TAMPA, Fla.— University of South Florida football has been picked to finish fourth in the American Athletic Conference this fall, according to a preseason media poll.

Second-year USF coach Alex Golesh and USF players are in Arlington, Texas this week for the 2024 AAC Kickoff event.  

What You Need To Know

  • USF picked to finish fourth this season during AAC preseason media poll

  • USF is returning 19 starters who contributed 84 percent of its rushing and receiving yards

  • Memphis (23 first place votes) picked first followed by UTSA (4), Tulane (2), South Florida and conference newcomer Army (1) rounding out the top five

In the 2023 poll, the Bulls were picked 13th before Golesh led the team to the greatest turnaround in program history and the second-best in FBS football with a six-win improvement capped by a 45-0 rout of Syracuse in the Boca Raton Bowl.

USF is returning 19 starters who contributed 84 percent of its rushing and receiving yards.

Golesh and returning starting quarterback Byrum Brown and senior cornerback Ben Knox are in Dallas for the Kickoff event. Golesh was set to address the gathered media at the podium at noon on Tuesday.

The media picked Memphis (23 first place votes) first followed by UTSA (4), Tulane (2), South Florida and conference newcomer Army (1) rounding out the top five.

 

Brown, who set USF season marks for passing yards (3,292), touchdowns (26), completions (276), and completion percentage (64.6%) in his first season in Golesh’s offense, leads a Bulls offense that also returns senior wide receiver Sean Atkins, who set program records with 92 receptions for 1,054 yards in 2023 and was named a 2024 preseason All-American by Phil Steele.

 

Brown also added 809 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground to join Heisman Trophy winner Jayden Daniels of LSU as the only FBS players to post 3,000-plus passing yards and 800-plus rushing yards in 2023.

Brown, Atkins, offensive guard Zane Herring, running back Nay’Quan Wright, center Mike Lofton, offensive tackle Derek Bowman, wide receiver Naiem Simmons, cornerback Aamaris Brown-Bunkley, defensive tackle Rashad Cheney, linebacker Jhalyn Shuler, safety Jaelen Stokes and kickers John Cannon and Nico Gramatica where among the Bulls to earn preseason all-conference recognition from national publications.

USF opens the season on Saturday, Aug. 31 in Raymond James Stadium when the Bulls take on Bethune-Cookman in a 7:00 p.m. kick on ESPN+. The Bulls also have non-conference dates at Alabama (Sept. 7/7 pm/ESPN), at Southern Miss (Sept. 14/7 pm/ESPN+) and vs. Miami (Sept. 21).