Former Ohio State Buckeyes offensive coordinator Brian Hartline just set the standard high in his new role as the USF Bulls head coach. While speaking with On3's Peter Nakos, Hartline let the world know that former head coach Alex Golesh's bar is too low for where he plans to go.
Hartline believes the Bulls should never compete for anything less than the American Conference Championship. South Florida was famously in the hunt until the final month of the season, when Golesh was taking interviews with SEC schools before landing at Auburn.
“There was some success here the last couple of years, but nowhere near where it should be,” he said. “The expectation should be to win — the floor here should be a constant chase for the American Conference championship.
"I think we’ve been transparent about what those expectations are day-to-day, through the summer, through recruiting, and into the fall. We have 50 new guys on the roster — a completely different roster than last year. I’m excited about the guys who came in and the guys who chose to stay. I think we have the right guys, and now it’s our job to maximize what they’re capable of.”
Luke Kromenhoek, Michael Van Buren, and KJ Cooper are Hartline's QB options in 2026, and if one of those upperclassmen could separate himself in the room, USF may be more of a contending team than most would expect after the coaching change. After all, unlike many of the first-year coaches across the country, Hartline isn't bringing much from his old school. Only receiver Bryson Rogers and EDGE C.J. Hicks followed Hartline to Tampa.
Obviously, though, it goes beyond a QB and a few transfers. From the sound of it, Hartline has established a baseline culture that should permanently keep the Bulls out of the underclass that the program was in prior to Golesh's departure.
The standard continues to rise for the Green and Gold. Hartline may have arrived just in time, too.
Brian Hartline could be the coach who propels USF to the Power 4
It's possible that Hartline is the guy who'll be in the head coaching seat who takes USF to Power 4 heights.
While the federal government is aiming to restrict movement from the highest-grossing conferences, which doubles as a potential benefit to the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, who could continue to enjoy college football independence, its plan hasn't been put into effect yet. Until it does, the sport's highest echelons are not closed doors yet.
Hartline is a few notable seasons away from having the Bulls in serious P4 talks. You could make the argument that USF is already at the level of bottom-tier Big 12 teams, but a push to the ACC would be the best thing for the conference. Establishing in-state rivalries in the conference with the Florida State Seminoles and Miami Hurricanes would be crucial to continued program growth.
This is all speculation right now. Eventually, though, these could become concrete talks. The only thing Hartline needs to do is deliver on all the gaudy promises he's bringing to the table. Easier said than done, but it could be done. Even the progress Golesh made was hard to fathom once upon a time.
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