College Football Preview 2024: USF Bulls win projections, strengths and weaknesses, quarterback spotlight and more

• Head coach: Alex Golesh (second season)
• 2023 record: 7-6 (won Boca Raton Bowl)
• PFF power ranking: 100th
• Chance to win the AAC: 4%
• Strength of schedule: 86th
• Projected win total: 5.3
• FanDuel win total: 7.5
• 2024 recruiting rank (On3): No. 60 nationally, No. 1 in the AAC

Alex Golesh made immediate waves in his first year as South Florida’s head coach, taking an eventual playoff team in Alabama down to the wire in Week 3. That momentum carried through the rest of the season, as the Bulls finished with seven wins — one fewer victory than the previous four years combined.

USF is hoping to take a step forward in Year 2 under Golesh thanks to a dynamic rushing attack led by quarterback Byrum Brown. The team will need to significantly improve along the offensive line and in coverage to compete for the first conference championship in program history.

Click here for more college football:

NCAA Power Rankings | NCAA Premium Stats | NCAA Betting Dashboards 2024 CFB Schedule | News and Analysis | The PFF College Football Show

Biggest Strength: Rushing attack

Every player in USF’s backfield can gash defenses on the ground. Byrum Brown was one of five FBS quarterbacks last season to rush for more than 1,000 yards, and the Bulls brought back Nay’Quan Wright, their top tailback. Transfer running back Ta’Ron Keith has done most of his damage as a receiver, but he’s proven to be a very capable rusher when given the opportunity.

Biggest Weakness: Offensive line

Making South Florida’s rushing performance last year even more impressive was the fact that the team didn’t get much help from its offensive line. The Bulls finished just 123rd in offensive line grade in 2023. The good news is that USF brought back six of the seven linemen who played at least 300 snaps, so some improvement should be expected.

Three Notable Transfer Portal Additions

• RB Ta’ron Keith (Bowling Green): 83.5 PFF grade
• WR Abdur-Rahmaan Yaseen (Purdue): 66.5 PFF grade
• DI Decarius Hawthorne (Florida Atlantic): 67.2 PFF grade

Three Notable Transfer Portal Losses

• EDGE Tramel Logan (Louisville): 76.6 PFF grade
• EDGE Lloyd Summerall (James Madison): 66.5 PFF grade
• WR Khafre Brown (Arkansas): 63.0 PFF grade

2023 Team Overview

Quarterback Spotlight: Byrum Brown

2023 Grade: 75.0
Key Stat: 723 rushing yards after contact (led FBS quarterbacks, ninth most by quarterback in PFF college history)