USF head coach Alex Golesh looked a little sad at his regular Tuesday media briefing, his last of the regular season. Despite widespread Internet rumors to the contrary, it did not appear that he was looking to pursue another job.
More on that in a bit.
But first, Golesh addressed the question of whether quarterback Byram Brown will return to USF for his final season of eligibility or head to the NFL. As much as the Internet wants immediate answers, it will have to wait. The answer will come when that happens.
Golesh said, “Byrum is going to be playing football for a really long time, I’ll tell you he has a huge ceiling. Like I said, the season is ready. I think it’s something that you sit down when football is over, and he’ll be the first to tell you, these conversations are for when the season is over.”
“You sit down and you get real evaluations from professionals in that league. You consult with people who are professionals in it – us included, myself included – and you make the best choice. The choices I’m going to make, or help make, for each young man in this program are the ones that will be best for them.”
But all professionals and coaches keep in mind the realities of what lies ahead, and then the choice is up to Byram. He has all the measurables to become an NFL player: size, experience, accomplishment and athleticism. Pro Football Focus gave them an overall elite rating of 9.21. However, despite this, deciding what to do is not so easy.
Time also matters.
“Draft class has a lot to do with it. The need (of specific teams) in the draft has a lot to do with it. So there are a lot more factors than just, is he ready?” Golesh said.
“He’s going to be a professional. He’s going to be a professional for a really long time. It’s just a matter of, is it now? Is it a year from now? He’ll make the right decision for him.”
Meanwhile, Golesh is facing timing problems of his own.
While most of college football is concerned about Lane Kiffin’s next move, Golesh’s name is appearing for nearly every important job.
we know about it oklahoma state And arkansasChris Vannini of The Athletic (a paid site) reported that Auburn is “showing a lot of interest” in Golesh, Tulane’s John Sumrall and a group of others,
Florida could be in the mix if the Gators lose Kiffin, although hiring a Group of 5 coach after the disastrous Billy Napier episode probably wouldn’t be a good idea for Gator Nation.
And, of course, USF is fighting like the dickens to keep Goulash.
Coach Golesh’s representatives and I continue to have great conversations and both he and Coach Golesh know how invested we are in his long-term future at USF. We will not publicly discuss the details of those conversations. We all appreciate how completely shut down…
– Rob Higgins (@RHiggins_USF) 20 November 2025
Billy Sexton, the kingmaker among college football coaches, represents Golesh and everyone else in the game. It’s possible that multiple listings originated from someone in his camp, because obviously, more suitors (perceived or real) will drive up the price.
However, like his quarterback, the decision on how to proceed is Golesh’s. And when I said he sounded “distressed” at the beginning of this piece, it sounded more like one of the many players who will be taking a final walk on the field at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday’s Senior Day than a guy saying goodbye to his current job.
“I tell these people every Friday night how grateful I am for them, and grateful for the people who stayed, grateful for the people who decided to come because when I came here, it wasn’t cool to stay, like, if you could get out, you were getting out,” he said.
“And there’s a handful of guys who said, ‘You know what? We believe in the message or, well, we love going to school here. And so every situation is a little different. But as time went on and guys developed into really good players and they chose to stay there. I think that reflects our culture. And when you ask, when you ask, man, what does it mean to me, it means that they themselves Has bought something bigger than he has contributed to the program by giving more of himself than ever before.
It’s not just those playing their final home game for the Green and Gold. The same applies to their two recruiting classes, as well as the highly regarded classes that committed in early December.
Golesh built this program from ashes, and he knows it. USF is now on the map and big days are coming. Will he call it quits to attend a power conference school where he’ll have to start all over again?
I mean, Auburn changes coaches about as often as most people change shirts. Large-scale rebuilding is taking place in the state of Oklahoma and Arkansas. Florida? Perhaps. We would be foolish to ignore the Gators’ potential.
But will Golesh be leaving for any of those events? We may know something by this weekend as those openings start closing in soon.
Until then, as we said, the answer will come when it happens.
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