‘They believe’: The hot start of South Florida is not Fluke

Tampa, Fla. – USF coach Alex Golesh repeated the same thing after the first two victories in his team – stunning blowing in season Boise stateand another shocker last weekend against Florida – “This is not the same South FloridaMy brother! “

Bulls 2: 0 are ranked for the first time since 2018. year, they commaed the first victory in the history of the school through Gator and is early to win a group of 5 automatic berths in the faculty playoffs.

But behind these words, there are more meanings, more than just a statement of a great non-employed victory. Those nine words are nodded by one of Golesh’s close friends.

On the side of his headphones, Golesh has initials AAR, for the late American basketball coach Amir Abdur-Rahim Amir Abdur-Rahim.

Golesh and Abdur-Rahim are engaged within three months, similar trainers with similar beliefs, in charge of the same goal: Get the USF to seek for the endangerment. Abdur-Rahim did it in his previous stop in Kennesaw State, developing owls that one-win the team to reach NCAA tournaments.

Golesh inherited a football program in one victory and was looking for Abdur-Rahim for advice. A few days after the engaged Abdur-Rahim, Golesh went to see him in his office.

“They literally just did in Kennesaw what we were trying to do, build it in the right way,” Golesh said.

The two immediately hit him. Their children went to the same schools. Their wives became friends. That first spring, in 2023. years, Abdur-Rahim would go out to practice and quickly became hardening around the football program.

He would send Golesh after the match before the first season and offered his thoughts at a four-year plan to succeed. Golesh and his son, Barrett, would go to basketball games like Abdur-Rahim LED USF in his best season in 2023. years, winning his first name of the conference and school and school matches. During that run, it was that Abdur-Rahim went to the virus to say, “This is not the same southern Florida, my brother!”

While the bulls finished their 34-7 victories over the keeping of Boise 28. August, Golesh felt the presence around him. He thought of what Abdur-Rahim told him from the very beginning: year 3 when players stop hoping they could win. Now they start believing I can win.

“Amir always said,” He won’t believe it until they see it, “Golesh Espn said.” I felt like, “OK. They believe.” “

It’s a belief why usf is 2-0. The question is: How did Golesh make them believe them?

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When Golesh met with the then athletic director of the USF Michael Kelly to discuss the open head work in December 2022. years, he had questions. The USF had moments of success in its short history of football – including 10-win season of 10 wines in 2016 and 2017. – But his newer record was asymal. The bulls ended 2022 with 1-11 records and four total winning three-year range. And the program never won the name of the conference.

Golesh wanted to know immediately – would USF provide resources needed to win? Would you give him time to convert the program? The answer to both was echoed.

“His experience in other places showed what he felt needed,” Kelly ESPN said. “I never felt it was unreasonable. It was just,” it’s this way if we’ll win this league. “”

Kelly said that staff size increased, and additional $ 1.5 million was added to the assistant pool for the coach. The recruitment budget has increased. Golesh also had the entire diet, the program for food and conditioning and the staff of the athletic training was renovated.

For example, under previous staff, players have breakfast and lunch, but there is no dinner in the building. But now, they get three meals a day and have access to a diet in a weightroom. In addition, every meeting room in each meeting room in each team there are completely mini-haired hairwashing hair refrain hair refrigerated banks.

There was no major sign of commitment to football from the approval of a $ 349 million campus, set to open in 2027. Years, an idea that was decade in the manufacture. Most days, USF players practice the sound of steel pillars entering the country, immediately outside the practice field.

“It just goes along with what we do on football field, build a foundation” Burum Brown He says. “We dropped dirt. Let’s set the pillars. We see what this program can really be for years to come.”

Resources are one thing. Buy-in and belief are another one. Center Best He remembers the Golesh meeting had with returnees during the second day at work.

“He said,” I just need a little blind faith, “and I said,” I’ll give it to him, and I’ll buy it hard, but I was hard at the first couple of days, “this is a guy.”

Lineabacker with six years old Mac HarrisWhat was in those three USF teams who won four total games before arrival Golesh, said these teams often found ways to cut corners or avoid them to do what was difficult and uneasy.

Golesh bulls don’t give up easy road.

“AG It says all the time, don’t leave Rock undiscovered. Check every detail, go through every obstacle, you need to go in the right way,” Harris says. “Some call them cliches, but they mean something and they have the weight every day and keeping your teammates who answered them and those who consider them responsible for that, and we keep them responsible.”

In his first season as a chief coach, USF went 7-6, second-best improvement of all FBS programs in 2023. years. Then, last season, he showed the glimpeses of his potential, playing Alabama near three quarters before loss, and then closed in Miami. Brown missed the last seven games of the low foot injury and USF was still ending 7-6 and gave it to another bowling game.

With a healthy brown and another 15 other starters back, Golesh and his team were considered optimistic in terms of opportunity for this season.

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Yes, the beginning of the season 2025. year appeared during talks from work, because Golesh watched future schedules with Kelly. He dropped down and saw two-sided Neconneferencies dooza: Boise State, in Florida, Miami. There was an initial skepticism. Not because Golesh wanted to be ashamed to play those teams. But playing all three in a row, in the same season, it looked good, “somehow crazy.”

“The initial conversation was,” we’ll get it up there, but it won’t look like that, “Golesh said,” I was still like, “I know what?” Let’s go play. “We’re going to play them.”

Last June, when Kelly was preparing to leave the USF to take the athletic director in the Navy, Golesh told him, “Let’s win those games and you will tell me that,” you told me that. “

If the victory on the state of Boise had people across the country, obtain, win through Florida legitimized USF in a bigger way. For decades, there was a “big three” in Florida: Miami, the state of Florida and Florida. The UCF worked in the conference of power 4 when she joined a large 12, leaving the USF fight for national importance in a group of 5.

It helps to explain why Golesh had 500 text messages waiting for him after 18-16 winning victories over the gator.

It was best told that there are eight former teammates to call him after winning him to congratulate him. “Brings tears to my eyes,” it says the best. “I took a step back and let them absorb. It wasn’t easy. It was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life and see it, just means world”.

The process is a process, so this week there was no time for USF to celebrate the start of 2-0. Not with traveling to no. 5 Miami on deck. Golesh entered the office last week and says that he “tore off” the strip of games with his staff.

“We didn’t arrive,” Golesh says. “We have two really good victories. We have another really good game, and then we really were on average at this conference for the last two years. We have been so left.

“As Amir speaks,” headphones. “You can’t hear anything.”

She is sad in her voice because she remembers those conversations with Abdur-Rahim. They should have done it together, celebrating each other’s victories as if they were their own. After Abdur-Rahim was sick last fall, he stopped coming to workout, but refused to say naked what was wrong.

Then Golesh got a long text than Abdur-Rahim. He still saved him in his phone. Abdur-Rahim, partly, was ready to fight what it was smiling, but it seemed insecure if doctors had answers.

Abdur-Rahim died on 24. October, 2024. years, at 43 years, from complications that appeared during medical procedures related to its undiscovered disease. The loss felt in the entire USF community, including football team. As a lasting honor of his friend, Golesh had a picture of Abdur-Rahim one day, as one day in practice increased and housed in the hallway of a football facility.

“Coach Golesh gave us a reminder of what was a great human being and what was a great coach and lessons and advice that implants a lot,” says a lot, “says Brown says, says Brown says.

Golesh may not answer each individual one of the hundred text messages he received in the last two weeks. But there are two that will never forget. Arianne Abdur-Rahim, Amir’s widow, Golesh Text After the State Boise victory and again after winning Florida.

“Amir is watching you.”