For a while last season, South Florida looked like it might be the best Group of Five team in college football.

The Bulls won at Florida. They were sitting at 6-1. They had one of the most dangerous quarterbacks in the country. They had momentum. They had a clear identity. They looked like a real American championship contender.

Then the close losses hit.

South Florida lost tight games to Memphis and Navy, and that changed the way the season looked. Instead of feeling like an 11-win breakthrough, the Bulls finished 9-4 with a bowl loss to Old Dominion.

Still, the progress was real.

South Florida went 6-2 in the American last year and is 23-16 over the last three seasons.

The question now is whether the Bulls can keep climbing after losing the two biggest faces of the program.

Alex Golesh is gone.

Byrum Brown is gone.

Brian Hartline takes over, and South Florida enters 2026 with a new coach, a new quarterback battle and a roster loaded with transfers.

HEAD COACH

• Brian Hartline, entering year one at South Florida
• South Florida went 9-4 last season.
• The Bulls finished 6-2 in the American.
• USF is 23-16 over the last three seasons.
• The Bulls have only a few returning starters, but added a huge transfer class.

This is one of the more interesting jobs in the American.

South Florida has enough recruiting access to matter. It has a big-market location. It has recent proof that it can beat good teams. And after last season, players around the country should look at USF differently than they did a few years ago.

That is why the transfer haul matters.

The Bulls did not just add random depth pieces. They added players from LSU, Florida State, Ohio State, Florida, Rutgers, Kansas State, BYU, Missouri State, Georgia Southern and other programs.

That says something.

South Florida is still in the American, but the way Power Four transfers are looking at the program tells you it does not feel like a massive step down.

QUARTERBACK

The quarterback battle is the whole story.

Michael Van Buren and Luke Kromenhoek are competing for the job, and both bring Power Four experience.

Van Buren has the longer track record. He previously played at Mississippi State and LSU, and he has completed about 57% of his career passes with 19 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

The most interesting part of his profile is what he did under pressure last year.

Van Buren was 19-of-31 under pressure, which comes out to about 61%. He threw three touchdowns and no interceptions in those situations, and that ranked among the best marks in the country.

That is the good version.

The question is whether it is real.

In 2024 at Mississippi State, Van Buren was much worse under pressure, completing 26-of-70 throws with no touchdowns and two interceptions.

So which version is South Florida getting?

Probably something in the middle.

But if last year’s pressure numbers are even close to real, that gives the Bulls a quarterback who can handle chaos. That is a big deal, especially with a new offensive staff and a rebuilt roster.

Kromenhoek is the other option. He previously played at Florida State and Mississippi State, and while his career numbers are lighter, there is talent there. He is a career 52% passer with three touchdowns and two interceptions, but the arm talent is real. He can fit throws into tight windows.

That makes this competition fascinating.

Van Buren feels like the safer, more experienced option.

Kromenhoek may have enough upside to make the staff think hard.

Either way, South Florida did a smart thing by giving itself multiple options after losing Brown.

THE REST OF THE OFFENSE

The offense is not starting from scratch, but it is close.

The top returning skill player is Mudia Reuben, who caught 36 passes for 495 yards last season. He was third on the team in catches, and now he has a chance to become a much bigger piece.

That matters because the new quarterback needs a reliable target.

Reuben does not have to carry the whole passing game by himself, but he needs to be the steady piece. The guy who knows where to be. The guy who can win on third down. The guy who helps settle the offense early in the season.

Wyatt Sullivan is also back at tight end after finishing with 176 receiving yards last year. He may not have been listed everywhere as a returning starter, but he gives USF another experienced option in the passing game.

Up front, Thomas Shrader is the key returning offensive lineman. He played left guard, but there is a chance he moves to the right side. That kind of flexibility matters when a line is being rebuilt.

The Bulls also added Caleb Cook from Georgia Southern and Cash Hudson, who started 30 games at Missouri State.

That experience helps.

At running back, DJ Crowther is one of the more interesting additions. He comes in from Dartmouth after producing more than 1,300 rushing yards in 31 career games.

So there are pieces.

The question is how quickly they become an offense.

South Florida is not going to have Byrum Brown erasing mistakes anymore. Brown could turn a broken play into a 40-yard run. He could make defenses play with hesitation. He gave the offense an easy answer when things got messy.

Now the Bulls need more structure.

They need the quarterback to be efficient. They need Reuben to become a lead receiver. They need Crowther or somebody else to give them a real run game. They need the offensive line to settle in fast.

The upside is there.

The chemistry is the question.

DEFENSE

The defense may be where the transfer class tells the biggest story.

Tavin Ward is the key returning piece in the secondary. He has started 18 games over the last two seasons and had 60 tackles last year.

That gives USF at least one experienced defensive back to build around.

Michael Williams also returns after starting the regular-season finale and the bowl game. If he takes another step, that helps the defensive front.

But most of the intrigue comes from the new names.

South Florida added a long list of Power Four transfers on defense. C.J. Hicks comes in from Ohio State. Asani Redwood comes in on the defensive line. Sam Robinson arrives from Rutgers. Tavion Beasley comes from BYU. Amarian Fortenberry comes from Kansas State. Pup Howard and Teddy Foster come from Florida. There are others too.

That is a lot of talent.

It is also a lot of new.

The defense could be better than expected if those pieces hit quickly. But with so many transfers, the first month matters. Communication has to come fast. Tackling has to be clean. Roles have to be clear.

South Florida does not need the defense to be elite.

But it cannot be disorganized.

The Bulls are going to play enough dangerous offenses in the American that busted assignments and poor tackling will get punished. If this defense comes together, South Florida can be a real contender. If it takes too long, the Bulls could lose a couple of games they are talented enough to win.

Special teams should help.

Nico Grammatica is back after going 18-of-24 on field goals last season, and he may be the best kicker in the American. That is not a small thing in a league where so many games come down to one possession.

SCHEDULE

The schedule gives South Florida a chance to start fast.

The Bulls open with Florida International, then go to Army on Sept. 12. After that, they host Delaware State, go to Bowling Green, then open American play with Temple.

That Army game is huge.

If South Florida wins at Army, there is a real path to a 5-0 start before going to UTSA.

That does not mean it will be easy. Army is always a pain to prepare for, and this year’s team is experienced on offense. Playing a service academy on the road is never comfortable.

But if USF gets through that game and UTSA, a place good American seasons go to die, then the schedule becomes manageable.

After Temple, the Bulls go to UTSA, then host Kent State. They get a bye before hosting UAB, then close with a tougher stretch: at East Carolina, Memphis, at Florida Atlantic and Tulane.

The good news is South Florida does not play back-to-back road games.

That matters.

The bad news is the final month is not easy.

East Carolina is a tricky road game. Memphis is still Memphis, even with changes. Florida Atlantic should be able to throw the ball. Tulane has been the standard in this league for years.

So the path is clear.

South Florida needs to bank wins early.

If the Bulls get to the back half with momentum, they can be in the American race. If they stumble early while the new roster is still figuring itself out, the closing stretch could become a problem.

OUTLOOK

I like South Florida’s upside.

I really do.

The transfer class is impressive. The quarterback room has real options. Reuben gives the offense a proven receiver. The defense added a ton of Power Four talent. Grammatica is a major weapon at kicker. And the schedule gives the Bulls a chance to build confidence early.

But this is still a team replacing a lot.

A new coach and new quarterback is a major reset. Losing Byrum Brown changes the entire personality of the offense. Losing Golesh changes the program’s leadership. Bringing in this many transfers gives you talent, but it also creates uncertainty.

The best-case scenario is that Michael Van Buren wins the job and proves last year’s pressure numbers were real, the offensive line settles in, Crowther gives the run game enough balance, Reuben becomes a top target, and the defense quickly turns all those transfer additions into a real unit.

If that happens, South Florida can absolutely contend in the American.

The worst-case scenario is that the quarterback battle drags into the season, the offense loses too much of Brown’s playmaking, the transfers take too long to mesh, and the Bulls drop one or two early games before the tough finish even arrives.

The Bulls have enough talent to be near the top of the league. They have enough schedule opportunity to start fast. They have enough quarterback options to find an answer.

Now they have to prove this is a reload, not a reset.

If Hartline gets the quarterback decision right and the transfer-heavy defense comes together quickly, South Florida can be right back in the American title conversation.

Full disclosure: I use AI tools to format my research into an article encompassing all of the information.