Golesh's 'process' brings renewed success to USF football program

TAMPA, Fla. - A little more than a year ago, USF football fans were introduced to their new head coach, Alex Golesh.

But what was going through the first year head coach's mind when he stepped on campus?

"I don't know if I've been asked that," said Golesh.

It's a question, though, that Alex Golesh wouldn't wait long to find the answer to that December day in 2022.

Pictured: Alex Golesh

"A little bit of anxiety. A little bit of excitement," Golesh remembered feeling. "You really don't have time to think after that. It's the plane ride down, you walk off the plane, and you've got to go."

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From the moment the Bulls new head football coach stepped on campus, however, the mission became clear.

"There was so much early success in football [at USF] and the standard was set so high, as it should be," he shared.

Golesh was now tasked with rebuilding a program that had won just four games over a three-year span.

"I almost felt like the standard was just to be competitive, at that point, when I got here," Golesh said. "And it made me sick in a lot of ways."

The cry for success from the fans, meanwhile, was heard loud and clear from the Bulls' new coach.

"I think they just wanted to grasp onto and have some hope and have a program that they could be proud of and point to and say, 'That's ours!'" said Golesh.

What Bulls fans got, what Golesh helped deliver, was just that. The first-year head coach began to systematically overhaul the program based on a simple philosophy.

"We have hammered since the day I got here that we're going to be a process-driven program," explained Golesh.

From how the team practices, prepares and treats one another, Golesh's "process" has paid off.

Though an up and down season, the Bulls managed to secure a (7-6) season. It was the program's first winning season in five years and capped by a 42-0 win over Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.

All the while, Golesh and his staff put together a class of incoming players that was ranked as the top recruiting class in the country for a non-power five conference team.

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Celebrations aside, the quick success now has those outside the program viewing USF in a different light.

"It's way different now because there's actually expectations, or people telling you how well you did. There are people patting you on the back," Golesh said.

While those expectations rise, Golesh is determined to make sure the complacency in his locker room remains low.

"You can make any analogy you want, but rat poison is only poisonous if you drink it," said Golesh.

After all, Golesh has bigger plans for his Bulls than six-loss seasons.

"I want to have the opportunity to take us to a place where we haven't been and then, more importantly, keep us there," he said.

Until that day comes, Golesh will be in his office and on the road, always, continuing his process.