The University of South Florida fan base is buzzing as the Bulls enter a new era under head coach Brian Hartline and prepare to kick off the 2026 season. Expectations are high following a 9-4 campaign that saw South Florida nationally ranked and atop the conference at several points.
Hartline arrives at South Florida with an impressive track record on the offensive side of the ball at Ohio State. You can’t bring up NFL superstars like Chris Olave, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Marvin Harrison Jr, and Garrett Wilson without bringing up Hartline’s influence. As an assistant on the Ohio State staff, Hartline played a pivotal role in recruiting and developing those players, and his pedigree as an elite offensive mind brings high expectations for the new Bulls offense.
While the excitement is understandable, the South Florida roster is nearly unrecognizable from the team that walked off the field at Camping World Stadium in the Cure Bowl. The Bulls are returning only 11% of their offensive production from last year and 21% of their defensive production. With that said, Hartline has had success both in the portal and on the recruiting trail as he landed 41 transfers in addition to 18 incoming freshmen.
Among those transfers are quarterbacks Michael Van Buren and Luke Kromenhoek, who are vying for the starting quarterback spot. Regardless of who wins the quarterback battle, they will have big shoes to fill after the season Byrum Brown had last year. However, the team is high on both transfers, and Hartline has said that both have been impressive throughout camp.
Quarterback is the obvious position to talk about after the season Brown had last year, but another popular position to look at given Hartline’s track record is the wide receiver. Mudia Reuben is the Bulls’ leading returning receiver after recording 36 catches for 495 yards and five touchdowns last season. Additions include several members from the transfer portal, such as Jaron Glover and Arhmad Branch, who are expected to start alongside Reuben.
This offensive group will be trying to follow up the act of last year’s team that enjoyed historic numbers for the program. South Florida finished third nationally in total offense at 488.7 yards per game and fifth in scoring at 40.5 points per game. South Florida’s calling card last year was the run game. Whether it was the running back committee or the dual-threat capability of Byrum Brown ,the Bulls finished the season 13th nationally in rushing at 212.1 yards per game.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Bulls were an average team against the run but struggled when teams took to the air, finishing the year 111th out of 138 eligible teams in passing yards allowed at 242.8 per game. To rectify this problem, the Bulls brought in nine transfers in the secondary along with five incoming freshmen.
While the secondary usually takes the blame for poor pass defense, having a pass rush helps, and that is where Ohio State transfer C.J. Hicks comes in. Hicks arrived at Ohio State in 2022 as a five-star prospect and one of the highest ranked linebackers in the country but has struggled to be the difference-maker that he was expected to be. Despite his struggles with the Buckeyes, the Bulls have high hopes that he can be the type of game-wrecker that he was expected to be when he came out of high school.
Overall, the Bulls have made the necessary changes to replace the losses from last year’s group as they look to be atop the American Conference. With Hartline’s resume and a schedule that ranks 127th out of138 the Bulls seem primed to have a chance to be atop the conference and build significant momentum as they look forward to playing in their own stadium at the start of 2027.
The Bulls will kick off their season against FIU on Sept. 5. The game will take place at Raymond James Stadium, with kickoff scheduled for 7 p.m.
