by Patrick Zier | Apr 11, 2025 |
TAMPA – The intensity is still there, the burning desire to succeed. But it seems to be a bit more controlled now, perhaps because there has been some success, because the plan seems to be working.
Three years ago, Alex Golesh couldn’t be sure of that. He was a young guy who had never been a head coach before, who had his own ideas about how you needed to go about things, build a winning culture, and South Florida was going to give him the opportunity to prove his point.
From the start, Golesh’s intensity was obvious. He was driven. It often seemed he was trying to cram 25 hours into a 24 hour day. When it came to USF football, no detail was too small to escape Golesh’s attention.
Everything that impacted the program was important if this was going to work. And he would make it work. Nothing else seemed to matter.
Golesh stepped into a make-or-break situation at South Florida. His immediate predecessor, Jeff Scott, had seemed to be the perfect choice to lead USF out of the college football wilderness.
He was poised, articulate. He had mastered the nuances of coaching at Clemson, had the right pedigree. There was new energy at USF. And then Scott went 4-26, won just one conference game and was fired at midseason the year before Golesh arrived, and South Florida was back in the basement once again.
So Golesh had to turn this around, for himself and USF. If he failed, both he and football at South Florida would become irrelevant, and Golesh would not let that happen. His single mindedness in that regard could make people feel somewhat uneasy, uncomfortable, but Golesh forged ahead.
And he got results. His first year, Golish led the Bulls to a 7-6 record including a bowl win over San Jose State. It was USF’s first winning season since 2018 when Charlie Strong also went 7-6. A second 7-6 season followed in 2034 including another bowl win.
All this was critical to Golesh’s success, and the first year was crucial. While he had no doubt what he was doing would work, he had nothing substantial to prove it. If USF had floundered under Golesh that first year as it had under Scott, there would have been doubt. Another losing season would have created more apprehension, even if Golesh himself remained steadfast to his plan.
“Two springs ago it was like, and you’ve heard me say this before, but it was gloves off every day,” Golesh commented. “You’d get done and you’d get home and Lex (Alexis, his wife) would be like ‘Man, how was the day?’ And I’m literally, I felt like I was in a 12 round bout every day.
“It was a dog fight,” Golesh continued. “Now, we’re at a point where we’re constantly guarding the culture but like I said, the standard at which you do everything takes forever to establish.
“I think you’re constantly building the culture,” Golesh went on. I tell our staff all the time you come in every morning and you’re going to do everything you can to protect the culture you’re trying to build.”
What Golesh has been trying to do, and he seems to feel that this year, his team is making real progress in that regard, is instill his principles, his work ethic, his attention to detail in his players.
When the team starts believing that what they’re doing will help them win football games and Golesh no longer has to convince them of that, then the players hold themselves and their teammates to Golesh’s standard.
And once they’ve accepted the culture, they are able to use it as the foundation for building a winning program.
“It got better from year one to year two,” Golesh said of his ability to inculcate his message to the team. “But for two years the coaches are the ones holding players to the standard.
“This year, I feel like for the first time since I’ve been here the standard is being upheld in the locker room among the guys,” Golesh declared. “You’re seeing that with way less accountability issues off the field. You’re seeing that through the coaching on the sidelines.
“There’s 10 guys that have started a lot of games that are standing on the sidelines and they’re coaching harder than the coaches,” Golesh said. “Like you’re trying to grab a young guy to coach him and somebody else is already coaching him.
“They’re holding the standard within the locker room. “Does that equate to wins on the field? Man, in my history it has. I think it’s your best chance. I think when the standard is held within the locker room by the players it’s going to be harder for those guys to let each other down,” Golesh said.
And it’s a standard that is passed on from one group of players to the next. It’s not like signing a bunch of transfers hoping to get one good year.
“That’s why I’ve said so many times you’re either going to build a team or you’re going to build a program,” Golesh said. “We chose to build a program.”
by Patrick Zier | Apr 5, 2025 |
Denny Hamlin hasn’t lost his edge. He’s older now, 44, an age when most drivers are sputtering the the end of their careers or have already finished them.
But Hamlin, the oldest regular driver in NASCR’s Cup series, isn’t ready for the rocking chair just yet.
“No,” Hamlin said when asked if he ever thought about how much longer he could go. “I mean I’m probably the king of irrational confidence,” Hamlin continued as reported on NASCAR’s website. “I mean generally speaking, I know that when I’ve got the car to do it I can be the best, so…
“I haven’t felt like I’ve held back the car at any point,” he continued. “Certainly I’m not immune to understanding that Father Time is undefeated, but everything I need to be a good race car driver is still really sharp.
“It (the deterioration of his driving skills) hasn’t happened yet,” Hamlin said. “It will but not yet.”
Throughout his career, Hamlin has been amazingly consistent. He usually doesn’t win a bunch of races but he’ll get you two or three every season. There’ve been a few times when he’s won more than that and a few times when he’s struggled, but he’ll almost always get you two or three.
And that hasn’t changed as he’s entered his 40s, and it doesn’t look like it’s going to change this year.
That’s because Hamlin doesn’t just drive with his hands and feet, he uses his head as well. And because he continually studies his profession, Hamlin adapts to change better than most.
“As he’s gotten older, he’s had to ramp up the amount of work he’s done where he may have gotten by earlier without doing that,” new crew chief Chris Gayle commented after Hamlin won at Martinsville.
“I still think he has the drive and determination to win. I think it’s probably no secret,” Gayle continued. “You’ve seen the wins. He wants to get beyond 60 wins (Hamlin now has 55). There’s still goals left for him at this age.
“It’s one thing to say that you want to get there and talk about it, but I’m starting to see the amount of effort he puts in,” Gayle went on. “He’s with us in the simulator at least six or seven hours a week.
“He probably doesn’t have to, some of the other guys don’t. He does it to be part of the team, help grow the process competitively,” Gayle said. “I think that just speaks to where his head’s at at this age.”
NASCAR NOTES: Three most likely winners at Darlington: 1-Kyle Larson, 2-Bubba Wallace, 3-William Byron. Last year’s winners at Darlington: first race – Brad Keselowski. Second race – Chase Briscoe. Top five in first race last year: 1-Keselowski, 2-Ty Gibbs, 3-Josh Berry, 4-Denny Hamlin, 5-Briscoe.
Last week’s OGS Martinsville picks: 1-Larson, 2-Hamlin, 3-Byron. Martinsville winner: Hamlin. OGS season record: 3-2.
OGS Competition Index top 10: 1-Christopher Bell 157, 2-Hamlin 129, 3-Larson 104, 4-Berry 77, 5-Wallace 73, 6-Byron 72, 7-Alex Bowman 48, 8-Chase Elliott 45, 9-Daniel Suarez 41, 10-Tyler Reddick 40.
OGS Competition Index top 10 on short tracks: 1-Hamlin 117, 2-Bell 103, 3-Larson 40, 4-Wallace 30, 5-Elliott 25, 6-Joey Logano 12, 7-Byron 11, 8-Chris Buescher 10, 9-Ryan Preece 5, 10-Berry 4.
by Patrick Zier | Apr 3, 2025 |
It is pretty much agreed that this year, the Florida Gators are likely to go as far as quarterback DJ Lagway can take them, and right now, he can’t take them very far.
With spring practice coming to an end, next Saturday is the Gators’ annual spring game, Lagway has yet to throw a pass, and that isn’t expected to change anytime soon.
“He’s doing great,” Florida Coach Billy Napier said at a press conference posted on the Gators’ website. “We’ve just been modifying, in terms of his ability to throw the ball really, a more holistic approach with what we’re doing with him.”
If Napier ever decides to get out of coaching, maybe he should go into politics, because politicians are good at saying a lot without saying anything, and that’s what Napier did there. I mean how can you modify somebody’s throwing motion if they can’t throw?
Lagway has been dealing with a sore shoulder, plus some other unspecified lower body injuries, for some time and Florida’s plan was always to be cautious with him this spring in hopes of having him fully rested and recovered by the fall.
But the shoulder thing is starting to make some people edgy. Just how bad is it? Will Lagway in fact be fully recovered when the team starts getting ready for real games with real outcomes that have real consequences?
Frankly, at this time, there is no certainty of that. It’s already been suggested that whatever’s wrong with Lagway’s shoulder may be something he has to play through, as he apparently did in the final games of last season.
And just out of sight lurks the possibility that Lagway will need surgery, with all that implies.
“We’ve been having him call some plays in seven-on-seven drills just to have him kind of reiterate that communication and we’ve given him some leadership assignments,” Napier commented.
“He’s done a ton of walkthroughs in the Gator Room and Heavener Center,” the Florida coach continued. “Overall, he continues to get a little bit better every day.”
If Lagway is still limited in the fall, it could severely affect Florida’s chances of contending for an SEC title, which many people feel they are fully capable of doing.
Thrown into the fire as a freshman after veteran starter Graham Mertz got hurt, Lagway led he Gators to a 6-1 record including four straight wins to end the season. That included a victory over Tulane in the Gasparilla Bowl to build momentum going into 2025.
And while many of the key pieces return from that team, the receiving corps had had to be entirely rebuilt, which is why Lagway’s inability to throw is a setback of sorts.
Napier has recruited some of the best young talent in the country, and despite the loss of some veterans this year’s group could be much better than last year’s, but they need to work with Lagway.
Among the newcomers are Vernell Brown, ranked as the No. 3 receiving prospect in the nation and the 24th best player overall by rivals.com and Dallas Wilson, ranked as the No. 2 receiving prospect and the 19th best player in the country by On3 sports. Naeshawn Montgomery is another highly regarded frosh.
The Gators could also get a big boost if Kahleil Jackson, out for the season after tearing his ACL in Florida’s opener against Miami in 2024, is fully recovered. Jackson started nine games in 2023.
“I think we have to make progress and work toward being a tough-minded group, a fundamentally sound group, one that can handle adversity whether it’s at home against a premium opponent or some of those road games in some of those venues that we have to deal with,” Napier said, speaking now of his whole team and not just Lagway and the receivers.
And the Gators certainly will have to deal with adversity. It’ll just be a lot easier if Lagway’s there to help them through it.
by Patrick Zier | Apr 1, 2025 |
TAMPA – It is not the biggest game South Florida will play, Florida would probably qualify there, but it could be the most important, because there is a good chance the winner of USF’s opener here against Boise State will qualify for the College Football Playoff.
Lots of things have to go right for the Bulls to make that happen, but a loss to the Broncos would almost automatically guarantee, after just one game, that USF has absolutely no shot.
The way the playoffs are currently set up, one spot goes to the five highest ranked (as determined by the CFP selection committee) conference champions. The means that besides the Power 4-the Big Ten, the SEC, the Big 12 and Atlantic Coast Conference-a champion from the Group of 5 is going to get in.
The Group of 5 consists of the American Athletic Conference (of which USF is a member), Conference-USA, the Mid-American Conference, the Mountain West (which includes Boise State) and the Sun Belt.
Last year, Boise State got the nod, and the Broncos have a real shot at getting back again if they beat USF. because the AAC and Mountain West are generally regarded as the two strongest conferences in the Group of 5. But if they lose to the Bulls, then USF shoots up to the top.
Of course this is no sure thing. Working against both schools, and particularly USF, are their schedules. The Bulls probably have the toughest schedule in the Group of 5. Among others, they face Florida, which has an outside shot at winning the SEC, and Miami, which could do the same in the ACC.
Losses to either or both of those teams shouldn’t keep the Bulls out. But a third loss would definitely eliminate them. which is why beating Boise is a must. The Broncos schedule is not as tough, but they face Notre Dame, and USF would need them to lose that game. That, coupled with a loss to USF, would keep them behind the Bulls.
USF Coach Alex Golesh is not one to look ahead; as UCF’s George O’Leary used to say, you play 12 one-game seasons, but there is no way to minimize the importance of this game. Still, the Bulls must focus on the task at hand without letting it affect their preparation.
Understanding that, Golesh is trying to use the Boise game and the two that follow, Florida and Miami, as motivation.
“I think a lot’s been made of the schedule, especially early, and I think for us it’s trying to be as process driven as we can and worrying about right now, that’s the most important thing,” Golesh said.
“I think when you know what’s coming, and certainly the Boise game and the two after it (Florida and Miami), when you know you’re facing that kind of gauntlet it’s easy to say like ‘man, you’re working toward something,’ Golesh remarked.
“It’s (the playoff possibilities) certainly in the back of their minds, it’s in the back of our mind, but you know what’s coming, you know the challenge that’s going to hit you in the face that Thursday night at RayJ,” Golesh said.
“So certainly, I think that makes it easy to stay motivated when you know man, that’s going to be a street fight for three straight weeks and so to stay sharp, to stay motivated will certainly be easy, All you have to do is flip the film on,” Golesh remarked.
“I flipped the Boise film on in February and it hit me. I thought ‘all right, it’s real,'” the USF coach went on.
Of course one of the easiest ways to possibly make the playoffs would be to pull a Liberty. Just don’t schedule teams like Florida, Alabama and Miami. Liberty, a member of C-USA, has been a BCS team for just seven years and while it has never had a losing record, it never plays anybody, either.
In 2023, Liberty went 13-0, was nationally ranked and played in the Fiesta Bowl, where it was thrashed, 45-6, by Oregon. The 39 point defeat is the worst in Fiesta Bowl history.
“I think, with a 12 team playoff, those games (against strong Power 4 teams) are not as critical but they’re still important,” Golesh said. “I think for us, to have a schedule like that, you figure out early where you are, who you are,” he continued.
“I think our guys are certainly excited and want to play those kind of games,” Golesh said. “You’ve got a chance to play a team that got a first round bye in the playoffs last year. At the end of the day, that gives us a chance to see how we stack up in the national conversation.”
