USF football program appears to be in an upward trajectory. Golesh has often expressed gratitude for the commitment he has received from the university administration. Whoever coaches the team will benefit from an on-campus $407 million stadium and football operations center, both under construction and expected to open in 2027.

Along those lines, Texas-San Antonio coach Jeff Traylor said USF “invested incredibly well in their program” and implied the school's financial resources helped assemble their roster through name, image and likeness (NIL) agreements. Golesh took issue with that characterization that his roster is "bought."

"I think when you're talking about money on a roster, you're taking away from the fact that there's a bunch of dudes in that locker room that have poured into their process. There's a bunch of coaches that have demanded it of them," Golesh said after USF beat UTSA 55-23 this month.

Although Golesh has expressed dedication to USF and a desire to coach in the new stadium, an SEC job would clearly offer a higher salary, greater visibility and more talented players.

Golesh's wife, Alexis, grew up in Arkansas as a Razorbacks football fan. She is a dietitian who still regularly does consultant work for a senior nursing facility managed by famlly members in her hometown of Greenwood, about an hour south of Fayetteville. The Goleshes have two children, Corbin, 14, and Barrett, 11.

Golesh, 41, who was born in Moscow, graduated from Ohio State in 2006, and climbed quickly through the college ranks, with stops at Northern Illinois, Oklahoma State, Toledo, Illinois, Iowa State and Central Florida. At Group of 6 school Toledo, he recruited consecutive No. 1 classes in the Mid-American Conference. He fielded a top-5 offense at UCF in 2020.