USF Bulls football voted 4th in preseason AAC media poll

TAMPA (USF) – The USF Bulls football team starts its second season under head coach Alex Golesh in fourth place in the AAC Preseason Media Poll. Golesh and returning starting quarterback Byrum Brown and senior cornerback Ben Knox are in Arlington, Texas, for the kickoff event.

Memphis received 23 first place votes for the lead followed by UTSA, Tulane, South Florida and conference newcomer Army rounding out the top five.  In the 2023 poll, the Bulls were picked 13 ^th 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.

Brown, who set USF season marks with 3,292 passing yards, 26 touchdowns and a 64.6% completion percentage in his first season in Golesh’s offense. He will lead a Bulls offense that 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, Atkins and 11 additional Bulls have also received preseason all-conference recognition from national publications.

USF returns 19 starters (nine on offense, eight on defense, and two specialists) from a team that set 12 team and 16 individual program records while going 7-6. The Bulls return record-setting starting quarterback Brown, 85 percent of their rushing yards, 84 percent of their receiving yards and four primary starters on the offensive line. On defense, USF returns nine of its top 11 tacklers led by lb Jhalyn Shuler, who logged a team-best 97 stops to go with 8.5 tackles for loss in 2023.

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).

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